Modern Kota City and Kota District of Rajasthan
have been derived from parts of the erstwhile Kota State.
The former State of Kota formed the Eastern part of present
Rajasthan. It was surrounded by the former Indian States of
Jaipur and Gwalior in the North, Bundi in the West, Udaipur,
Jhalawar, Indore and Gwalior in the South and Khilchipur,
Rajgarh and Gwalior in the West. Though Kota started as an
offshoot of Bundi in A.D. 1624, it ultimately superceded its
parent in power, economy and cultural grandeur. At the time
of the integration of the Indian States to the Indian Union
in 1948, it was the 5th largest state (in revenue) in the
newly formed state of Rajasthan.
The Eastern region of Rajasthan is widely known
as ‘Hadauti’ or the Land of the Hadas. Hadauti
comprises the old Hada states of Bundi and Kota, which in
modern times means Bundi, Kota, Baran and Jhalawar. Hadauti
is a region of large expanse of fertile plains having rich
black cotton soil and of ranges of low hills and river gorges
covered with thick forest. The land slopes gently from the
South towards The North and has the river Chambal traversing
across it from the South to the North, with its many tributaries.
It is the only perennial river in the largely desert state
of Rajasthan, draining itself into the Yamuna. Together with
a bountiful rainfall, these waters provide a prosperous and
verdant look to this land, which is the main granary of Rajasthan.
Rajasthan is a veritable kaleidoscope of
ethnic handicrafts, vivid hand-spun fabrics and an exciting
range of handloom products. One of the premier handloom clusters
in Rajasthan is the Kota Doria cluster.
The silk sarees were originally woven in
mysore from where some weaver families were brought to Kota
by the great patron of crafts, Maha Rao Kishore Singh (1684-1695).
The weavers settled in kaithun village in the early 17th century
and gradually grew in number. Kota Doria is also sold famously
as ‘Kota Saree’ or ‘Kota Masuria Saree’.
Today the craft tradition is one of the hot
favorites among the fashion conscious youth and the demand
is rapidly growing in domestic as well as in international