Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park historical timeline

The park is a modern conservation project in an ancient geological and cultural setting. Its story is not the creation of wilderness from nothing, but the repair of heavily altered land around Mehrangarh.

Chronology

1. Deep geological time Volcanic rocks of the Malani sequence form the hard terrain below the fort. Their fractures, shallow soils and exposed surfaces control where plants can establish.
2. 15th century onward Mehrangarh's walls, roads, water structures and settlement activity reshape the hill while the rocky slopes remain part of its defensive setting.
3. 20th century Invasive Prosopis juliflora, locally called baavlia, spreads across disturbed ground and suppresses much native vegetation.
4. 2006 The Mehrangarh Museum Trust creates the restoration project on roughly 70 hectares around the fort.
5. Late 2000s Teams test ways to remove invasive plants from fissures without simply cutting the tops, then collect and propagate native rocky-desert species.
6. 2011 The restored landscape begins receiving the public through interpreted trails and a visitor centre.
7. Present day Restoration, nursery work, monitoring and visitor management continue. The park remains a process rather than a finished ornamental design.

Restoration as the main exhibit

The park's history is visible in contrasts between treated and untreated ground. Native plant recovery takes time, and sparse vegetation can be evidence of adaptation rather than failure. Reading the site requires abandoning the assumption that a healthy park must look green and dense.

• Official website
• Wikipedia