Learning About the History of Ranthambore

We were told to report to our school at 4:45 am in the morning and we were told that we would leave by 5.30 am. We boarded our buses within thirty minutes and left the school. After three to four hours, we stopped for lunch at Neemrana. The food was great. After freshening up and eating, we all boarded our bus. On the bus, we enjoyed listening to songs and playing cards. We reached our resort at about 4 pm. We were requested to assemble at 5.30 pm to learn about the history of Ranthambore. This meeting was accompanied by evening snacks and a Rajasthani cultural program. We enjoyed the dance and the music. It was a very tiring day. After having dinner, we went to our rooms before the lights were out.

On day two, we were told to wake up at 6.30 am in the morning. Our teachers woke us up at 6.30 am. We got ready, had our breakfast and assembled at the lawn. Our Journey Mentors allotted us canters. We sat in the canters and enjoyed the amazing wind and the view. At the fort, we were told that we had to walk for two kilometers and it had about approximately two hundred and fifty steps. After climbing about fifty steps, we reached the first gate, the Hathi Pol or the Elephant Gate. The guide told us that the gate’s pass was curved so that when the elephant comes running, its speed gets slower. After fifty more steps, we reached the second gate, the Andheri Pol. The tour guide said that there were iron hooks on it and It was made from special red stones that were very soft and could be carved easily.

The third gate was the Ganesh Gate as it led us to the ancient Ganesh Temple. After walking for some time, we could see the artificial lake and there were sacred threads tied on each railing. We also saw the chhatri built by the king for his father. We were accompanied by the langurs there. We went to the Ganesh Temple, which had great architecture and carvings on the walls. Our ancestors strongly believed in this temple. The priest put a tika on our forehead and gave us prasad. After leaving the fort, we went to our canters and headed straight to the NGO. The NGO had beautiful handmade clothes. We saw how block prints were made. It was a beautiful experience. We went back to our resort and after having lunch, we went on the safari. We saw sambar deer. Even the tiger passed through us but we could not see it. After the safari, we had activities, which were fun and were accompanied by dinner and DJ night. It was overall a very amazing experience.

Written by Meehika Singh (K. R. Mangalam World School, Gurgoan).

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EdTerra Edventures conducts various other programs for the youth. If you go to school and are under 17 years of age, ask your school to contact us to arrange a visit to your school for an introduction to “Ranthambore: Tiger’s Own Den” and other journeys under EdTerra’s India Discovery Program.

For queries call +91-11-48885800 or visit EdTerra Browse Journeys page to know more about the programs for school students. Visit our FB page by clicking HERE. Also, check our podcast page by clicking HERE.