The city of Jhalawar was founded by Jhala Zalim Singh (First), who was the then Dewan of Kota state (1791 A.D.). He established this township, then known as Chaoni Umedpura, as a cantonment. The township was surrounded with dense green forests and wild animals.

Jhala Zalim Singh often came here for hunting and he liked the place so much that he wanted to develop it as a township. The objective to develop this place as a military cantonment wasdue to the fact that Maratha invaders passed through this central place from Malwa towards Kota to capture Hadoti states.

Founder of Jhalawar, Jhala Zalim Singh Legendary Jhala Zalim Singh recognized the importance of this place and started to develop it as a military cantonment and township, so that he could use this place to attack and stop Maratha invaders before they can reach to Kota state.

Chaoni Umedpura got developed as a cantonment and township around 1803-04 A.D. Colonel Todd, who visited the region in December, 1821 described this area as the cantonment established by Jhala Zalim Singh plus a well-established township with large houses, havelis, and surrounding walls.

In 1838 A.D., English rulers seperated Jhalawar state from Kota state and gave it to Jhala Madan Singh, the grandson of Jhala Zalim Singh. He developed his administration services to develop the state of Jhalawar. He resided in Jhalara Patan for a long time and started to build The Garh Palace (1840 - 1845 A.D.). He was the first ruler of Jhalawar state and made his great contribution in the history of Jhalawar.

Jhala Madan Singh ruled Jhalawar from 1838 to 1845. After his death, Jhala Prithvi Singh became the ruler of Jhalawar, and ruled for around 30 years.

Rana Bhawani Singh Ji, who ruled Jhalawar state from 1899 to 1929 A.D., did remarkable work in the development of Jhalawar state. His active involvement was in the fields of social activities, public works (construction), education, administration, etc. During his time, a number of genius personalities of Jhalawar gave their active hand in these activities

The climate of Jhalawar is hot and dry in summers. The average temperature falls in the range of 42.0° C (max) to 27.0° C (min). Jhalawar weather experiences cool and pleasant winters. The average temperature in the winter season remains somewhere between 25.0° C (max) to 9.5° C (min). The climatic conditions of Jhalawar, Rajasthan in monsoons is quite unlike most other cities. The city receives the highest rainfall in Rajasthan, averaging around 60-95 cm. During monsoons, cool and light wind blows, keeping heat and humidity at bay. The best time to visit Jhalawar is during the months of September to March.

Sightseen in Jhalawar:

Jhalawar Fort (Garh Palace):
Situated in the centre of the town, this beautiful monument houses the collect orate and other offices. It was built by Maharaja Madan Singh during 1840-1845 and his successors later on added beautiful paintings inside the rooms which can be seen with the permission of the appropriate authorities. The Zeneca Khas has some excellent frescoes on both the walls and also has mirrors. Which are the prime examples of the Hadoti school of art.

Government Museum:
It is one of the oldest museums of Rajasthan established in 1915. Located outside the fort palace, it has fine collection of paintings, rare manuscripts, idols and beautiful statues of Lakshmi-narayan Vishnu, Krishna, Ardhanarinateshwar and Trimurti. Inscription of the 5th and 7th century also can be seen here. Most of the idols recovered from various ruins have been added to this collection. The Ardhnarinateshwar (Nataraj) , from this museum was displayed in the Festival of India held in Moscow.

Bhawani Natyashala:
An interesting building near the fort was built by Maharaja Bhawani Singh in 1921. This unique theatre was built for the performances of plays and other cultural events. It was popular Parsi theatre in state times. This architectural marvel has been recently revived. The uniqueness lies in the deep stage with its underground construction allowing horses and even chariots to appear on stage.

Rain Basera:
It is a beautiful wooden cottage on the banks of Kishan sagar, just 6 kms. away from Jhalawar on the Jhalawar- Kota road. The cottage, originally constructed y the forest research dpt of Deharadun, was brought by Maharaja Rajendra Singh from an exhibition held in Lucknow. Full expenditure of this cottage including the transportation and the reinstallation of Rs. 50,000 was paid by him. Amazingly it retains much of its original design.

Jhalara Patan:
This small town is popular as ¡¥city of bells¡¦. Patan was a junction of trade caravan routes, thus the entire township resides within the confines of the wall, built to protect the caravans. Located on the banks of the holy Chandrabhaga river, Jhalara Patan was founded by Chandra Sen, grandson of Maharaja Vikramaditya. Colonel James Todd mentions counting 108 temples here. The famous 10th century Surya temple is 100 feet high and has lovely sculptures. Nearby is the beautiful group of temples on the Chandrabhaga stream which rises from spring. They belong to 6th to 14th centuries. The 11th century Shantinath jain temple and the Dwarkadheesh temple built by Jhala Zalim simgh are amog other important temples.

Gagron Fort:
The foundation of this magnificient fort was laid in the 7th century and this was completed in the 14th century. Outside the fort is the dargah of sufi saintMittershah and a fair is held every year during moharram here. Monastery of Saint Pipaji is nearby, a contemporary of Saint Kabir.

Dahalampur, Chappi Dam:
The ruins of this ancient temple extend over an area of 2 kms. Marvelously carved pillars, torans and exquisite sculptures make these temples interesting. The town lies on river Chhapi where an irrigation dam is being constructed and is surrounded by dense forests and lush greenery.