Dholpur became a separate district in 1982, carved out of Bharatpur, with four tehsils: Dholpur, Rajakhera, Bari and Baseri. It borders Agra to the north, Madhya Pradesh's Morena to the south and Karauli to the west.[1]
Its earlier name was Dhawalpuri, after Raja Dhawal Deo, also called Dholan Deo Tomar; before Independence it was the seat of the Dholpur princely state.[1]
Dholpur's red sandstone is famous across the country and was used to build the Red Fort in Delhi; the Dholpur palace itself is built of it.[1]
Invest India's One District One Product list names stone-based products for Dholpur, and IBEF notes that Rajasthan contributes significantly to India's dimensional and decorative stones, sandstone among them.[2],[3]
Talab-e-Shahi, 27 km from Dholpur, was built as a shooting lodge for Prince Shah Jahan in 1617; the Mughal garden at Jhor, Bagh-e-Nilofar, is said to date from Babur's reign.[1]
Nihal Tower, the 150-foot clock tower, was begun by Raja Nihal Singh in 1880 and finished around 1910.[1]
The Chambal gharial sanctuary, shared with Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, is home to gharials and Ganges river dolphins; the Van Vihar sanctuary covers about 25 sq km of the Vindhyan plateau.[1]
Kheria airport is 54 km away, Dholpur Junction connects to major cities, and Bharatpur is 99 km by road.[1]