Spread over an area of 6928 sq. km. Jhalawar District is a significant district in the desert state of Rajasthan. It is situated in the southeastern part of Rajasthan at the rim of the Malwa plateau and is also a part of the Hadoti region of Rajasthan. It is the ancient folded mountain region in India, which roughly separates the plains of Hadoti from the Malwa Plateau. The Kota district on the northwest, Baran district on the northeast, the state of Madhya Pradesh in the west and the Mukandra range on the north surround Jhalawar district. The district is the home to many tribes mainly the Meenas and the Bhils. Jhalawar district is well connected to industrial and commercial cities like Indore, Ujjain, Ratlam, Kota and Bhopal.
Unlike most parts of Rajasthan, the district is a fertile, lush plain with occasionally rocky, `scrub covered terrain`. The district is drained by a number of rivers. The largest river flowing through the area is Kali Sindh, which later joins Chambal. The other rivers traversing the district are Ujjad, Ahu, Parvan, Chavli.
The region has a climate, which is similar to that of the Indo -Gangetic Plain with hot dry summers and pleasant cold winters. The district receives the highest rainfall in Rajasthan at an average of 943 mm per year. Besides the irrigation dams and ponds the rainfall is of much help to the farmers. The agricultural productivity in the district is very high and some of the important crops grown here are soyabean, wheat, opium, pulses, gram, jowar, paddy and bajra. Jhalawar district is famous for the production of oranges. Infact it has earned the nickname `Small Nagpur` because it comes next to Nagpur in terms of orange production. The region around Bhawani Mandi, Jhalrapatan and Pirawa sub divisions produce oranges, which are exported to various foreign countries. Other than oranges the district exports other items like synthetic yarns, fiber yarns, Kota stone. The district has a number of small scale industries which includes stone polishing and cutting, vegetable oil, wooden furniture, spices, washing powders and many more. A large-scale industry in the district is the Rajasthan Textile Mills.
This unexplored district is a rare combination of undulating terrains one side and dense forests on the other, which makes it an ideal tourist destination. The district is also the storehouse of pre-historic cave paintings, colossal forts, virgin forests and abundant wildlife variety. The important tourist destinations are Bhawani Natya Shala, Buddhist Caves and Stupas, Gagron Fort, Government Museum, Jhalawar Fort, Bhimsagar Dam, Chandrabhaga temples, Manohar Thana Fort, Nageshwar Teerth, Sun Temple. Dag, Dalhanpur, Jhalarapatan are towns in the district also attracts lot of visitors as they are dotted with ancient temples.