The thought of Rajasthan might reflect images of arid land and desert. This, of course, is just one aspect. Rajasthan is also immensely rich in culture, archaeology and wildlife.
About 350 Bishnois sacrificed themselves in order to prevent the local king from cutting down the trees in their area and a cenotaph erected in their memory at Khejrli near Jodhpur stands as testimony to their fight for conservation.
It is among such traditions that the erstwhile princely rulers of the State maintained the best forest tracts as hunting preserves and consequently several jungles with varied flora and fauna have been conserved.
Ranthambore Tiger Reserve and Bharatpur Bird sanctuary (now, Keoladeo National Park) of Rajasthan are among the best and most popular in the world. Sariska Tiger Reserve and Desert National Park are two other important wilderness areas among the many others in the State.
Finally it must be added that this is merely a sketch of the prominent biodiversity of Rajasthan the water lily and lotus, peafowl and tree pie, dung beetle and looper caterpillar, cobra and viper, to name a few of the great variety, are all part of the rich natural heritage of this state.
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