Rotor blades are constructed with composite materials. The root section of the rotor blade, which is made of thick composite layers, undergoes large dynamic loads. Due to this loading, thick composite section is amenable to various types of damages. This paper addresses a method for the analysis of damage prediction in root section of the rotor blade. Finite element model of root section of a composite main rotor blade is analysed in two stages. In the first step, rotor blade root is modeled with coarse mesh using continuum shell and solid elements. In this phase, damage initiation and evolution criteria for fibre and matrix are assessed using Hashin criteria. In the second stage, ply-by-ply FE sub-models are prepared and cohesive elements are introduced in the area of interest to study the tendency for delamination. Experimental study on rotor blade root section has been carried out for both static and fatigue loading cases. The results of FE analysis and experimentation are compared for the static case for stresses and displacements. The zone of damage initiation from FE static analysis is in agreement with the location of damage in experimentation under fatigue loading.