District Magistrate / Collector
Akshay Godara
Know Your District
Karauli
Dang tract district known for Karauli state, fairs and red stone
Last verified: 2026-05-05
Karauli is a north-eastern Rajasthan district whose headquarters was also the former capital of the princely state of Karauli. The district includes Dang, hilly and plain land, and the Chambal River forms its south-eastern border with Madhya Pradesh for nearly 84 kilometres. Its economy is primarily agrarian, while minerals and red masonry stone are important industrial markers.
District at a Glance
| Population | 1,458,248 people at Census 2011 |
|---|---|
| Area | 5,524 square kilometres; 23rd in Rajasthan by area |
| Sex ratio | 861 females per 1,000 males at Census 2011 |
| Literacy rate | 66.2 percent at Census 2011 |
| Villages | 888 villages, including 851 inhabited and 37 uninhabited villages |
| Rural-urban profile | 85.0 percent rural and 15.0 percent urban by population at Census 2011 |
| SC/ST population | Scheduled Castes: 354,465 people (24.31 percent); Scheduled Tribes: 324,960 people (22.28 percent) at Census 2011 |
District Administration
Current officeholders — sourced from public records.
Superintendent of Police
Lokesh Sonwal
Additional District Magistrate
Hemraj Paridwal
District and Sessions Judge
Arun Kumar Beriwal
Lok Sabha Member of Parliament
Bhajan Lal Jatav
Karauli-Dholpur (SC)
Indian National CongressSince 2024
Member of Legislative Assembly
Anita Jatav
Hindaun (SC)
Indian National CongressSince 2023
Member of Legislative Assembly
Darshan Singh
Karauli
Bharatiya Janata PartySince 2023
Member of Legislative Assembly
Hansraj Meena
Sapotra (ST)
Bharatiya Janata PartySince 2023
Member of Legislative Assembly
Ghanshyam
Todabhim (ST)
Indian National CongressSince 2023
History — Ancient → Medieval → Modern
Ancient Kingdoms
During the Mahabharata and Puranic era, present-day Karauli was most likely part of the Matsya kingdom, the Sursena kingdom, or both.
Yaduvanshi Rule
Karauli's medieval history is largely associated with the Yadava or Yaduvanshi dynasty after Vijaipal shifted his capital from Mathura to Bayana.
Princely Founding
The princely state of Karauli was founded in 1348 CE by Yaduvanshi King Arjun Dev, a descendant of Lord Krishna.
Poona Treaty
Karauli came under British East India Company protection through the Treaty of Poona signed on November 15, 1817 CE.
Matsya Union
On March 17, 1948, Karauli joined Dholpur, Alwar and Bharatpur to form the United State of Matsya.
District Creation
Karauli became Rajasthan's 32nd district on July 19, 1997, after being separated from Sawai Madhopur district.
Formation Notification
Karauli district was formed from the Karauli, Hindaun, Nadauti, Sapotra and Todabhim tehsils of Sawai Madhopur district, with its formation notification issued on 15 July 1997.
Land Revenue
In Karauli state, land was divided into Khalsa land, where land revenue was realized directly by the State, and Jagir land, where revenue was realized by jagirdars.
Timangarh Fort
King Timanpal laid the foundation of Timangarh Fort in 1048 CE, and the fort was inaugurated in 1058 CE.
Mandrayal Fort
Anangpal conquered Mandrayal Fort in 1202 and continued to rule from it until 1243.
Art, Culture, Heritage & Tourism
Mandana Painting
The wall-and-floor folk painting tradition Mandana is locally called Chowk Poorna in the Karauli region.
Kailadevi Fair
The Kailadevi fair is held twice, including a fifteen-day Chaitra fair and a Navratri fair in Ashwin month.
Mahavir Ji Fair
The Shree Mahavir Ji fair includes the Jinendra Rath Yatra and is described in the Karauli gazetteer as one of the largest fairs in the country.
Lacquer Craft
In the erstwhile Karauli state, lacquer work included bed posts, toys, boxes and bangles, and such products were sent to other parts of Rajputana and adjoining areas.
Hand Block Printing
Karauli was a centre of hand printing of cloth with engraved wooden blocks and of making scarves, turbans and safas.
Woollen Textile Craft
The Hindaun area had a woollen cloth industry that produced blankets, rugs, carpets, asans, felts, Bhakla and Ghuais.
Manuscript Collection
Shri Digambar Jain Panchayati Mandir Granth Sanghralaya in Karauli has 275 manuscripts and authentic documents in Sanskrit and Hindi.
Languria Songs
The Kailadevi fair is held in Chaitra and Ashwin, and attendees sing and dance to Languria songs.
Timangarh Architecture
Timangarh Fort is described as spread across a 9 km radius with two segments, including Tripolia or Jaganpaur and Suryapaur.
Timangarh Sculptures
Timangarh Fort contains Hindu, Buddhist and Jain sculptures, with statues made from red, blue, black and white stones.
Geography, Climate & Ecology
District Location
Karauli district is in north-eastern Rajasthan between 26 deg 03' and 26 deg 49' north latitude and 76 deg 35' and 77 deg 26' east longitude.
Chambal Boundary
The Chambal River forms the south-eastern border between Karauli district and Madhya Pradesh for nearly 84 kilometres.
Agro-climatic Zone
Karauli district is part of Rajasthan's Dang area and falls under Agro-climatic Zone III B, the Flood Prone Eastern Plain Zone.
Land Area
Karauli district had a total geographical area of 504,302 hectares, including 186,641 hectares under cultivation.
Land Forms
Karauli district's land is described as divided into daang, hilly and plain land areas.
River Basins
Karauli district is part of four river basins: the Gambhir, Banas, Chambal and Parbati river basins.
Road Network
As of 31 March 2019, Karauli district had 2,683.43 kilometres of roads and a road density of 48 km per 100 square kilometres.
Hilly Tehsils
Karauli, Sapotra and Mandrayal tehsils are described as hilly areas, while the remaining district is generally level and plain.
Dang Topography
Karauli's Dang tract is described as undulating topography with boulders, blocks and dissected valleys.
Banas Confluence
The Banas River forms a common boundary between Sapotra and Khandar subdivisions before meeting the Chambal near Badwas village.
Economy — Sectors, Industry, Energy
Major Crops
Major crops in Karauli district include pearl millet, sesame, cluster bean, paddy, groundnut, sorghum, mustard, wheat, gram and barley.
Agrarian Workforce
Karauli's district economy is primarily agrarian, with 71.6 percent of workers either cultivators or agricultural labourers.
Bajra Production
In 2017-18, bajra covered 130,928 hectares in Karauli district and produced 283,763 metric tons.
Wheat Output
In 2017-18, wheat production in Karauli district was 274,842 metric tons.
Livestock Base
As per Livestock Census 2019, Karauli district had 518,622 buffaloes and 340,529 goats.
Milk Production
Karauli district recorded total milk production of about 535.489 thousand tons in 2018-19.
Mineral Resources
Karauli district is described as rich in minerals including masonry stone, silica sand, china clay, white clay, soap stone, sandstone, slate stone and hand mill stone.
Red Stone Industry
Karauli is considered a leading industrial centre for red masonry stone, a stone product described as famous in the country.
Industrial Areas
The state government developed three industrial areas in Karauli district, and the Hindaun industrial area is described as fully developed.
Enterprise Employment
The DIC Karauli total for MSME/Udhyog Aadhaar was 3,904 units, generating employment for 16,024 persons with Rs. 18,345.24 lacs investment.
Industry Finance
Financial support to industries in Karauli is provided through bank loan schemes; Bank of Baroda, Karauli is identified as the lead bank in the district.
Trade Route
Karauli's ancient Mandawar-Karauli road was an important trade route, with Hindaun serving as the principal market for cotton, grain, oil seeds, raw sugar and tobacco.
Political & Administrative Setup
Administrative Subdivisions
Karauli district was administratively divided into six sub-divisions: Karauli, Hindaun, Sapotra, Todabhim, Nadauti and Mandrayal.
Panchayat Samitis
Under Panchayati Raj, Karauli district was divided into eight panchayat samitis for implementing rural development projects and schemes.
Urban Local Bodies
Karauli district had Municipal Councils at Karauli and Hindaun City, while Todabhim was listed as a Municipality.
Collector Role
The Karauli Collector acts as District Magistrate, District Development Officer and head of the district revenue department.
Revenue Administration
Karauli district land revenue administration comes under Bharatpur division, with the Collector office at Karauli, six sub-divisional offices and eight tehsildar offices.
Land Records
The district Revenue Department is the main repository of land records and is responsible for land-revenue collection, mutations and allocation of government land.
Police Range
Rajasthan Police places Karauli in Bharatpur Range; its district list shows five police circles: Hindon, Kaila Devi, Karauli, Sapotra and Toda Bheem.
Women Crime Unit
Karauli district has a special investigation unit for crimes against women, headed by an Additional Superintendent of Police, with Mahila Police Thana Karauli under it.
Police Strength
The Karauli district police strength listed in the gazetteer includes one Superintendent of Police, one Additional Superintendent of Police and six Deputy Superintendents of Police.
Municipal Wards
In 2019, Karauli district's urban local-body setup had 140 total wards across two Municipal Councils and one Municipality.
Gram Sabha
A Gram Sabha exists for each Panchayat Circle and consists of persons registered in the electoral rolls of the village or group of villages in that Panchayat area.
Governance Initiatives & Schemes (2025-26)
Irrigation Grants
Under Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana, Karauli farmers received a 50-70 percent grant for sprinkler and drip irrigation systems after the minor irrigation scheme merged into PMKSY in 2016-17.
Micro Enterprise Subsidy
PMEGP is described for Karauli's industry support as a credit-linked subsidy programme for generating employment through micro-enterprises in rural and urban areas.
Mining Area Welfare
PMKKKY is implemented by District Mineral Foundations using DMF funds for development and welfare projects in mining-affected areas.
Jan Soochna Portal
The Karauli gazetteer recorded the Jan Soochna portal as offering public-domain information on 286 information types across 108 schemes of 63 departments.
Village Development Plan
The Panchayati Raj Department scheme list in the Karauli gazetteer includes Gram Panchayat Development Plan-GPDP.
Employment Guarantee
Karauli was one of the Rajasthan districts in the first MGNREGS notification issued on February 2, 2006.
Urban Sanitation
Under Swachh Bharat Mission Urban, Todabhim municipal area constructed 2,149 individual toilets, four public toilets and five community toilets, and was made open-defecation-free through QCI.
Janani Express
In 2018-19, Karauli district had 13 Janani Express 104 ambulances, which benefitted 8,098 expecting mothers and 4,312 children.
Literacy Centres
In 2017-18, Karauli district had 223 literacy centres with 46,728 total literates enrolled.
Mid-Day Meal
Karauli district Mid-Day-Meal was functioning in 1,416 schools and benefitting 134,425 students.
Girls Hostel
The Girls Hostel Scheme under Educationally Backward Blocks in Karauli targeted girls aged 14-18 in classes IX-XII from SC, ST, OBC, minority, and BPL families.
PYQ One-Liners (RAS / RPSC / RSSB)
Verify exact options from official RPSC / RSSB question papers before any examination use.
PYQ one-liners for Karauli are coming soon.
Test yourself — 10 questions
A quick self-check drawn from the district reference above. Bilingual, no login required.
Question 1 of 8
Which item is identified for Karauli in Rajasthan's One District One Product list?
Frequently asked questions
Why is Karauli district named Karauli?
The district is named after Karauli town, its headquarters and former capital of the princely state of Karauli.
What was the ancient name of Karauli state?
The ancient name of Karauli state was Karkralagiri, a name linked in the gazetteer to the area's surrounding mountains.
How is the name Karauli linked with Kalyanpuri?
The name Karauli is believed to be an aberration of Kalyanpuri, named after the Kalyanrai temple on the Bhadravati riverbank.
Which language dominated Karauli's mother-tongue profile in Census 2011?
Census 2011 recorded the Hindi language group as overwhelmingly dominant in Karauli: 1,450,142 residents, about 99.4 percent of the district population, with Hindi, Marwari, Rajasthani and Brajbhasha listed among its mother tongues.
What are the main railway stations for Karauli district?
Karauli district headquarters was not connected by rail, while Hindaun and Sri Mahaveerji were the main railway stations on the Delhi-Mumbai line.
Who heads district-level police administration in Karauli?
At district level, the Superintendent of Police is the executive head of the Karauli police force and works with the District Magistrate to maintain law and order.
What public health institutions were recorded in Karauli in 2017-18?
In 2017-18, Karauli district public health institutions included one District Hospital, one Sub-Divisional Hospital, four city dispensaries, 11 CHCs, 34 PHCs and 293 sub-centres.
How widespread were educational facilities in Karauli's inhabited villages?
Out of Karauli district's 851 inhabited villages, 692 had educational facilities, serving 96.35 percent of the rural population.
How is the Kalyanrai temple linked with Karauli's founding?
The temple is linked with Karauli's foundation by Yaduvanshi king Arjundeo in 1348 AD; the older name Kalyanpuri is associated with Kalyanrai.