Kota
Kota, previously known as Kotah, is the third-largest city of the western Indian state of Rajasthan.
Kota, previously known as Kotah, is the third-largest city of the western Indian state of Rajasthan. It is located about 230 km 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.
Adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Worth seeing in and around Kota
10 places within 25 km that the world writes about, in the order of how widely: the ones a visitor has heard of first, then the ones only a local would name.
- 01Kota Chambal Bridge
The Kota Bridge or Kota Chambal or Kota Cable Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge in Kota, Rajasthan. Initiated in 2006, the project faced a major setback when a span collapsed in 2009, killing 48 people and delaying completion until 2017.
5.6 km · bridge in India · Wikipedia - 02Kota Super Thermal Power Plant
Kota Thermal Power Plant is Rajasthan's first major coal-fired power plant. It is located on the west bank of the Chambal River in Kota.
1.6 km · building in India · Wikipedia - 03Umed Bhawan Palace
The Umed Bhawan Palace in the outskirts of Kota, Rajasthan is a former residence of the Maharaja of Kota. Nowadays, the palace is partly converted into a heritage hotel.
5 km · Historic building in Kota, India · Wikipedia - 04Chambal Garden
The Chambal Garden is located in southeastern Rajasthan, India on the banks of the Chambal River in the town of Kota. The well-groomed garden's centerpiece is a pond replete with gharials, which used to house magars as well.
2.1 km · Garden in Rajasthan, India · Wikipedia - 05Rajasthan Technical University
Rajasthan Technical University is an affiliating university in Kota in the state of Rajasthan, India. It was established in 2006 by the Government of Rajasthan to enhance technical education in the state.
5 km · state public university in Kota, Rajasthan, India · Wikipedia - 06Kishore Sagar Talab
Kishore Sagar Talab also known as Kishore Sagar lake is an artificial lake in the city of Kota, Rajasthan, India. It was constructed in the 14th century.
1.8 km · lake in India · Wikipedia - 07Chambal Mata Statue
Chambal Mata Statue is a statue of Hindu goddess Chambal Mata at Chambal River front in Kota, Rajasthan, India. It is 42.5 metres tall, 12 metres wide, and 10 metres deep marble statue.
100 m · statue in Kota, Rajasthan, India · Wikipedia - 08University of Kota
University of Kota is a public university in Kota, Rajasthan, India. It offers undergraduate and postgraduate courses.
7.2 km · state public university in Kota, Rajasthan, India · Wikipedia - 09Seven Wonders Park
Seven Wonders Park is a tourist destination located in the city of Kota, Rajasthan, India. The park has replicas of the "new seven wonders of the world," making it a destination for both locals and tourists.
1.8 km · park in Kota, India · Wikipedia - 10Vardhman Mahaveer Open University
Vardhman Mahaveer Open University, formerly Kota Open University, is an open university in Kota, Rajasthan, India, established in 1987. VMOU offers courses particularly in the humanities, commerce, library science and informatics.
5.5 km · Open university in Rajasthan, India · Wikipedia
Ranked by the number of language editions of Wikipedia with an article on each, from Wikidata; the sentences are the openings of those articles, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Getting to Kota
- Airports
- Jaipur (JAI), 183 km · Raja Bhoj (BHO), 260 km · Devi Ahilya Bai Holkar (IDR), 273 km
- Stations
- Kota Airport, 2.7 km · Dakaniya Talav railway station, 5.3 km
- Jaipur → Kota193 km · quickest by road, 4h 4m · ₹1,800–2,250
- Bhopal → Kota267 km · quickest by road, 5h 12m · ₹2,210–2,760
- Indore → Kota274 km · quickest by road, 4h 54m · ₹1,940–2,430
- Plan a tripFrom anywhereThe planner compares every way there from wherever you are.
Road and air are today’s quick answer; timetabled trains, buses and ferries load on the results page from the operators’ feeds.
No local-transport research exists yet for Kota
Our researched notes are written from a sourced entry: every shared taxi, boat and village bus with its operator, its rule, its fare and the year we saw it, and what could not be confirmed. Nobody has done that work for Kota. What is above is what we hold from open sources; nothing here pretends to be more.
- Get inMajor modes of travel to Kota include state transport buses, private buses and jeeps/cars for hire.
- Get aroundMoving around within the city is limited to auto-rickshaws, privately operated buses and cycle-rickshaws for short journeys.
From Wikivoyage: Kota, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us; that article was last edited 2026-06.
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If you know how people move in Kota – the stand, the rule, the fare – tell us, and the note gets an entry.
Next door to Kota
- Kota districtdistrict of Rajasthan, India2 km
- Sogariyahuman settlement in Kota district, Kota division, Rajasthan, India8.4 km