The Chambal River flows alongside Kota. This river is a tributary of Yamuna River. The last major dam on Chambal River, named Kota Barrage, is situated here only. The dam was constructed in 1955 to stop water for the production of electricity through thermal power.
The city is the trade centre for an area in which cotton, millet, wheat, coriander and oilseeds are grown; industries include cotton and oilseed milling, textile weaving, distilling, dairying, and the manufacture of metal handcrafts. Kota also has an extensive industry of stone-polishing of a stone called Kota Stone.
Education has become a major part of the city's economy. It has become a major hub for coaching for Engineering and Medical Entrance examinations, attracting hundreds of thousand students every year. Students from all over India come to study in Kota and prepare particularly for the IIT-JEE and AIPMT.
Kota Doria is a type of fabric that is made in the city of Kota in the state of Rajasthan, India. It is a unique blend of cotton and silk, which gives it a soft and sheer texture. The fabric is also known as Kota Masuria or Kota Jali due to its characteristic square-shaped patterns, which are created by the weaving technique used.
The fine-grained variety of limestone is known as Kota stone, with rich greenish-blue and brown colours. Kota stone is preferred for flooring and wall cladding, paving and facades of buildings. They are tough, non water-absorbent, non-slip, non-porous and have excellent stain removability.