Kota
Travel - Kota is the only city in Rajasthan with a permanent river
called Chambal. Kota today has an atomic power station and one of Asia's
largest fertiliser and chemical plant. It has various manufacturing
industries ranging from precision instruments to chemicals. The Kota
Stone is world famed.
At Kota, shop for famous Deoria Saris in
the streets of Rampura Bazaar and Bhairoo Gali. The village of weavers,
Khaitoon, 22 km from Kota is the famous place to see these saris
stretched out on the looms and buy at very reasonable prices. Kota
offers various tourist places to visit for travelers coming to
Rajasthan.
The history of the Hadoti region of which Kota is a constituent along
with the other two Bundi and Jhalawar dates back to the 12th century
when Rao Deva conquered the territory and founded Hadoti. Later the
independent Rajput state of Kota came into existence carved out of Bundi
in 1631. Rao Madho Singh, the younger son of Rao Ratan Singh of Bundi
was made the ruler by the Mughal Emperor Jahangir.
The sons of Rao Madho Singh continued to fight on behalf of the Mughal
Emperor Shahjahan against Aurangzeb and five out of six sons thus
sacrificed themselves. Rao Bhim Singh played a pivotal role in Kota's
history and was the first in his dynasty to have the title of Maharao.
The
kingdom of the Kota had a turbulent past, raided by various Mughal
rulers, Maharajas of Jaipur and Mewar, their own cousins in Bundi and
even the Maratha warlords.
Zalim Singh, a diplomat and statesman also played a very pivotal role
in modern Rajput history, early 18th century. From a General of the Kota
army he raised to become Regent of the kingdom when the king died,
leaving a minor on the throne. He administered the state very shrewdly
and in 1817, he signed a treaty of friendship with British on the
condition that a separate state will be carved out of Kota for his own
descendants. Thus Jhalawar came in to existence in 1838.
The Fair Ground at Kota is witness to a grand
Dussehra Mela in October/ November each year.
