I was quite excited about my visit to Sawai Madhopur because I was keen to witness a rural township after having seen a number of cities during my tour to Rajasthan. On my way to Sawai Madhopur, delightful sights of sprawling pastures, grazing cattle, thatched mud huts and children bringing water from tube wells enthralled me. I was quite amused to see local women attired in swirling ghagras and heavy metal jewelry from head to toe while men wore colorful turbans. I had already started getting the feel of real rural Rajasthan en route to Sawai Madhopur and was now anxious to experience what lay ahead.

On my first day of stay in Sawai Madhopur, I headed for an early morning visit to the world famous Ranthambore National Park. The jeep safari through the thick wooded forest was absolutely thrilling and was no less than a roller coaster ride. For the first time, I got an opportunity to witness wildlife in its natural habitat and that too from such close quarters. Before me were spotted and sambhar deer who looked the most innocent of all, blue bull, hyena, jackal, wildcat and leopard. Monkeys and langurs were aplenty and amused me with their fascinating antics.

The birds were equally beautiful. I was surprised to see a tailorbird at work as it weaved its nest just like a tailor! There were tiger birds, paradise birds, eagles, vultures and parrots, not to forget the most beautiful bird of the world - peacock that looked splendid in all its glory. However, I was quite disappointed as we could not spot a tiger all through our jeep safari to the forest. We saw tiger footprints and heard unusual sounds of monkeys that were meant to be warning signals of a tiger nearby but nowhere was the ferocious creature to be seen himself.

On the same evening, I went to visit the imposing Ranthambore Fort in Sawai Madhopur. The invincible fort of medieval India seemed to bring alive the glorious royal era. The fort encloses a number of monuments and cenotaphs of the bygone times but the most famous is the 'Trinetra Ganesha Temple' that is truly one of its kind in the country. I was amused to learn that thousands of devotees from all over the country send letters and wedding invitations personally addressed to Lord Ganesha inviting him to be present on their auspicious occasions.

During my second day in Sawai Madhopur, I proceeded to visit some of the famous temples of the place. Kala Gaura Bhairava Temple was the most interesting. The temple is carved out of a hill and has some really captivating historic legends attached to it. I learnt that it is one of the very few temples in India where "Tantrik" practices are still followed. The Jain Chamatkar Temple was equally appealing. Just as its name, the temple speaks of some intriguing miracles associated to its formation. It is one of the most famous Jain temples in Sawai Madhopur and is worth a visit.

The last on the list was Chauth Mata Temple about 35 km from Sawai Madhopur. It was one memorable experience to climb the huge stairs up to the temple that just didn't seem to end! It reminded me of a similar route to the famous Vaishno Devi Temple in Jammu. The only thing I regretted was that it would have been better to visit the temple in early morning or late evening as walking barefooted on the boiling stairs at a time when heat was at its peak was just unbearable.

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