The Sariska National Tiger Reserve is located in the Alwar District in the north-east of Rajasthan, off the Delhi-Alwar-Jaipur Road. This preserve was once the royal preserve of the rulers of Alwar, which later on became a sanctuary in 1958. It came under Project Tiger in 1979 and was declared a national park in 1982.The Sariska National Tiger Reserve, which lies on the hilly terrain of the Aravalli Range, covers an area of about 788 sq km, with a core area of 474 sq km. The dry deciduous forests of this national park are home to a wide variety of animals like tigers, leopards, panthers, jungle cats, jackals, hyenas, sambar, chital, wild boars, chausingha, hare, nilgai, porcupines, rhesus monkeys, pea fowls, gray partridges, bush quails, sand grouse, tree pies, white breasted kingfishers, golden-backed woodpeckers, crested serpent eagles, great indian horned owls, etc.The Sariska National Tiger Reserve encloses historical and archeological sites like Pandupol, Neelkanth Mahadev Temple and Garh Rajor Temple, along with the Kankawadi Fort and the Sariska Palace.