The area was a hunting ground for Nepal's ruling class. It was declared a Royal Hunting Reserve in 1969. In 1973, the area was changed into "Royal Sukla Phanta Wildlife Reserve". At first it had an area of . The area was made bigger to its present size in the late 1980s. A buffer zone of was added in May 2004. In 2017, the status of the protected area was changed to a national park.