The district is known after its headquarters town of Alwar. There are many theories about the derivation of the name Alwar. Cunningham holds that the city derived its name from the Salva tribe and was originally Salwapur, then, Salwar, Halawar and eventually Alwar. According to another school it was known as Aravalpur or the city of Aravali (A Hill system dividing Rajasthan roughly into third and two-thirds). Some others hold that city is named after Alaval Khan Mewati. A research conducted during the reign of Maharaja Jai Singh of Alwar revealed that Maharaja Alaghraj, second son of Maharaja Kakil of Amer (old seat of Jaipur State) ruled the area in the eleventh century and his territory extended upto the present city of Alwar. He founded the city of Alpur in 1106 Vikrami Samvat (1049 A.D.) after his own name which eventually became Alwar. It was formerly spelt as Ulwar but in the reign of Jai Singh the spelling was changed to Alwar.

History of Alwar
During ancient period around 1500 BC, Alwar was part of Matsya region of olden times, whose capital was Viratnagar. Also known as Matasya Desh, this is said to be the Pandavas, the mighty heroes of the Mahabharata, spent the last years of their 13-year exile. Early medieval times, the area was ruled by Jadaun clan of Chandravanhi rajputs. In ealy 13th century Nahar Khan of the same Chandravanshi clan converted to Islam in thirteenth century during Firuz Shah Tughlak’s regime. Alawar Khan who was the descendent Nahar Khan, established the kingdom of Alawar in 1412 A.D.

During Mughal period, Khanzada Hasan Khan Mewati fought against invader Babar and later on Hasan Khan’s nephew Jamal Khan gave his two daughters to Humanyun and Bairam khan in marriage. In the 1550s, Khanzada Rajput king of Ulwar was overthrown by Akbar’s military campaign to encircle Mewar Kingdom. Later on 25th November 1775, Rao Pratap Singh raised his standard over the Alwar Fort and founded the modern kingdom of Alwar.

Alwar Location, Area & Administration
Alwar is located in the north-east of Rajasthan between 27°34′ & 28°4′ north Latitudes and 76°7′ & 77°13′ east Longitudes. It is bounded by Mahendragarh (Haryana) in north-west, Gurgaon (Haryana) in the north and north-east , by Bharatpur in the east, by Duasa in south and Jaipur in south-west & west direction. The district covers an area of 8380 sq. kms. comprising 16 tehsils, namely Alwar, Bansur, Behror, Govindgarh, Kathumar, Kishangarhbas, Kotkasim, Laxmangarh, Malakhera, Mundawar, Neemrana, Rajgarh, Ramgarh, Reni, Thanagazi, Tijara.

Geography of Alwar
Geography of the district comprises of rivers, mountains, plains and semi-arid areas. he beautiful ranges of the Aravali Hills surround the city, which act as a natural barrier for the city, protecting it from the harsh and dry winds during the summer season. The rocky ranges of the Aravallis break the undulating plateau into fragments. The city is adorned with expansive stretches of dense deciduous forests that are inhabited by rich flora and fauna..