Kota 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.
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. 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).

History
The history of the city dates back to the 12th century A.D. when the Hada 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 Varun gupta. 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.

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.

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
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.

Gardens and picnic spots
• 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)

• Jag Mahal / Mandir

• 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".

Demographics
An official Census 2011 detail of Kota, a district of Rajasthan has been released by Directorate of Census Operations in Rajasthan. Enumeration of key persons was also done by census officials in Kota District of Rajasthan. In 2011, Kota had population of 1,950,491 of which male and female were 1,023,153 and 927,338 respectively. There was change of 24.35 percent in the population compared to population as per 2001. In the previous census of India 2001, Kota District recorded increase of 27.55 percent to its population compared to 1991. The initial provisional data suggest a density of 374 in 2011 compared to 301 of 2001. Total area under Kota district is of about 5,213 sq.km.

Average literacy rate of Kota in 2011 were 77.48 compared to 73.52 of 2001. If things are looked out at gender wise, male and female literacy were 87.63 and 66.32 respectively. For 2001 census, same figures stood at 85.23 and 60.43 in Kota District. Total literate in Kota District were 1,318,643 of which male and female were 781,253 and 537,390 respectively. In 2001, Kota District had 968,781 in its total region.  With regards to Sex Ratio in Kota, it stood at 906 per 1000 male compared to 2001 census figure of 896. The average national sex ratio in India is 940 as per latest reports of Census 2011 Directorate

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

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
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.