Life Begins At.....
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Tigers of Rajasthan RAJASTHAN, THE DESERT STATE OF INDIA, HAS LONG BEEN CONSIDERED THE TRUE HOME OF THE MAHARAJAS WITH MAGNIFICENT FORTS AND PALACES. RAJASTHAN ALSO OFFERS SOME OF THE BEST WILD TIGER VIEWING IN INDIA DUE TO ITS DRY DECIDUOUS FORESTS. TONY KARACSONYI DROPS INTO THE RANTHAMBHORE NATIONAL PARK TO FIND HIMSELF MEETING MR STRIPES. Cradled in the Aravalis and Vindhya mountains of Northern India, Ranthambore is famous for its 1,000-year- old fort, tropical forests and hunting palaces of India's Maharajas. A red castle set atop of a hill was to be my lodge for a few days. "That's the Maharaja's old hunting lodge, Castle Jhoomar Baori. That's where you'll be staying," says Salim, my jeepsy driver. Traditionally, hunting parties left from this castle on horseback and elephant. Dozens of tigers were killed by the early rulers, even by today's 'Maharaja of Jaipur'. Hunting tigers in India was legal until 1970. It is about 40 years since the Duke of Edinburgh and his wife went on a tiger shoot in central India. The last Maharaja of Suguja, claimed to have shot 1,150 tigers. Salim picks me up at 5:30am for the half hour drive to the National Park gates. We enter through wooden gates and under a stone arch. A lovely lake appears. There is a samba deer feeding on water lilies and white herons are hitching a free ride on its back. Herons also forage on the banks and a chunky Nile crocodile lies nearby. They are fish eaters but will attack a samba deer. "Whatever you do, don't get out of the jeepsy," says Salim. 13 www.theretiree.com.au 8 INDIA