Kota, Rajasthan

This article is about the municipality in Rajasthan, India. For its namesake district, see Kota district.

Kotah कोटा
—  city  —
Kotah Location of Kotah in Rajasthan and India
Coordinates	25°11′N 75°50′E
Country	India
State	Rajasthan
District(s)	Kota
Population • Density	1,076,000 (2011) • 318 /km2 (824 /sq mi)
Sex ratio	912 ♂/♀
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	202.5 square kilometres (78.2 sq mi) • 271 metres (889 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 324001 to 324022 • Telephone • +0744 • Vehicle • RJ 20
Website	kota.nic.in

Kota  pronunciation (Rajasthani: कोटा), formerly known as Kotah, is a city in the northern Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located 240 kilometres (149 mi) south of state capital, Jaipur. Situated on the banks of Chambal River, the city is the trade centre for an area in which millet, wheat, rice, pulses, coriander and oilseeds are grown; industries include cotton and oilseed milling, textile weaving, distilling, dairying, manufacture of metal handcrafts, fertilizers, chemicals and engineering equipment.

The city of Kota is situated at a center of the southeastern region of Rajasthan a very region widely known as Hadoti the land of the Hadas. Kota lies along the banks of the Chambal river. The historical places and temples are getting surrounded with signs of modern development. Kota is on a high sloping tableland forming a part of the Malwa Plateau. The Mokandarra hills run from southeast to northwest axis of the town. It is 36 km from Bundi. The town of Kota was once the part of the erstwhile Rajput kingdom of Bundi. It became a separate princely state in the 17th century. Apart from the several monuments that reflect the erstwhile glory of the town, Kota is also known for its palaces and gardens.

It has fertile land and greenery with irrigation facilities through canals. Kota is one of the industrial hubs in northern India, with chemical, engineering and power plants based there. The rail junction, a road hub, lies 4.8 km (3 mi) to the north.

Kota is one of the principal cities of Rajasthan state. Kota has coaching facilities for pre-engineering, pre-IIT and pre-medical examinations. Some popular coaching institutes are Vibrant Academy, Career Point, Bansal Classes, Resonance Eduventures Pvt. Ltd. and Allen Career Institute.

Kota has a distinctive style of painting. The Crosthwaite Institute is located in Kota, as are old and new palaces of the Maharao (the maharajahs).

The mayor of Kota city is Dr. Ratna A. Jain

Geography

Kota is located along eastern bank of the Chambal River in the southern part of Rajasthan. It is the third largest city of Rajasthan after Jaipur. and Jodhpur. The cartographic coordinates are 25.18°N 75.83°E / 25.18; 75.83. It covers an area of 12,436 km² (3.63 per cent of the Rajasthan State). It has an average elevation of 271 metres (889 ft). The district is bound on the north and north west by Sawai Madhopur, Tonk and Bundi districts. The Chambal River separates these districts from Kota district, forming the natural boundary. Kota is the home of Kota stone, sand stone, Kota Sarees, kachori, and coachings.

Distance from major cities

• Jaipur - 246 km
• Delhi - 497 km
• Mumbai - 920 km

Climate

The city has a tropical climate due to its proximity to the Tropic of Cancer with extremely hot summers.

The summer season in Kota lasts from April to late October.Sometimes it may extend till November. During April–June the average temperature in the daytime remains above 40°C.It is very

Winters are comparatively mild, with average temperatures being in the range of 26.7°C (max) to 7°C (min).
The average annual rainfall in the Kota district is 885.6 mm. Most of the rainfall can be attributed to the southwest monsoon which has its beginning around the last week of June and may last till mid-September. Pre-monsoon showers begin towards the middle of June with post-monsoon rains occasionally occurring in October. The winter is largely dry, although some rainfall does occur as a result of the Western Disturbance passing over the region.it is very high.

History

Old painting-Possibly Kota

The history of the city dates back to the 12th century A.D. when the Hada, a Chauhan Rajput chieftain, Rao Deva, conquered the territory and founded Bundi and Hadoti. Later, in the early 17th century AD during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir, the ruler of Bundi - Rao Ratan Singh, gave the smaller principality of Kota to his son, Madho Singh. Since then Kota became a hallmark of the Rajput gallantry and culture.

The independent state of Kota became a reality in 1631 when Rao Madho Singhal, the second son of Rao Ratan of Bundi was made the ruler, by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Soon Kota outgrew its parent state to become bigger in area, richer in revenue and more powerful. Maharao Bhim Singh played a pivotal role in Kota's history, having held a 'Mansab' of five thousand and being the first in his dynasty to have the title of Maharao. During colonial period firebrand social activist Guru Radha Kishan organised the masses against the policies of the government. He left Kota after local administration came to know about the arrest warrant issued against him for his participation in Indian Independence activities.

Princely city of Kota

Princely city: Kota (कोटा)
Region	Hadoti
Flag of 19th c.
Independence from:	Bundi State
State existed:	1579-1949
Dynasties	Rajput Chauhan Hada
Capital	Kota

See also: Hadoti

Kota city became independent in 1579, after Bundi state in Hadoti region had become weak. Then, Kota ruled the territory which now is Kota district and Baran district.

Places of interest

Museums

Kota has two noteworthy museums:

• Maharao Madho Singh Museum

Situated in the old palace, the museum has a collection of Rajput miniature paintings of the Kota school, sculptures, frescoes and armoury. The museum also houses a repository of artistic items used by the Kota rulers.

• The Government Museum

Housed in the Brijvilas Palace near the Kishore Sagar, the museum displays a collection of rare coins, manuscripts and a representative selection of Hadoti sculpture. Especially noteworthy is a sculptured statue brought here from Baroli.

Places of worship

Godavari dham temple, Kota

Kota is home to a large number of Temples and Gurudwaras, some of which date back to the medieval period. Notable places of worship include:

• Godavari Dham Temple

This Hanuman Temple is located beside the Chambal River. It has two high marble towers and huge marble swan built at the top of the entrance gate. It is visited by a large number of devotees especially on Tuesdays and Saturdays when a midnight Aarti of Lord Hanuman is organised. Around of 800-1000 Peoples are came on every Tuesday midnight for attending Pooja.

• Agamgarh Saheb Gurudwara

Situated on Kota-Bundi highway 8 km from Kota city, it is the largest Gurudwara of Kota and includes a "Langar" (community kitchen).

• Badoli Temples
• Khare Ganesha Temple
• Tirupati Balaji Temple
• Karneshwar(Temple)
• Shivpuri Dham Temple
• Radha Krishna Temple
• Rangbari Balaji Temple

Gardens and picnic spots

Garh Palace, Kota

• Chambal Garden
• Traffic Park
• Chatra Vilas Udyan
• The Keshar Bagh, garden famous for its royal cenotaphs.
• Kala Khet (picnic spot)
• Gapernath (picnic spot)
• Bheetariya Kund (picnic spot)
• Darrah National Park(not yet functional)
• Bhanvarkunj (Chambal waterfall)
• Adharshila Dargah, situated near Bheetariya kund, is abig rock. Its a big Rock in the water where the whole weight of rock is on one point

Places of amusement

• Sawan phuhar Water Park is Kota's first water theme park, located 3 km from Kota on the Kota-Bundi Highway. Along with the biggest pool in the city, the park has attractions including water slides, water playground, and family slides, as well as the fast food restaurant "Ripples".

Other places of interest

Damaged Jagmandir Palace, Kota

• Chambal River Ghariyal (Alligator) reservoir
• Garh Palace
• Brijraj Bhavan Palace (residence of Ex-Darbar)
• Pahadajhar Mahadev waterfall
• Adhar Shila (slanting rock)
• Jawahar Sagar Dam
• Kota Barrage

A part of the irrigation canal system on the Chambal River, this beautiful setting is ideal for outings and evening strolls.

• Jag Mandir

The palace of Jag Mandir stands amidst the artificial lake of Kishore Sagar constructed in 1346 AD by Prince Dher Deh of Bundi. Boat-rides can be enjoyed in the lake.

[[File:

CITY MALL,KOTA,RAJASTHAN,INDIA

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Gumanpura and Kotri Road are the largest shopping spots in the city, containing most of the single brand retail showrooms like Raymonds, OCM, Birla Century, Lee, Levis, Adidas, Nike, Puma, Reebok, and Madame. Rampura lies in the old city and is a more traditional market. It is the main hub for the retail of Kota doria sarees as well as Indian jewellery.

City Mall is the first mall of Kota, followed by the Indiabulls Mega Mall at Jhalawar Road, Central Square Mall at Kotri Road. Others include Cinemall at Jhalawar Road, Just Inn at Vallabhbari and Akash Multiplex at Aerodrome Circle near the airport.

City Mall has Big Bazar, Dominos, McDonalds, four screen Fun Cinemas, Cafe Coffee Day, Food Court, Subway, Crosswords and many apparels showrooms.

Kota has the Best Price Store, first in Rajasthan, which is a venture of Retail giant Walmart Company.

Central Square Mall has a Cafe Coffee Day store with other Sarees and Jewellery shops. London Street club house on the way of Rawatbhata road.

News Paper

• Hadoti Express
• Dainik Bhaskar
• Rajasthan Patrika
• Dainik Nav Jyoti

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Kota has a population of 10,000,00.Males constitute 53% of the population and females 47%. Kota has an average literacy rate of 77%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 78%, and female literacy is 62% which makes it the most literate district of state. In Kota, 13% of the population is under six years of age. According to the 2011 census Kota's population has crossed 10 lakh mark thus putting it in the mini-metro category.

Utility services

Electric power is provided to Kota from four sources:

• Rana Pratap Sagar dam (172 MW)
• Jawahar Sagar Dam (99 MW)
• Kota Super Thermal Power Station (1240 MW)
• Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (1180 MW).

Out of the total 811 villages within the district, 802 have been electrified as of 31 March 2011.

Irrigation water is available from the Chambal canal in the tehsils of Ladpura, Digod and Pipalda besides wells/tube wells. All the five towns of the district have been covered under the drinking water supply scheme.

The city is serviced by two main post offices, 206 sub post offices, and 48 telephone exchanges.

Government institutions and courts

Governmental institutions in Kota include:

• Municipal Corporation of Kota
• Collectorate
• Office of the Divisional Commissioner
• Rajasthan Housing Board
• Chambal Agriculture Department (CAD)
• Urban Improvement Trust (UIT)
• Office of the Superintendent of Police, Inspector General of Police and the Income Tax commissioner of Kota range.

Instrumentation Ltd is a Public Sector company based in Kota. Its clientele includes public sector entities such as the Indian Railways, BSNL and VSNL

The District court provides court and notary services.

Health services

Healthcare is provided by a combination of public and private-sector hospitals.

The main hospitals include:

• MBS Hospital, Civil Lines
• Fortis Modi Hospital, Swami Vivekanand Nagar
• Medical college Hospital, R.K. Puram
• Maitri Hospital, Talwandi
• Sudha Hospital, Talwandi
• Cancer Hospital, Dadabari
• Kota Heart institute, Talwandi
• PMC American Hospital, Indra Vihar
• Bharat Vikas Parishad Hospital, Pratap Nagar
• E.S.I. Hospital, Vigyan Nagar
• Ratna Nursing Home, Nayapura
• M.J.Hospital, Vasant Vihar
• JAISWAL HOSPITAL & NEURO INSTITUTE,VIGYAN NAGAR

There are 16 other hospitals within the city limits.

Economy

The city is the trade centre for an area in which cotton, millet, wheat, coriander and oilseeds are grown; industries include cotton and oilseed milling, textile weaving, distilling, dairying, and the manufacture of metal handcrafts. Kota also has an extensive industry of stone-polishing of a stone called Kota Stone. Kota stone is blue in colour and is used for the floor and walls of residential and business buildings. It is a cheap alternative to marble. Kota's economy today is driven by the all-India fame of its coaching classes, it is regarded as a largest coaching hub in India. The major industries include DCM Sriram Consolidated Limited (DSCL), Instrumentaion Limited, Multimetals Limited, Samtel Glass Limited, Birla Cement, CFCL Chambal Fertilizers and Chemicals Limited, Sriram Fertilizers and Metal India (in agricultural sector),shriram rayons(DCM shriram industries limited)

Education

Bansal Classes

Education has become a major part of the city's economy. It has become a major hub for coaching for Engineering and Medical Entrance examinations, attracting hundreds of thousand students every year. Students from all over India come to study in Kota and prepare particularly for the IIT-JEE and AIPMT. Some of the major coaching centers are:

• Vibrant Academy, for IIT-JEE
• Career Point, for IIT-JEE, AIEEE and AIPMT
• Bansal Classes, for IIT-JEE
• Resonance, for IIT-JEE, AIEEE and AIPMT
• Allen Career Institute, for IIT-JEE, AIEEE and AIPMT

Aristotle English classes Mahaveer Nagr extn.Kota [Destination For English streams] For a list of schools, see schools in Kota.

Kota doria

Main article: Kota doria

Kota is known for the fine translucent muslins called Masuria Malmal. Originally, such saris were called Masuria because they were woven in Mysore. The weavers were subsequently brought to Kota by Rao Kishore Singh who was a general in the Mughal army. The weavers were brought to Kota in the late 17th and early 18th centuries, and the saris came to be known as 'Kota-Masuria'. Kota saris are popularly known as 'Masuria' in Kota and Kotadoria outside the state. 'Doria' means thread. Bheru-gali in Rampura can still be found lined up with saree shops over half a century old.

Kota stone

Main article: Kota Stone

The fine-grained variety of limestone is known as Kota stone, with rich greenish-blue and brown colours. Kota stone is preferred for flooring and wall cladding, paving and facades of buildings. They are tough, non water-absorbent, non-slip, non-porous and have excellent stain removability. The varieties include Kota Blue Natural, Kota Blue Honed, Kota Blue Polished, Kota Blue Cobbles, Kota Brown Natural and Kota Brown Polished.

Industries

Kota produces 8% of the total electricity of India.^{[citation needed]} Kota is the only city in India which have 3 power stations -- thermal, hydro and nuclear.^{[citation needed]} The major industries include DCM Sriram Consolidated Limited (DSCL), Instrumentaion Limited, Multimetals Limited, Samtel Glass Limited, Birla Cement, CFCL (Chambal Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd), Sriram Fertilizers and Metal India (in the agricultural sector) www.metalindia.co.in , Rajendra Engineering Works, Kota (manufacturer of wide range of technical products for processing plants. Rajendra Engineering Works made India's first machine to produce mustard pungent oil without Kachhi Ghani)^{[citation needed]}. Kota has one of the India's largest cluster industry of welding rods.^{[citation needed]}

Saris

Kota is known for its fabulous weaves which was started by Maharana Bhimdeo in the 18th century. [1]. Maharaja Bhim Singh of Kota brought some weavers from the Deccan in the early 18th Century and the craft blossomed under the royal patronage]. "Kota has 20 per cent silk input. It gives the fabric the sheen and an edge over its cotton counterparts," says Vidhi, known as a crafts exponent in the fashion fraternity. The warp and weft use a combination of threads creating a fine chequered pattern (Khat) where the cotton portion provides firmness while the silk lends a gossamer finish to the fabric.But the families of traditional weavers were starving without work because there were no buyers for the fine textiles any more. No one had thought of giving a new lease of life to these gossamer-fine fabrics until the arrival of Vidhi Singhania who loves Kota weaves. Kota weaves are once again the chosen fashion statement of the rich and famous. Vidhi Singhania makes Saris, kurtis and Western wear as well as bags and pouches with Kotah embroidery and Zariwork and each season her collection is a sell-out. The weavers are now re-settled in their homes and financially better of making Kotah hand-woven looms. Textile revivalist Vidhi Singhania has put kota on the haute couture map with her designing of kota saris.

Higher education

Kota has three major universities:

• Rajasthan Technical University
• University of Kota
• Vardhman Mahaveer Open University;

It also has one government medical collage, one private dental collage, six engineering colleges, 15 general colleges, a number of MBA Institutes, and a medical college.

The Government College of Kota is the largest government-run college in the state of Rajasthan under University of Kota.

In the 2011 general budget Rajasthan government has announced a Indian Institute of Information Technology(IIIT) in lieu of IIT which was snatched from Kota. rahul saini

In Popular Culture

The novel Revolution 2020: Love, Corruption, Ambition by Chetan Bhagat is set in Varanasi and Kota.

Transport

Kota is connected with road and rail. It is also connected by air, although only chartered flights are available.

Roadways

The district is connected with neighbouring districts and with major cities outside the state. National highway No.12 (Jaipur—Jabalpur) and National Highway No.76 passes through the district. National Highway No.76 is a part of East-West Corridor. The total road length in the district is 2,052 km. as of March 2011.

There are two bus stations in Kota:

• Rajasthan roadways bus stand in Nayapura.
• Inter-state bus terminal at DCM road.
• Rawatbhatta Bus Stand at Ghode Baba Crossing.

Daily buses carry passengers inter-state as well as within the city.

Railways

Entrance of Kota Railway station

Kota is connected to most major cities in the state and outside it. It is an important station on the Delhi-Mumbai main line. It is also the main enterance way for Indore, Ujjain and Jabalpur which belongs to West Central Railway. Kota Junction is one of the major junctions of the West Central Railway, headquartered in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. Kota has one direct train to Jabalpur and Kolkata. Kota has four railway stations. Another suburban station of South Kota city is Dakaniya Talav Railway station which has a stoppage of Avadh Express and Dehradun Express.

The city is a halt for around 100 trains, including Jaipur - Indore SuperFast, Udaipur SuperFast (Gwalior - Udaipur City Express), Dayodaya Express (Jaipur - Jabalpur Express / Ajmer - Jabalpur Express), Jodhpur - Indore Intercity, Hazrat Nizamuddin - Indore Express, Garbha Express, Marusagar Express (Ajmer - Ernakulam Express / Arnakulam Express), Jaipur - Mysore Express, Jaipur - Chennai Express, Jaipur - Coimbatore Express, Jodhpur - Puri Express, Jodhpur - Bhopal Express, Jodhpur - Indore Intercity, and the Rajdhani Express.

The Delhi—Mumbai railway line passes through the Kota junction. The district has 148.83 km of railway line in the Kota— Ruthia section, 98.72 km on Nagda—Mathura (Mumbai-Delhi) section and 24.26 km on Kota—Chittorgarh section.

A broad-gauge railway facility between Kota and Jodhpur via Jaipur exists.

Kota is also an originating point for many trains like Kota - Damoh Passenger (Kota - Katni Passenger) connecting Kota to Damoh in Madhya Pradesh. The Kota - Indore Intercity Express connects to another major city of Madhya Pradesh, Indore Junction. There is also a Jan Shatabdi Express train, from Kota to national capital Delhi. The other includes, Kota - Ratlam - Vadodara Passenger, Kota - Hanumangarh Passenger, Kota - Ajmer, Kota - Jabalpur & Kota - Bina Passenger.

Airways

The nearest major airports are located at Jaipur and Udaipur which operate flights to Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Indore, Ahmedabad and most large cities in India.

Kota has its own airport, Kota Airport, though there have been no scheduled services operating from it since 1997.

Chambal River

The Chambal River flows alongside Kota. This river is a tributary of Yamuna River. The last major dam on Chambal River, named Kota Barrage, is situated here only. The dam was constructed in 1955 to stop water for the production of electricity through thermal power.

References

External links

• Official website of Kota District
• Rajasthan tourism
• Kota information with map
• Kota information

Further reading

• Tod James Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan: Or, The Central and Western Rajpoot States of India Published 2001 Asian Educational Services ISBN 81-206-1289-2 pp. 407–690