On 28 June 2025, the Sariska Tiger reserve in Alwar Rajasthan created history by consecrating the country’s first tiger memorial in remembrance of Rajmata, the late tigress ST-2 who played a crucial role in reviving the tiger population of the reserve. Tucked away against the picturesque backdrop of the Aravalli hills of Rajasthan, the lure of the Sariska Tiger reserve has been revived for tourists in recent years. Yet, in the not-so-distant past, it was desperately struggling with its tiger population.
Between 2004 and 2008, Sariska had lost all its tigers to poaching and the confirmation of the tragic news came as a rude shock for all wildlife enthusiasts and conservationists of the country. Translocated from the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in 2008, ST-2 (now revered as Rajmata) had a remarkable role to play in the revival of the tiger population in Sariska. Born to Machli T-16 and Tiger T-2 of Ranthambore, ST-2, following her translocation to Sariska, lived for over 19 years – a remarkable feat for any big cat living in the wild. Following her ailing health with age, coupled with a grievous wound in the tail, she was confined for treatment in the Karankabas enclosure in the Naya Pani area of the Sariska reserve, for nearly three months before passing away on 11 January 2024.
Following her translocation from Ranthambore, much to the relief of the park authorities, she not only swiftly adjusted to her new surroundings, but ensured the continuity of the legacy of tigers in Sariska by giving birth to tigresses like ST7, ST8, ST14 and the male tiger ST13. She earned the title of Rajmata or Queen Mother for reviving the tiger population which, as mentioned earlier, in 2008 had been shockingly reduced to zero. What was the reason behind her reincarnation as a Rajmata? Rajasthan is renowned for its glorious legacy of Queen mothers: Rajmata Krishna Kumari of Jodhpur; Rajmata Gayatri Devi and Rajmata Padmini Devi of Jaipur; Rajmata Sushila Kumari of Bikaner to mention a few.
Revered as emblems of power, protection and renewal of life, Rajmata indeed serves as the right appellation for ST-2, who infused new life in an otherwise tiger barren landscape of Sariska in 2008. In this context, she reminds readers of a similar success story etched by Collarwali (T-15) in the Pench National Park in Madhya Pradesh. As a prolific and successful mother, Collarwali (often nicknamed ‘Super Mom’ or ‘Queen of Pench’) had miraculously managed to raise 25 cubs, ensuring a robust tiger population for Pench. In fact, today the success story of Pench is synonymous with her name. For ST-2 of Sariska, following the birth of ST-7 and ST-8 (both females) in 2012, three years later her second litter saw the arrival of ST-13 (male) and ST-14 (female) in Alwar.
ST-14 further boosted the tiger population of Sariska by adding three more litters later. Notwithstanding the successful relocation and increase in number of tigers, problems abound for Sariska tiger reserve as it prepares to negotiate with a number of new and old challenges. These challenges are wide ranging – from potential animal human conflicts to mining interests. The breathtaking stony landscape of Sariska, consisting of semi-deciduous forests also contains remains of temples, forts and other historical ruins. Notable among these historical places are the Kankarwadi fort and the Hanuman temple at Pandupole. The fort located within the heart of tiger reserve, was constructed by Raja Jai Singh I of Amer in the seventeenth century.
Initially conceived as a hunting lodge it is believed that the fort gained historical importance due to the imprisonment of Dara Shikoh by his brother Aurangzeb before Dara’s execution. Located in a serene setting, the temple which derives its name from the Pandavas combines spirituality with wilderness for its devotees. At the same time, the conglomeration of devotees frequently witnesses an upsurge of traffic within the reserve casting its inevitable impact on the natural tiger habitat and the rich biodiversity. Increased human presence during auspicious occasions, often leads to traffic snarls and enhances sound pollution inside the park. Such an overwhelming human presence inevitably makes it difficult to monitor and quell illegal activities within the reserve. Striking the right balance between the influx of devotees and preservation of wildlife is one of the key challenges confronting the park authorities.
While tiger tourism is welcome, visitors in course of their safaris also need to be more conscious of the needs and requirements of ecofriendly tourism to flourish. Discarding of edible packets and packaged bottles within the reserve coupled with the threats of sound pollution remain stumbling blocks even today. Tourists need to be sensitised, more convincingly if required, to comply with the rules and regulations of visiting a tiger reserve. Given the immense size of the Sariska tiger reserve, it definitely has the capacity to house more tigers. The undulating topography interspersed with valleys, plateaus and lakes like Siliserh, Mansarovar and Somasagar makes it an ideal habitat for accommodating more big cats if the resources are managed judiciously.
The presence of villages inside the reserve poses insurmountable challenges to the preservation of the tiger habitat – especially through the recurrent encroachments of livestock grazing within the park – which also persists as an assault on the visual spectrum of the visiting tourists inside the reserve. Villages and human habitat within the reserve also raises the potential for human-animal conflicts; with threats of land intrusion from adjoining villages along with the loss of forest woodlands. While certain villages like Umri, Rotkyala, Bhagani, Bhavanwada, Kamri, Paniwala and some others have been relocated, there are still many villages pending to be relocated. While the process of relocation is an arduous and a time consuming one, conservationists underscore its importance for revival of the tiger habitat and reduction of human-tiger conflict.
The implementation of the complex process also carries with it the challenge of local resistance coupled with the apprehension of loss of traditional livelihood among the villagers. Recent relocation plans of villages like Devri, Fatka, Haripura, Sukola and Kankawadi are believed to free up core reserve area, further boosting the conservation efforts at the Sariska tiger reserve. The reserve also harbours significant mining areas pertaining to limestone, marble and dolomite in close proximity of the park, many of which (mostly within one kilometre radius of the critical tiger habitat) had to be shut down due to a Supreme Court directive in May 2024.
Environmentalists fear that efforts directed at revival of mining would inevitably jeopardise the critical tiger habitat. Balancing the needs of local livelihood along with the preservation of critical tiger environment poses a huge challenge for the park today. So, notwithstanding the unveiling of Rajmata ST-2’s memorial, Sariska still has quite a few challenges to overcome in the near future.
(The writer is Associate Professor, Head, Department of English, St Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Kolkata.)