Historically, Kota was the part of ‘Bundi’ which was a Rajput territory. Kota became a hallmark of the Rajput gallantry and culture when it became separate princely state in the 17th century AD. Madho Singh became its ruler. After that period, Kota became famous as a hallmark of the Rajput gallantry and culture. Kota was emerged as can independent state in the year 1631 while the second son of Rao Ratan of Bundi named Rao Madho Singh was declared as the ruler by the great Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan. With the passage of time Kota developed its parent state to a bigger one in terms of area, richer in revenue and also more powerful. In the history of this place Maharao Bhim Singh played a significant role. Kota is located on the banks of the Chambal River and is gradually growing as an important industrial centre.

The district has several other personalities from different fields. Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, was a fighter pilot of the Indian Air Force. In the Kargil war of 1999, he was killed by the Pakistani forces. He was the part of Operation Safed Sagar in Kargil. He was awarded with Vir Chakra on 15th August, 1999 by the Government of India. Prabhu Lal Bhatnagar was born on 8th August, 1912. He was an Indian mathematician. He is famous for his contribution to the Bhatnagar–Gross–Krook operator used in Lattice Boltzmann methods (LBM). He died on 5th October, 1976.

Geographically, the district has a total geographical area of 5,217 sq km. and occupies the rank 24th in the state and 213th in India on this basis. It lies at 25°17'N latitude, 75°85'E longitude and 271 m altitude. It is bounded by Bundi District on the North, by Baran District on the East, by Jhalawar District on the South, and by Chittorgarh District on the West. It is situated at a center of Hadoti and on the bank of Chambal River. Chambal River makes a natural boundary and separates Kota districts from Sawai Madhopur, Tonk and Bundi. The district has several canals to make it green. As per data recorded in the year 2021, there was a total 10.44% of the total geographical area of the district. The climate of the district is extremely hot in the summers and fairly cold in the winters. The actual rainfall in the district was 1278.4 mm in the year of 2021-22.

Administratively, the district is divided into 5 sub-districts. It has 11 towns and 874 villages. The district of Kota came into existence in the state of Rajasthan with an allotted district code of 127. Kota is its district Headquarter which is located at a distance of 256 km. from the State Capital. The administrative language in the district is Hindi.

Demographically, according to 2011 census, the district comprises a total number of 3,79,825 households with a total population of 19,51,014 including 10,21,161 are males and 9,29,853 are females and causes it to the rank 16th in the state and 239 in India. The population growth rate during the period 2001 to 2011 was 24.39% with 23.46% were males and 25.42% were females. The density of population of the district is 374 persons per sq km. The sex ratio is at 911 (females per 1000 males) while the child ratio stands at 899 (females per 1000 males). As per 2011 census the percentage of major religions practiced by the people of this region are Hindu and Muslim with 85.15% and 12.51% of the total population. According to 2011 census the principal language in the district is Hindi with 94.87%. The population density in the district is 374 persons per sq. km. In the year 2020 the number of live births in the district was 39,339 out of which 20,969 were males and 18,368 were females. In the same year the number of deaths in the district was 16,839 out of which 10,539 were males and 6,299 were females.

Economically, agriculture is the backbone of the district. Cotton, millet, wheat, rice, pulses, coriander and oilseeds are main crops of the region. Kota has four power stations. First is Rajasthan atomic power plant, second is Kota Thermal Power plant, third is Anta Gas Power plant, and the fourth is Jawahar Sagar Power plant (hydraulic power plant). Tourist industry is also a main source of income for the people of the district. Cotton industry, oil industry Atta mills etc are also available there. The district is home to Asia's biggest manufacturer of fertilizer. In the year 2020-21 the gross domestic product in the district was Rs. 31,26,070 lakhs at current price and Rs. 20,39,880 lakhs at constant prices in the year 2011-2012. The net domestic product in the district during the period 2020-21 was Rs. 27,96,312 lakh at current price and Rs. 17,95,369 lakh at constant prices in the year 2011-2012. The Per Capita Income or NDDP, At Factor Cost during the period 2020-21 was Rs. 1,24,584 at current price and Rs. 79,989 at constant prices in the year 2011-2012.

Educationally, according to 2011 census, the literacy rate in the district is 76.56% out of which 86.31% are males and 65.87% are females. The total literate population of the district is 12,98,345 including 7,65,396 are males and 5,32,949 are females. It is now the hub of educational institutions. It is the best place for coaching of IIT-JEE and medical entrance exam. The main universities of the district are Government Medical College, Rajasthan Technical University, Vardhaman Mahaveer Open University, University of Kota, Indian Institute of Information Technology, University Engineering College, Career Point University, etc. Major Coaching Institutions are Vibrant Academy, Allen Career Institute, Aakash Institute, and Carrer Point, etc.

Govind Singh Gurjar was born on 9th March, 1932 in Kota. He was an advocate and then joined politics. He became the Chairman of Nasirabad Cantonment Board in the year 1977. He was six time MLA in Nasirabad. He was also the former Minister of Rajasthan. He was MLA in Rajasthan Constituency from 1980 to 2003. He became Lt. Governor of Puducherry in March 2008. He died on 6th April 2009 in Delhi.

There are a number of places which attract to tourist from worldwide. These include some historical and religious monuments. These places are Chambal Gardens, Brijraj Bhawan Palace, Sitabari, Kishore Sagar, Baroli, Umed Bhawan Palace, City Fort Palace, Darrah Wildlife Sanctuary, Sawan Phuhar Waterpark, Jagmandir Palace, Rao Madho Singh Museum and Godavari Dham Temple. During the year 2021, there were 154 foreign tourists and 1,89,953 domestic tourists who visited the district.