Arrowhead T-84 Ranthambore
Arrowhead (T-84) is the third generation of Machali's line to hold the lakes below Ranthambore Fort. Born in Krishna's 2014 litter, she took the territory from her mother, raised several litters there including Riddhi (T-124) and Siddhi, and was for years the tigress most visitors to zones 3 and 4 hoped to see. She is reported to have died in 2025.
She was named for an arrowhead-shaped mark on her forehead, which made her one of the easiest tigers in the park to identify from a frontal photograph. She was leaner than her mother Krishna and carried herself much like her grandmother: calm on the shoreline, indifferent to jeeps, willing to walk the open lake edge in full view. That temperament, passed down three generations, is a large part of why the lakes zones have such a long record of sightings.
Arrowhead was born in 2014 with two siblings, Lightning (T-83) and Pacman (T-85). While they dispersed, she stayed and gradually displaced Krishna from the lakes, holding the territory from around 2017. She raised more than one litter there; the 2020 litter that produced Riddhi and Siddhi is the best known. In her later years she was reported to be in declining health, her daughters took over the core of the territory, and reports of her death circulated in 2025. We describe that as reported rather than confirmed.
Her range was the lakes: Padam Talao, Rajbagh Talao, Malik Talao and the tracks between, which under current zoning is mostly zone 3 with parts of zone 4. This is the most photographed landscape in the park, with the fort above and Jogi Mahal at the water's edge. Zone boundaries are set by forest department notifications and have been adjusted over the years, so "zone 3" in a 2018 caption and today's zone 3 route are not guaranteed to match.
Arrowhead is the daughter of Krishna (T-19), granddaughter of Machali (T-16). Her sister Lightning and brother Pacman dispersed from the lakes. Her daughters Riddhi (T-124) and Siddhi (T-125), from the 2020 litter, are the fourth generation of the line and are reported in the lakes zones as of recent seasons, with Riddhi described as dominant. She had other litters whose cubs are less well documented; check recent sighting reports before assuming any particular young tiger at the lakes is hers.
The image most people associate with Arrowhead is a tigress walking the shoreline of Rajbagh with cubs in tow and the fort behind, which she provided more or less every season she had cubs. She was also the tiger at the centre of one of the more discussed successions in the park, when Riddhi pushed her out of the core lakes ground in a series of reported confrontations. Watching a daughter take over from a mother is uncomfortable, but it is exactly how Arrowhead herself came to hold the territory.
Arrowhead is reported gone, but her daughters hold the same ground. Ask us to request zone 3 or 4; allocation is by the forest department permit system and cannot be promised. Morning drives suit the lakes because tigers often walk the shore early and the light is on the water. If seeing this part of the park is your main goal, book two or three safaris across different days so one unlucky allocation does not decide the trip.
Arrowhead's own story is the reason. A tigress who was seen almost daily for years was, in her last seasons, seen rarely, then not at all. Her successors have their own habits and their own quiet periods. Recent sighting reports tell you what the lakes have been like this fortnight, and that is what we plan around. Anyone promising a particular tiger is promising something they cannot control.
Want to see the lakes where Arrowhead and now Riddhi range? Send us your dates and we will request zones 3 and 4 and advise on slots. Sending a request costs nothing.
6-seater gypsy, shared seat or private. From approx. ₹2,200 per Indian visitor.
20-seater shared canter, the lowest cost per seat. From approx. ₹1,500 per Indian visitor.
Send your date, slot, and visitor IDs. We check permit availability and confirm the price.
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2014 | Born to Krishna (T-19) with Lightning and Pacman |
| Around 2017 | Takes over the core lakes territory from Krishna |
| 2020 | Litter including Riddhi (T-124) and Siddhi (T-125) |
| Early 2020s | Riddhi reported pushing her out of the core lakes ground |
| 2025 | Reported to have died after a period of poor health |
She is reported to have died in 2025 after a period of declining health. We describe this as reported because Ranthambore rarely issues formal announcements; ask a guide for the current picture.
Riddhi (T-124) and Siddhi (T-125), from her 2020 litter, are the best known. Riddhi is reported to be the dominant tigress of the lakes as of recent seasons. She had other litters whose cubs are less well documented.
She is Machali's granddaughter: the daughter of Krishna (T-19), who was Machali's daughter from the 2006 litter.
The lakes area, mainly zone 3 with parts of zone 4 under current zoning. Zone boundaries are set by the forest department and have changed over time.
For an arrowhead-shaped mark on her forehead, visible in most frontal photographs.
The Queen of Ranthambore: lakes territory, the crocodile fight, and the female line that still holds her ground.
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Machali's daughter who inherited the lakes and raised Arrowhead, keeping the famous line in zones 3 and 4.
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Machali's daughter who settled in Kachida, vanished in 2013, and whose line continues through T-73 in zone 5.
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The zone 1 male moved to Udaipur in 2015 after a guard's death, and the court case that followed.
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The Kachida male who chased jeeps and raised two orphaned cubs after their mother died in 2011. Died January 2020.
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The tigress of zones 1 and 6 who has raised litter after litter, including Sultan (T-72). Check recent reports for her status.
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The confident, diamond-marked tigress of zones 4 and 5, known to guides as Junglee.
Read moreArrowhead's daughter and Machali's great-granddaughter, reported as the dominant tigress of the lakes as of recent seasons.
Read moreExplore more planning pages to compare safari timings, booking options, trip cost, travel routes, and family-friendly advice before you book.