Founding
city on the Chambal River in Rajasthan, northern India
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Kota (Hindi pronunciation: [ko.ʈɐ] ⓘ), previously known as Kotah, is the third-largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located about 230 km (143 mi) south of the state capital, Jaipur, on the banks of the Chambal River. As of 2024, with a population of over 1.5 million, it is the third most populous city in Rajasthan, after Jaipur and Jodhpur. It is also India's first and world's second traffic signal free city after Bhutan's capital Thimphu. It serves as the administrative headquarters for the Kota district and Kota division. It was founded as a walled city in the 14th century in the erstwhile Bundi state and became the capital of the princely state of Kota in 1625, following the separation of the Bundi and the Kota state. Kota is renowned for its coaching institutes for engineering and medical entrance exams, such as JEE and NEET. Each year, over 200,000 students move to Kota to prepare for these competitive exams.
In addition to several monuments, Kota is known for its palaces and gardens. The city was included among 98 Indian cities for the Smart Cities Mission initiated by the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2015 and was listed at 67th place after the results of the first round were released. Afterward, the top 20 cities were further selected for funding in the immediate financial year.
The history of the city dates back to the 12th century CE, when Rao Deva, a Chauhan Rajput chieftain belonging to the Hada clan, conquered the territory and founded Bundi and Hadoti. Later, in the early 17th century, 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 has been recognized as a hallmark of the Rajput gallantry and culture.
Kota became an independent state in 1631 when Rao Madho Singh, the second son of Rao Ratan of [Bundi], was made the ruler by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Soon, Kota outgrew its parent state as it expanded in area, became wealthier 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. Zalim Singh, a diplomat and statesman, emerged as another prominent figure of the state in the 18th century. Although initially being a general of Kota's army, he rose to the regent of the kingdom after the king died, leaving a minor on the throne. He remained a direct administrator of the state. In 1817, a treaty of friendship was signed between him and the British on the condition of carving out part of the existing state for his descendants, resulting in the formation of Jhalawar State in 1838. Kota was not involved in the earlier events of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. However, when in October 1857, rebels murdered the local British resident and his two sons, British forces responded by storming the city and, after some resistance, capturing it in March 1858.
In the 1940s, social activist Guru Radha Kishan organised trade union activities and campaigned against the colonial government. He left Kota after the local administration learned of the arrest warrant issued against him for his participation in Indian Independence activities.
Kota is situated along the banks 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°11′N 75°50′E / 25.18°N 75.83°E. It covers an area of 221.36 km2 (85.47 sq mi). It has an average elevation of 271 metres (889 ft). The district is bound on the north and northwest by Sawai Madhopur, Tonk, and Bundi districts. The Chambal River separates these districts from the Kota district, forming the natural boundary.
The city of Kota is situated at the centre of the southeastern region of Rajasthan, a region very widely known as Hadoti, the land of the Hadas. Kota lies along the banks of the Chambal river on a high sloping tableland forming a part of the Malwa Plateau. The general slope of the city is towards the north. The comparatively rocky, barren, and elevated land in the southern part of the city descends towards a plain agricultural land in the north. The Mukundara hills run from the southeast to the northwest axis of the town.
Kota has fertile land and greenery with irrigation facilities through canals. The two main canals, referred to as the left main canal (towards Bundi) and the right main canal (towards Baran), originate from the reservoir created by Kota Barrage. The tributaries of these canals form a network in the city and surrounding areas of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, and supplements the irrigation of these areas.
Kota has a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSh), bordering on a Monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cwa), with high temperatures throughout the year. Summers are long, hot, and dry, starting in late March and lasting till the end of June. The temperatures average above 40 °C in May and June, frequently exceed 45 °C, with temperatures as high as 48.5 °C have also been recorded. The monsoon season follows with comparatively lower temperatures, but higher humidity and frequent, torrential downpours. The monsoons subside in October and temperatures rise again. The brief, mild winter starts in late November and lasts until the last week of February. Temperatures hover between 26.7 °C (max) to 12.0 °C (min). This can be considered the best time to visit Kota because of the intense heat in the summer.
The average annual rainfall in the Kota district is 800.6 mm. Most of the rainfall can be attributed to the southwest monsoon, which usually begins around the last week of June and may last till mid-September. Pre-monsoon showers usually occur around 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.
Kota has been ranked 38th best “National Clean Air City” (under Category 1 >10L Population cities) in India.
According to the 2011 census of India, Kota City had a population of 1,001,694, of which male and female are 528,601 and 473,093 respectively. The provisional results of the 2011 census reported the city's population as 1,001,365. The urban agglomeration of Kota consists of the city only. The sex ratio was 895, and 12.14% were under six years of age. The effective literacy rate was 82.80%, with male literacy at 89.49% and female literacy at 75.33%.
According to the 2011 census, Hinduism is the majority religion in the city, practiced by about 80.5% of the population. Muslims form a significant minority (15.9%), followed by Jains (2.2%), Sikhs (0.9%), and Christians (0.4%).
Harauti, a dialect of Rajasthani, is widely spoken in Kota, alongside Hindi, Marwari, and English, being the other languages spoken.
Governmental institutions in Kota include:
Instrumentation Ltd is a Public Sector company based in Kota. Its clientele includes public sector entities such as the Indian Railways, BSNL, and VSNL. Presently, it has been shut down.
The District court provides court and notary services.
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 handicrafts. Kota also has an extensive industry of stone-polishing (tiles) of a stone called Kota Stone, used for the floor and walls of residential and business buildings. Over the last 15 years, Kota has emerged as an Education hub of the country as producing excellent results in IIT-JEE and medical entrance exams.
Kota is recognised as a major center for competitive test preparation, attracting around 150,000 students each year, as reported in 2023. These students come from across the country to enroll in coaching institutes that prepare them for national entrance exams for engineering and medical colleges. The industry generates an estimated $350–$450 million annually, with over 300 coaching centers, including the Allen Career Institute, which tutors more than one million students nationwide.
The coaching industry in Kota originated in the 1980s when Vinod Kumar Bansal, a mechanical engineer, began tutoring students after being diagnosed with a degenerative condition that confined him to a wheelchair. His methods, inspired by the Kumon method of learning, emphasized systematic problem solving. Bansal's success in helping students gain admission to prestigious institutions like the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) drew more students to the city. Over time, other coaching centers were established by former colleagues and associates, eventually transforming Kota into an educational hub. The city currently has multiple engineering, medical, law, commerce, arts, and sciences colleges.
Weaving in Kota was started by Maharana Bhimdev in the 18th century.
The Kota saris, like most traditional pieces of work, had started becoming lost before designer Vidhi Singhania moved to Kota and started working with the workers to revive its market. Many textile shops in the city sell different varieties of Kota doriya. These saris have become one of the trademarks of the city.
The fine-grained variety of limestone quarried from the Kota district is known as Kota stone, with rich greenish-blue and brown colours. Kota stone is tough, non-water-absorbent, non-slip, and non-porous. The varieties include Kota Blue Natural, Kota Blue Honed, Kota Blue Polished, Kota Blue Cobbles, Kota Brown Natural, and Kota Brown Polished.
Kota is one of the industrial hubs in northern India, with chemical, cement, engineering, and power plants based there. The total number of industrial units in the district in 2010–11 stood at 12908, with 705 registered units. The district power plants show annual growth of 15–20% due to their strategic locations.
Kota is surrounded by five power stations within its 50 km radius.
The city is especially known in India as a centre for the preparation of various national-level competitive examinations through which the students seek admissions in various engineering and medical colleges of the country. Often termed as the "Kota Factory", the town contains more than 40 large coaching institutes for aspiring students trying to pass entrance exams for Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT), through the IIT-JEE, and prominent medical colleges such as the All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) of India, using NEET-UG.
Since 2000, the city has emerged as a popular coaching destination for preparing for competitive exams as well as for-profit educational services. The education sector of Kota has become one of the major contributors to the city's economy. Kota is popularly referred to as "the coaching capital of India". Over 150,000 students from all over the country flock every year towards the city for preparation of various exams such as IIT-JEE and NEET-UG etc. Many hostels and PGs are located in Kota near the vicinity of coaching centres for students. Students live here for 2–3 years and prepare for the exams. The annual turnover of the Kota coaching industry is about ₹1500 crore. The majority of the students here are enrolled in schools, providing the facility of "dummy schooling", which gives students admission without the need to attend it regularly. However, it is an illegal practice. In 2019, The Viral Fever launched a Web Series called Kota Factory to depict the lives of students who study at Kota.
Kota's emergence as a coaching hub began in 1985 when Vinod Kumar Bansal, an engineer, established Bansal Classes that eventually became Bansal Classes Private Limited.
In 2024, Kota has also witnessed a significant decline in the number of students enrolling from 2-2.5 lakh students to just 85000-1 lakh students and revenue from ₹6,500-7,000 crore to ₹3,500 crore which is a decline by 50%, owing to the significant rise in student suicides and stricter rules implemented for coaching institutes by the Rajasthan Government and the Ministry of Education.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Kota, Rajasthan”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.