District Formation
Baran district was carved out of the erstwhile Kota district on 10 April 1991.
Know Your District
Baran
Hadoti's Ramgarh Crater district with Sahariya-focused schemes
Last verified: 2026-05-05
Baran is a south-eastern Rajasthan district in Kota division, carved out of Kota on 10 April 1991. Physiographically, it is an extension of the Malwa plateau and is served by Chambal sub-basins including Kalisindh, Parvati, Parwan and Kuno. Its exam profile combines a 2011 population of 1,222,755 with agriculture-heavy work patterns, Ramgarh Crater, Hadoti heritage sites and Sahariya-focused welfare support.
District at a Glance
| Population, 2011 | 1,222,755 people: 633,945 males and 588,810 females. |
|---|---|
| Rural and urban population, 2011 | 968,541 rural residents and 254,214 urban residents. |
| Urban share, 2011 | 20.79 percent of the district population. |
| Sex ratio, 2011 | 929 females per 1,000 males. |
| Literacy rate, 2011 | 66.66 percent overall, with 80.35 percent male literacy and 51.96 percent female literacy. |
| Scheduled Castes, 2011 | 221,184 people, or 18.09 percent of the district population. |
| Scheduled Tribes, 2011 | 276,857 people, or 22.64 percent of the district population. |
| Villages, 2011 | 1,221 villages: 1,114 inhabited and 107 uninhabited. |
| Area and population, 2011 | 6,992 sq km area and 1,222,755 population. |
| Panch Gaurav profile | Garlic as crop, chironji as botanical species, Ramgarh Crater as tourist destination and football as sport. |
History — Ancient → Medieval → Modern
Initial Tehsils
At formation, Baran district comprised Mangrol, Antah, Baran, Kishanganj, Shahbad, Chhabra and Chhipa Barod tehsils that were earlier in Kota district.
Solanki Founding
Baran town is said to have been founded by Solanki Rajputs during the 14th or 15th century.
Name Origin
One explanation for the name Baran links it to inhabitants of twelve adjacent villages.
Kota State
Before the 1991 district formation, Baran had also been a district in the erstwhile Kota State with headquarters at Baran town.
Joint Rajasthan
When Joint Rajasthan was formed in 1948, Baran was one of its districts.
Subdivision Shift
On 31 March 1949, Baran district headquarters was converted into a subdivision headquarters of Kota district.
Hadoti Region
Rajasthan Tourism places Baran in the Hadoti province after describing it as an area carved out of the Kota region.
Solanki Rule
Rajasthan Tourism traces Baran history to the 14th century, when Solanki Rajputs ruled the region.
Art, Culture, Heritage & Tourism
Sitabari Fair
The Sita Bari fair is held at Kelwara in Shahbad Tehsil in the Hindi month of Jyaistha.
Bhand Devra Temple
Ramgarh Bhand Devra Temple, about 40 km from Baran city, is a Shiva temple described by Rajasthan Tourism as dating to the 10th century and built in the Khajuraho style.
Shahabad Fort
Shahabad Fort is presented as one of Hadoti's strongest forts, about 80 km from Baran, built by Mukatmani Dev, a Chauhan Rajput, and dating to the 16th century.
Shahi Jama Masjid
The Shahi Jama Masjid of Shahabad is described as an Aurangzeb-era mosque around 80 km from Baran, built on the pattern of Delhi's Jama Masjid and noted for pillars and mehrab work.
Shergarh Fort
Shergarh Fort, around 65 km from Baran on the Parvan River, is described as a strategically important monument whose earlier name was Koshavardhan and whose history is reflected in a 790 AD inscription.
Sitabari Kunds
Sitabari, 45 km from Baran, is a place of worship and picnic spot with Sita and Laxman temples and kunds such as Valmiki Kund, Sita Kund, Laxman Kund and Surya Kund.
Kakuni Temples
Kakuni Temple Complex, 85 km from Baran on the Parvan River, contains Jain, Vaishnava and Shiva temples, with some structures dated by Rajasthan Tourism to the 8th century.
Sorsan Mataji Temple
Sorsan Mataji Temple, also known as Brahmani Mata Mandir, is located 20 km from Baran in Sorsan village and hosts a Shiv Ratri fair each year.
Bansthuni Temple Art
The Bansthuni temple on Shahabad road, 24 km from Baran, is described as a 9th-10th century temple with carved pillars, torans and a Varaha image of Vishnu outside.
Government Museum
The Government Museum of Baran displays collections of sculptures, paintings, weapons, decorative artifacts and pictures of local temples and forts.
Dole Fair
The Dole fair is a Baran Tehsil religious fair celebrated at Baran proper on Bhadrapada 11 with about 8,000 participants from different communities, according to the DCHB.
Chakri Folk Dance
Chakri is identified by Rajasthan Tourism as a folk dance of the Kanjar tribe in parts of Baran district, with women spinning to rhythm and men playing dholak.
Shahabad Name
The DCHB says Shahbad derived its name from emperor Shahajahan, who founded it.
Sitabari Fair Dates
The DCHB places the annual Sitabari fair between Vaisakha Sudi 15 and Jyaistha Badi 15.
Shahabad Cannons
Rajasthan Tourism says Shahabad Fort once had 18 powerful cannons, including one 19 feet long.
Shergarh Name
Rajasthan Tourism links the name Shergarh Fort to its capture by Shershah of the Sur dynasty.
Sahariya Kumbh
Rajasthan Tourism describes Sitabari as the Kumbh of Sahariya tribes because of its long association with tribes.
Gugor Fort
Gugor Fort is in Gugor village, about 8 km from Chhabra town, on the bank of the perennial Parvati river.
Geography, Climate & Ecology
Area And Density
Baran district covered 6,992.00 sq km and had a population density of 175 persons per sq km in Census 2011.
Rural Urban Area
Baran district covers 6,992 sq km, with 6,909.82 sq km in rural areas and 82.18 sq km in urban areas.
Forest Area
Baran had about 2,239.69 sq km of forest area, about 31 percent of the district area.
South-Eastern Location
Baran district lies in the south-eastern part of Rajasthan.
Malwa Plateau
Physiographically, Baran is an extension of the Malwa plateau with low hills and undulating plains.
Chambal Drainage
Baran district is served by Chambal sub-basins including Kalisindh, Parvati, Parwan and Kuno.
Dry Climate
Baran district has a dry climate except during the monsoon season.
Ramgarh Crater
Ramgarh Crater, about 40 km from Baran, is described as a roughly 3.5 km diameter meteorite-impact crater and a geological monument of national importance.
Agro-Climatic Zone
The Humid South Eastern Plain agro-climatic zone includes Kota, Baran, Bundi and Jhalawar, with jowar and soyabean in kharif and wheat and mustard in rabi.
Geo-Heritage Site
Rajasthan's 2024 gazette notification says Ramgarh Crater in Baran district is estimated to be 165 million years old and was declared a National Geo-Heritage Site.
Economy — Sectors, Industry, Energy
Agricultural Workforce
The DCHB highlights state that 72.7 percent of Baran district workers were either cultivators or agricultural labourers.
Rail Connectivity
The MSME profile records 95 km of railway line in Baran district in 2015-16.
Road Network
In 2015-16, Baran district had 229.54 km of national highways, 284 km of state highways and 2,124.05 km of other district and rural roads.
Worker Profile
Census 2011 District Census Handbook reports Baran with 552,583 total workers, including 359,785 main workers and 192,798 marginal workers.
Industrial Area
The Baran industrial area had 71.51 hectares acquired and developed, 140 plots, 139 allotted plots, one vacant plot and 73 units in production.
IID Baran
IID Baran had 99 hectares acquired and developed, 202 plots, 181 allotted plots, 21 vacant plots and 21 units in production.
Industrial Units
The MSME profile counted 1,131 registered industrial units, 1,300 total industrial units and six registered medium and large units in Baran.
Industrial Employment
The MSME profile estimated 9,602 average daily workers in MSE industries and 4,527 employees in large and medium industries in Baran.
Major Units
Large-scale and public-sector units listed for Baran include N.T.P.C. Anta, Ruchi Soya Plant at Haripura, Chhabra Thermal Power Plant, and Adani Power Rajasthan Limited at Kavai Atru.
Prospective Industries
The MSME profile identifies prospective industries in Baran across agriculture and food, chemical and allied, textiles, forest-based, livestock and leather, mechanical and metallurgical, electrical and electronics, and stone cutting and polishing categories.
ODOP Product
The Rajasthan ODOP Initiative identifies Baran's district product as Garlic Products.
RIICO Area
RIICO developed Peepalkhedi, Baran as one of 19 new industrial areas during 2025-26 up to December.
Parwan Irrigation
The Parwan Major Multipurpose Project is planned to provide irrigation over 2.01 lakh hectares CCA in 571 villages of Jhalawar, Baran and Kota districts and drinking water to 1,402 villages.
Hathiadeh Irrigation
The Hathiadeh Medium Irrigation Project in Kishanganj tehsil of Baran district is planned to provide irrigation to 8,979 hectares in 49 villages of the district.
District GDP
At current prices, Baran's provisional Gross District Domestic Product was Rs 28,712 crore in 2024-25, according to Rajasthan Economic Review.
Political & Administrative Setup
Administrative Subdivisions
For administration and development, Baran district had 8 sub-divisions according to the DCHB.
Statutory Towns
The DCHB lists four statutory towns in Baran district: Antah, Baran, Chhabra and Mangrol.
Kota Division
Baran district comes under Kota division in Rajasthan.
District Collector
The District Collector heads Baran district for revenue and law-and-order matters.
Panchayat Samitis
For Panchayati Raj rural development projects, the DCHB says Baran district was divided into 7 Panchayat Samitis.
Governance Initiatives & Schemes (2025-26)
Maize Mission
For 2025-26, Baran is one of the Rajasthan districts included for maize cultivation under the National Food Security and Nutrition Mission for Coarse Cereals.
Medical College
Baran was among five new medical colleges that commenced operations from academic year 2024-25 with admission capacity of 100 MBBS seats per college.
Sahariya Food Support
The food-security support for Sahariya beneficiaries of Baran district provides 250 ml ghee, 500 ml edible oil and 500 grams pulses per family member per month free of cost.
PM JANMAN Housing
PM JANMAN housing support for houseless Sahariya PVTG families in eight Panchayat Samitis of Baran district had completed 11,411 houses with expenditure of Rs 368.18 crore up to December 2025.
PM JANMAN Roads
Under PM JANMAN roads in Baran, 38 unconnected habitations are to be connected by 98.69 km of new roads at a cost of Rs 68.87 crore, with 21.19 km developed by December 2025.
PYQ One-Liners (RAS / RPSC / RSSB)
Verify exact options from official RPSC / RSSB question papers before any examination use.
PYQ one-liners for Baran are coming soon.
Test yourself — 10 questions
A quick self-check drawn from the district reference above. Bilingual, no login required.
Question 1 of 10
According to the 2011 District Census Handbook, what was Baran district's total population?
Frequently asked questions
When was Baran district formed?
Baran district was carved out of the erstwhile Kota district on 10 April 1991.
Which division does Baran district come under?
Baran district comes under Kota division in Rajasthan.
What is Ramgarh Crater in Baran district?
Ramgarh Crater in Ramgarh village of Baran district is a meteorite-impact crater that Rajasthan declared a National Geo-Heritage Site; the gazette records its diameter as approximately 3.2 km.
What is Baran's ODOP product?
The Rajasthan ODOP Initiative identifies Baran's district product as Garlic Products.
What does PM JANMAN road support cover in Baran?
Under PM JANMAN roads in Baran, 38 unconnected habitations are to be connected by 98.69 km of new roads at a cost of Rs 68.87 crore, with 21.19 km developed by December 2025.
What is Sitabari noted for in Baran?
Sitabari, 45 km from Baran, is a place of worship and picnic spot with Sita and Laxman temples and kunds such as Valmiki Kund, Sita Kund, Laxman Kund and Surya Kund.