Hello, every Indian living in the country knows that Kota (Rajasthan) is a coaching hub and people send their children to Kota for IIT's and PMT's coaching , when anyone says Kota! the first thought that comes in your mind might be studies and coachings , stress and tension , but believe me our city is not all about coaching institutes in fact i have written this article to let all the backpackers know that they should visit Kota once , it should be in there list and i am going to tell you why !
Firstly you should know Kota is famous for it's Kachori(yeah it is Rajasthani snack or you can say a rajasthani street food) , kota stone , kota saari and the only district in India with 3 power plants, thermal , hydel and nuclear so now you knownot only coachings but more.
Food-
So talking about food Dal Bati is famous all over rajasthan but Suwalal's Kachori is something that Kota is known for, the famous Dal Kachori of Kota can be found here, there is one more variety of Kachori, the pyaaz kachori which you can find in Jodhpur Namkeens shop. Talking about pohas , as our city is near Madhya Pradesh many Indori style poha walas can be seen in the morning in streets of Gumanpura and Rampura , and i guarantee you it is the best breakfast you will ever have. Then you can go to shambhu's for a magical lassi and do not forget to have their mishri mawa laddus one of the best Indian sweet! If you are a non vegtarian do try Khurana's chicken on talwandi circle and street 69. The famous burgers opposite to friends paradise if you are a junky.
Places to visit-
Garadiya Mahadev - we are so lucky to have the great chambal rivier running through our city, this rivier has actually given our city the tourism i am now going to talk about . Garadiya Mahadev is an amazing place in the outskirts of Kota , it is basically a temple and the views you get are actually very unexpected , but amazing !
Kishore Sagar Talab - Lies in the center of the city , this is the most bucolic place of our city accompanied by a garden which has replicas of all the seven wonders of the world .
Keshav Rai temple - One more amazing temple lies near the banks of chambal , the Keshav Rai temple is again very photogenic.
Rawatbhata - You can see the nuclear powerplant here and the Rana Pratap Sagar Dam also the Padajhar Fall which is a hidden Gem and a place that should be in your checklist , this place also has an amazing cave.
Gapernath - Waterfalls of Garpernath our famous in Rajasthan and a must visit , but they remain active only in the monsoon, which is also the best time to visit the city.
Garhs(forts) in the city - Garhs of Rajasthan are no doubt world famous and thus we have Garhs in our city too! Visit the Umed Bhavan palace , bhainsror garh and the famous Taragarh Fort in Bundi , Mandal Garh and Gogron Fort in jhalrapatan.
Bundi - The taragarh fort in Bundi is very famous among foreign tourists , who often come and visit it stay in the Garhs Hotel , it is also famous for it's new year parties, amongst the locals the Morgan's Cafe serving Italian cafe is well known .
Old kota - (Rampura) - I would say , the most happening place in the city with a lot of kachori walas and Shambhu sweets and a lot of shops just like chandini chowk in Delhi , visit this place for shopping and watch how people live in the old city .
Lucky Burj - This place has some amazing gardens and gives a good view of the Kishore agar Talab .
Chambal Haveli - This place is like a historic ruin and gives a good view of the Kota barrage or the Kota Dam, also visit the MaharaoMadho Singh Museum which is near the haveli .
Jawahar Sagar Dam- is located on the same route of rawatbhata .
Mukundra Tiger Reserve and Darra wildlife santuary lie the region as well
Also visit the hanging bridge!
Thank you and this is all about the smart city of Rajasthan -Kota !