Kota
Kota is in the Hadoti region of Rajasthan. It is located on the south-eastern side of the state. The Chambal river flows through the town, because of which the place is unlike the arid climate prevalent in the state.
Get in
By plane
Kota does have an airport (KTU IATA) of its own but no services are available yet. The closest operational airport is at Jaipur International Airport (JAI IATA), 240 km away.
By road
Kota is well connected to all cities/towns in Rajasthan. It also has a good road network for cities like Delhi (510 km), Jaipur (250 km) and Ahmedabad (950 km). There are three bus stations in Kota: The Rajasthan Roadways Bus Stand on Ramchandrapura Kota, the Inter-State Bus Terminal on DCM road and the Rawatbhata Bus Stand at Ghode Wale Baba Crossing. Major modes of travel to Kota include state transport buses, private buses and jeeps/cars for hire. The on-hire vehicles are a good idea, as they are fast and convenient, though they require fair amount of bargaining.
By train
Kota is a major junction in the Western Railway sector, on the Delhi-Mumbai line. As a result, most of the trains pass through Kota. A train journey from Jaipur is about 4 hours; Delhi, about 7 hours.
Get around
Moving around within the city is limited to auto-rickshaws, privately operated buses and cycle-rickshaws for short journeys. They charge anywhere from 50 Paise/Km. to ₹4/Km., but it's advisable to fix the rates before taking a seat. Kota also has a larger three wheeler called tempo, which is by far the cheapest travel mode within the city. It is a shared vehicle with pre-fixed stops and fares, generally .50 Paise/Km.
See
- 1 Aalnia Dam. (25 km) An archeological area with ancient Indian stone carvings.
- 2 Chambal Garden. This garden stretches along the banks of the river Chambal. It houses a pond with rare gharial and crocodiles, which can be crossed via a teetering suspension bridge. It also has enclosures for birds, rabbits and such. Right next to it is the unique Yatayat (traffic) park. It is a theme park; with miniature flyovers, speedbreakers, tunnels, buildings and such all used to showcase traffic rules.
- Darrah Wildlife Sanctuary. (50 km) - One of 3 wildlife sanctuaries in Rajasthan with large tracts of forests and a variety of wildlife
- 3 Garh Palace, Kota. Palace and fort complex often visited by tourists.
- Godawari Dham. It is a Hanuman temple at few km from Chambal garden.
- 4 Jag Mandir (Lake Garden Palace). Right in the center of the artificial Kishore Sagar tank (Lake Pichola) stands the beautiful red sandstone monument, Jagmandir.
- 5 Karneshawar Temple. A temple dedicated to God Shiva.
- Khade Ganesh Ji Temple. Ganesh Temple (southern part of the city) owes its fame to its standing Ganesh, which is nowhere else to be found in India. Rangbadi Balaji temple is nearby.
- 6 Kota Barrage. A dam as part of the irrigation canal system on the river Chambal, this is a popular spot especially when the flood gates are let open to allow extra water to flow off.
- Maharao Madho SIngh Museum. Named after Kota's first ruler, the museum has a spell-binding collection of miniature paintings, armory and sculptures. It remains closed on Fridays.
- 7 Sawan Phuhar Waterpark. It is the only waterpark in the Hadoti Region and houses the biggest pool in the city.
Do
- Boat Safari. Take a boat safari on the Chambal river and observe crocodiles at close quarters. It starts from Chambal Garden.
- Gaiparnath Temple (about 12 Km from Chambal Garden). A beautiful and acient temple dedicated to Lord Shiva constructed more than 200 feet below ground level. The temple is constantly showered by a natural waterfall. The greenery and rocky cliffs around gives a fantastic view. A must visit. Caution : the place is usually deserted, hence avoid going alone. A group of 7 to 8 people would be fine, the more the better.
Buy
- Kota Textile The very famous Kota textile can be bought as sarees, dress materials (for salwar-kameez). Innovative uses include curtains, scarves and such like.
- Laakh ki Chudiyan The very famous laakh ki chudiyan (bangles) designed and resized by local shopkeepers. Your favorites can be Chudiyan (Bangles), Kade (Thick Bangles usually wore single-handed) or Sets (Mix of Chudiyan and Kade). The stylish, beautifully carved jewellery items increase beauty of your hands. You can get variety of bangles from local markets starting from a lowest range to as high as thousand's of rupees.
- Puppets Colorful, handmade puppets make for great souvenirs to take back home.
Eat
If you can handle hot, spicy food typical of the country, you would definitely want to try kachori/samosa (deep-fried flour pastries with lentil/vegetable filling) available in abundance here.A must-try. Also try the Rajasthani speciality: daal-baati-churma. Daal is lentil curry, Baati is roasted balls of flour, churma is the sweet made with wheat flour, ghee and sugar or jaggery. Also served with the dish is gatte-ki-subzi, which is steamed rolls of gram flour cooked in yogurt gravy.
- Haryali Resort cum Restaurant - Its a resort with a typical rajasthani village feel. Dine the best of cuisines in mud houses and sheds.
Sleep
- Surya Plaza - Located on Gumanpura Road. Short distance from bus and railway station.
- Train station hotel, attached to the train station. You can get discount rates if you only stay at least for 12 hours- it's cheap to begin with and for late arrivals it avoids wandering into the city at night. no Wi-Fi unless you are in range of the free platform Wi-Fi and have an Indian phone number.
Inquire about availability at ticket office 9, only travelers arriving by rail are allowed to stay (keep your ticket!) Prices are signed on a board. 380 private non AC, dormitories and AC available..
Go next
- Abhera - About 10 km away from Kota, stands this royal palace with Kotah style paintings on the inside.
- Baroli Temples - Situated in the Hadoti woods, about 50 km from Kota are these beautiful temples of Lord Shiva. They boast of fascinating carved walls and peaceful surroundings.
- Bundi - A blue city in eastern Rajasthan. An oasis in the desert state.
- Mehrangarh Fort - One of the largest forts in India, located in Jodhpur, Rajasthan,