Why in the News?

• The Education Minister of Rajasthan inaugurated the restoration work of the Patli River in Kota .

Key Points:

About Patali River:

=> Patli River is a 37 kilometer long river which originates from Mandsaur district of Madhya Pradesh and flows through Neemthur hill and enters Ramganj Mandi (Rajasthan) , where it has a flow area of  about 12 kilometers .

=> Ultimately this river merges with the Aahu river of Suket .

Restoration of the river:

=> The extinct Patli river will be revived at a cost of Rs 5 crore. Under this project, debris, glass, stone pieces and other waste materials deposited in the river sediment will be removed.

=> Its width will be around 40 metres and its banks will be strengthened.

=> Ghats will be constructed by selecting suitable places on the river banks and at some places beds will also be constructed for water filling.

Importance:

=> Due to the restoration of the river, irrigation facilities will be available to about 7050 hectares of agricultural land in 40 villages .

=> Natural water flow will be restored.

=> This will reduce the problem of waterlogging in the surrounding fields Land erosion and soil degradation can be controlled.

Kota:

About:

• It was named Kota after the name of  its initial ruler Kothia Bhil .
• It is also known as Kanpur of Rajasthan, Industrial City and Educational City .
• This city is situated on the banks of the Chambal River.
• Jawahar Sagar Dam (Chambal River) and Harishchandra Sagar (Kali Sindh River) are located in Kota It is the third largest city of Rajasthan after Jaipur and Jodhpur .

Literacy:

• According to the 2011 census, it is the district with the highest literacy rate (76.6%) in Rajasthan.

Major places of visit:

• Mukundwara Hills - Located between Kota and Jhalawar .
• Vibhishana Temple - The only Vibhishana temple in India , located in Kaithun.
• Mathuradhish Temple- Main pilgrimage site of Vaishnav sect .
• Shiva Temple of Kansua – Built in the 8th century, here the first ray of the sun falls directly on the Shivalinga.
• Geparnath Shivalaya- It is a Gupta period Shiva temple.
• Snake Park- It is the only snake park in Rajasthan .