Jhumru T-20 Ranthambore
Jhumru (T-20) was the dominant male of the lakes during Machali's peak years and is widely reported as the father of her best known litters, including the 2006 sisters Sundari, Krishna and Satra. That makes him an ancestor of Arrowhead and Riddhi. He was seen less as he aged and has not been reported in recent seasons.
Jhumru was a big, thick-set male with a broad face and a heavy ruff, and guides identified him by his build and by the stripe pattern on his cheeks. He was calmer around vehicles than most males of his generation, partly, it is often said, because he spent so much time in the busiest part of the park. In photographs from the mid-2000s he is the large male walking behind or beside Machali on the lake shore.
He held the lakes side as resident male through the middle 2000s, overlapping Machali's territory as a dominant male does. His paternity of her 2006 litter is the most widely repeated claim about him; earlier litters are attributed to different males in different accounts, so we do not list them. As he aged he was displaced by younger males and seen less often, and he faded from sighting reports. We are not aware of a confirmed record of his death, so we describe him as not reported in recent seasons.
His range covered the lakes and the ground around them, which under current zoning is mostly zone 3 with parts of zone 4, and probably extended further than the tourism routes show, as male ranges do. Zone boundaries are set by forest department notifications and have changed since his time, so descriptions of "Jhumru's zone" from older articles should be taken as approximate. The ground itself is unchanged: the three lakes, the fort above, and the tracks between.
Jhumru is widely reported as the father of Machali's 2006 litter: Sundari (T-17), Krishna (T-19) and Satra (T-18). Through Krishna he is the grandfather of Arrowhead (T-84) and great-grandfather of Riddhi (T-124) and Siddhi; through Sundari he is the grandfather of T-73 in Kachida. Paternity in wild tigers is inferred from which male held the territory at the time rather than tested, so treat the claim as widely reported rather than proven. Either way, he stood at the head of the line that still holds the lakes.
Jhumru's fame is mostly borrowed from Machali. He appears in the photographs and film of her peak years as the big male at her side, and in the story of the 2006 litter as the father. On his own account he was known for a habit of resting on the open lake edge in the afternoon in full view of the jeeps, which made him one of the more reliably photographed males of his generation. There is no single dramatic incident attached to him, which is perhaps the point: he was the steady male in a famous family.
You will not see Jhumru, but his descendants hold the lakes as of recent seasons. Ask us to request zone 3 or 4; the forest department allocates zones and cannot be persuaded. If you are interested in the male side of the story, ask your guide which male currently holds the lakes, because that changes every few years and is rarely written down. Afternoon drives in the cooler months are when males are most often seen resting by the water, as Jhumru used to.
Males have larger ranges than tigresses and are seen less often even when resident. Jhumru himself went unseen for long stretches in his later years and then disappeared from reports altogether without anyone recording when. The lakes are the best-watched ground in the park, and even there the current male is a matter of recent reports rather than certainty. We plan around what guides have seen lately, and we say so plainly.
Want to see the lakes where Jhumru and Machali ranged? 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.
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| Relation | Tiger | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mate | Machali (T-16) | Queen of Ranthambore, died 2016 |
| Daughters, 2006 litter | Sundari (T-17), Krishna (T-19), Satra (T-18) | Satra moved to Sariska; Sundari disappeared 2013 |
| Granddaughter | Arrowhead (T-84) | Via Krishna; reported deceased 2025 |
| Granddaughter | T-73 | Via Sundari; regular in Kachida |
| Great-granddaughters | Riddhi (T-124), Siddhi (T-125) | Via Arrowhead; reported at the lakes |
The dominant male of the lakes during Machali's peak years, and the tiger widely reported as the father of her 2006 litter of Sundari, Krishna and Satra.
He has not been reported in recent seasons and we are not aware of a confirmed record of his death. He was displaced by younger males as he aged and faded from sighting reports.
The lakes area, mainly zone 3 with parts of zone 4 under current zoning, and probably further as male ranges are large. Zone boundaries are set by the forest department and have changed since his time.
By the widely reported lineage, yes: he is the father of Krishna, grandfather of Arrowhead and great-grandfather of Riddhi and Siddhi. Wild paternity is inferred, not tested.
That changes every few years and is rarely published. Ask your guide, or ask us when you book and we will pass on what has been reported recently.
The Queen of Ranthambore: lakes territory, the crocodile fight, and the female line that still holds her ground.
Read moreMachali'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.
Read moreThe 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.
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Krishna's daughter who held the lakes and raised Riddhi and Siddhi. Reported to have died in 2025.
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