national park and wildlife preserve in eastern Rajasthan (Rājasthān) state, northwestern India. It has an area of 190 square miles (492 square km). It was established in 1955 in Sariska Forest as a wildlife sanctuary and was declared a national park in 1979. Acacia forests cover the arid lower slopes of the hills and the deep, narrow valleys; male bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus), the culms (stems) of which form nearly solid, impenetrable thickets, grows along the streams. Wildlife includes tigers, leopards, wild pigs, nilgai (Indian antelope), chital, porcupines, peafowl, partridges, and thrushes. Kankwari Fort, a Shiva temple of the 12th century, and a 10th-century Neelkanth (Shiva) temple are of archaeological interest. There are good roads within the park and observation towers at Bandi Pul and Kalighati.