Kota is an industrial city on the Chambal River, better known today as India's coaching capital -- hundreds of thousands of students come here each year to prepare for engineering and medical entrance exams. For travelers, it is mainly a transit point, but the City Palace and Jagmandir (a palace on an island in Kishore Sagar lake) are worth a stop if you are passing through.
The Chambal River near Kota is one of the cleanest rivers in India, and boat trips from nearby Kota Barrage offer sightings of gharials (fish-eating crocodiles), marsh crocodiles, and river dolphins. Bundi, 40 km to the northwest, is the more interesting destination in this area.