Famouse Places of India MCQs for Govt. Exams

• During the 1890s and 1900s, the slogan or sobriquet of "The City of Beauty" was derived from the City Beautiful movement which was a common ideology of North American urban planning.
• Chandigarh is India's first planned city and is known for its layout, which was 'designed for the people'.
• Architect Albert Mayer, the initial planner of Chandigarh, lamented the American rejection of City Beautiful concepts and declared, "We want to create a beautiful city ...."
• The phrase was used in the 1970s as a logo in official publications and now is how the town describes itself.
• Chandigarh was the dream city of Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister.

• The Nehru Memorial Museum and Library (NMML) established in memory of Jawaharlal Nehru in 1964.
• It is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Culture.
• It is located in the majestic Teen Murti House, the official residence of the first Prime Minister of India.
• It has four major constituents, namely, a Memorial Museum, a library on modern India, a Centre for Contemporary Studies, and the Nehru Planetarium.
• The current Director of NMML is Shri Raghvendra Singh.

• Important Libraries
  • Kolkata - The National Library of India, established in 1836 and is the largest library in India.
  • Prayagraj - Allahabad Public Library.
  • Mumbai - Asiatic Library, David Sassoon Library, British Council Library etc.

• Assam is famous for Muga Silk.
• This silk is known for its extreme durability and has a natural yellowish-golden tint with a shimmering, glossy texture.
• It was previously reserved for the use of royality.
• It is used in products like saris, mekhalas and chadors.
• Muga silk was recognized as a protected geographical indication (GI) in 2007 and was granted a GI logo for trademark purposes in 2014.

ASSAM

• Assam is the largest economy in the northeast region.
• It has the largest tea-growing area in the world.
• Capital- Dispur
• CM- Himanta Biswa Sarma
• Governor- Gulab Chand Kataria

• The Indian Central Tobacco Committee (ICTC) established the Central Tobacco Research Institute (CTRI) .
• Central Tobacco Research Institute is situated in ( Rajahmundry ) Andhra Pradesh in 1947.
• It functions under the Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India.
• The government of India under the Tobacco Board Act of 1975, established the Tobacco Board.
• Guntur Andhra Pradesh Largest chili market yard in Asia.
• Kakinada Andhra Pradesh Kakinada is globally known for its sweet called Kaja.
• Vijayawada Andhra Pradesh It's famous for the ornate Kanaka Durga Temple, which sits atop a hill overlooking the city.

• It can be said that the oil industry in India began on 19th October 1889, when the first gush of oil rushed out of the Digboi Oil Well No 1.
• It was the first commercially viable oil well in India, producing 200 gallons of oil a day.
• The site of India’s first commercial oil well|jimanish via Flickr.

• Salem Steel Plant, a unit of Steel Authority of India Limited, is a steel plant located in Salem district, Tamil Nadu, India.

• Rani-ki-Vav, on the banks of the Saraswati River, was initially built as a memorial to a king in the 11th century AD.
• Stepwells are a distinctive form of subterranean water resource and storage systems on the Indian subcontinent and have been constructed since the 3rd millennium BC.
• They evolved over time from what was basically a pit in sandy soil towards elaborate multi-storey works of art and architecture.
• Rani-ki-Vav was built at the height of craftsmens’ ability in stepwell construction and the Maru-Gurjara architectural style, reflecting mastery of this complex technique and great beauty of detail and proportions.
• The well is located at the westernmost end of the property and consists of a shaft 10 m in diameter and 30 m deep.

• The Rajput rulers of the Chandela dynasty built the Khajuraho temple complex.
• It is situated in the Chhatarpur district of Madhya Pradesh.
• It was built between 950-1050 CE.
• It originally had 85 temples spread across an area of 21 sq km.
• The temples have been built in the Nagara architectural style.

• Designed in 1841, the stadium was established in 1864 and gets its name from the Eden Gardens, one of the oldest parks in Kolkata.

• Eden Gardens is called the “Mecca of Indian cricket”, due to it being the first officially built ground for the game of cricket in India.
• The ground was named after the Eden sisters of Lord Auckland, the then Governor-General of India.
• Eden Gardens has hosted matches in major international competitions including the World Cup, World Twenty 20, and Asia Cup.
• It was established in the year 1864 and was laid by Governor-General Auckland, who named the gardens and the cricket ground after his sisters Emily and Fanny Eden.

• National Rail Museum is located in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.
• National Rail Museum was established in the year 1977 is a unique museum that has a fascinating and exotic collection of over 100 real-size exhibits of Indian Railways.
• The National Rail Museum was inaugurated by Kamalapati Tripathi, the minister of public transportation. The line-up of old coaches includes the handsome Prince of Wales Saloon, built in 1875.

• The first passenger train in India was started in 1853, the train covered the journey of 34 kilometers between Bori Bunder (Bombay) to Thane.
• There are a total of six rail museums in India.

• Taragarh Fort is in Ajmer city of Rajasthan.
  • There are three gateways to the Fort.

• Taragarh Fort is renowned for its tunnels.
  • The Fort has a shrine dedicated to Miran Saheb Ki Dargah.
• Taragarh Fort Bundi was built in 1354.
  • ​Bundi was founded by Rao Deva.
• Jalore Fort is in Jodhpur city.
  • It was built by Parmaras Rajputs.
  • It is known as Golden Mount.
• Siwana Fort is in the Barmer district.
  • ​It was established by Vira- Narayana.

• Drum Dance, famous in Rajasthan India is a professional dance-form of Jalore region of Rajasthan, where only the men participants can perform.

• In this dance, five men beat huge drums that are tied around their necks.
• A dancer holding a huge cymbal in their hands, also accompany the drummers.
• Some other member holds a naked sword in their mouth to provide an additional effect to the performance.
• The dancer is given a sword, which he puts in his mouth and three other naked swords are given to juggle with his hands while avoiding causing an injury to himself.

• Drum Dance is a very attractive dance of Rajasthan, the men musicians can play big drums and brass plates or Thalis. Women and others can dance in a group.
• The famous drum dance is followed by enchanting background music.
• During the performance of the drum dance the Rajasthani folk music play with drum, dhol, Nagada, and dholak.

• Jantar Mantar is an astronomical observatory.
• The instrument is intended to measure the time of the day, which is correct to half a second and declination of the sun and other heavenly bodies.
• In India, there are a total of 5 Jantar Mantar, of which the largest is in the Jaipur which also has the world’s largest stone sundial.
• The Jantar Mantar monument in Jaipur, Rajasthan is a collection of nineteen architectural astronomical instruments, built by the Rajput king Sawai Jai Singh II, and completed in 1734.
• It features the world's largest stone sundial and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

• Ksharbag situated in Bundi, Rajasthan.
• Located near the Chhatra Vilas Garden, Kshar Bag, sometimes known as Saar Bagh, houses the memorial cenotaphs of the royal family of the Bundi state.
• It is located on the Shikar Burgh Jait Sagar Road.

• Nankana Sahib is a city in Pakistan's Punjab province, where Gurdwara Janam Asthan (also called Nankana Sahib Gurdwara) is located.
  • The shrine is built over the site where Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, was believed to be born in 1469.
  • The shrine is located in the town of Nankana Sahib, approximately 65 kilometers from Lahore.
  • Nankana Sahib had previously been known as Rai Bhoi Ki Talvaṇḍi but was eventually renamed in honour of Guru Nanak.
  • The Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, originally constructed around 1600 CE was renovated in 1819–20 CE by Gian-Punjab Maharaja Ranjit Singh The Sikh Conference of Panjab, Jammu, and Kashmir, Peshawar, Kangra, and Hazara.

• Finland is a country of thousand lakes.
• There are more than 187,888 lakes in relation to a country's size than any other.
• With a population of about five million, Finland has one lake for every 26 people.
• So, it is called 'The land of thousand Lakes'.

• Norway is called the land of the midnight sun.
• Sweden is called The Elongated Country.

• The Indian Agricultural Research Institute is located in New Delhi and was established on 1 April 1905.
  • It is also known as Pusa Institute.
  • It is administered by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
  • After a devastating earthquake on 15th January 1934, the institute was shifted to Delhi on 29th July 1936.
  • Post-independence, the institute has been renamed as Indian Agricultural Research Institute.

• Amritsar is the largest and most important city in Punjab which was founded by Guru Ram Das, fourth Guru of Sikhs in the year 1577.
• Ram Das ordered the excavation of the sacred tank, or pool called the Amrita Saras ("Pool of Nectar"), from which the city's name is derived.
• Amritsar is also the centre of Sikhism and the site of Sikhs' principal place of worship - the Harmandir Sahib, or the Golden Temple.

• Karnataka is the largest producer of coffee in India.
• It accounts for nearly 71 percent.
• Chikmagalur, Kodagu, and Hassan districts of Karnataka are major coffee producer regions of the state.
• Coffee is planted in a large area in Karnataka and accounts for more than 60% of the total area under coffee cultivation in India.
• Kodagu is the largest coffee producing region in Karnataka with more than 50% share in the total coffee produced in the state.
• Apart from the highest coffee production, Karnataka also has the highest yield, which is more than 1,000 Kilograms per hectare.
• The main reason for coffee production in a large quantity in Karnataka is the suitable temperature, climate, and rainfall.

• The Statue of Unity is a colossal statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.
• It is located on a river island facing the Sardar Sarovar Dam on river Narmada, Vadodara, Gujarat.
• It is the world tallest statue with a height of 182 m.
• Sardar Vallabhbahi Patel was the first home minister of independent India.

• The Central Drug Research Institute was established on 17 February 1951.
• The institute inaugurated by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
• The institute functions under the CSIR Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.
• CDRI is among the thirty-nine laboratories that are functioning under CSIR.

• The Belgaum airport is located 10 kilometers to the east of Belgavi, which is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka.
• The airport is spread across 440 acres and a second taxiway connecting the emergency service enclave to the main apron is currently under construction.

• ‘School Capital’ of India is Dehradun.
• It is called so since it has world-class residential schools.
• It has a number of day and boarding schools.
• A lot of notable personalities including Abhinav Bindra, Amitav Ghosh, and Rajiv Gandhi have studied in the schools of Dehradun.
• Dehradun is also home to the Indian Military Academy.

• The Indian Lac and Research Institute was established on 20 September 1924 in Ranchi Jharkhand.
• On 20 September 2007, its name was changed to "Indian Institute of Natural Resins and Gums IINRG ".
• Imperial Govt. of India constituted the Lindsay- Harlow Committee in 1920.
• Institute looks into all aspects of the country's lac trade and its development.

• The National Museum of India is located in New Delhi.

• It is also known as the National Museum in New Delhi.
• On August 15, 1949, the National Museum, New Delhi, was inaugurated in the Rashtrapati Bhawan by Shri R.C. Rajagopalachari, the Governor-General of India.
• The foundation of the present building was laid by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India, on May 12, 1955.
  • The first phase of the National Museum building was formally inaugurated by Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the Vice President of India, on December 18, 1960.
  • The second phase of the building was completed in 1989.

• The largest Museum of India is the National Museum, Kolkata.
• Central Museum Authority is located in New Delhi.
• The biggest museum in the world is the State Hermitage Museum (Russia).

• Railway Heritage Museum is located in Rewari.
• It is earlier known as Rewari Steam Locomotive Shed.
• It is built in 1893.
• it is the only steam loco shed in India.

Shore temple is located in Mahabalipuram near Chennai in the state of Tamil Nadu.

• Shore temple is a structural temple, built with blocks of granite, was built in 8^th Century (700 - 728 AD).
• the architectural creations initiated by the King Narasimhavarman II of the Pallava Dynasty.
• It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1984.
• It is the oldest structural Temple in South India.

• Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century CE Sun Temple at Konark in Orissa, India.
• It is believed that the temple was built by king Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty in 1255 CE.

• Brazil is called the ‘Coffee Bowl of the World’.

Nicknames of Indian cities:

• First oil refinery in India was set up in Digboi, a town in Tinsukia district of Assam.
• Digboi is also known as oil city.
• The commission of this refinery started on 11 December 1901.
• It stands as the first and oldest oil refinery in entire Asia continent.
• The oil was found accidentally in the Digbol district in 1867 while laying railway line.
• In 1889 the process of digging of oil started and refinery was established in 1901.

• ​Belagavi, also called Belgaum, city, northwestern Karnataka state, southwestern India.
• It is located in the Western Ghats at an elevation of about 2,500 feet (760 meters) above sea level.
• Belagavi ( earlier known as “Venugrama” or the “Bamboo Village”) also known as Malenadu or Rain Country and the vegetation here is verdant green throughout the year.
• The old town area with cotton and silk weavers stands gloriously beside the modern, bustling, tree-lined British Cantonment.
• Belagavi is exactly at the center between Mumbai and Bangalore.

• Kerala:
  • Kerala is known as the spice garden of India as it has a variety of spices and which is popular for its taste in the whole world.
  • Idukki and Wayanad are the major districts for the cultivation of spices in the entire state.

• Kashmir:
  • Kashmir is famous for Horticulture and floriculture.
  • Especially for Saffron cultivation, so known as Saffron town.
• Andhra Pradesh:
  • Andhra Pradesh is famous for rice, tobacco.
  • Andhra Pradesh is also famous for its mangoes (GI Tag).
  • It is also known as the "rice bowl of India" for being a major producer of rice in India.
• Punjab:
  • The Punjab region is ideal for growing wheat, fruits, and vegetables.
  • This is the main reason that Punjab is also referred to as the "Granary of India" or "India's bread-basket."

• Somnath is an ancient temple town in the state of Gujarat
• It is located in Prabhas Patan in Saurashtra, Gujarat.
• It is among the twelve Jyotirlinga shrines of Lord Shiva in India, it is the first one.
• The Somnath shrine is considered as an eternal shrine; it was destroyed several times; however, it was rebuilt again and again.
• Lastly, it was rebuilt in 1947 after Vallabhbhai Patel.

Triveni Sangam

• It means 'the holy confluence of three rivers' - Kapila, Hiran and Saraswati.
• It is believed that the Pandavas had visited the place to take a holy bath and built five temples of Lord Shiva here too.
• Temples like Lakshminarayan temple and Gita Mandir are located on the banks of the ghat.

Shree Parshuram Temple

• It is a temple dedicated to Lord Parshuram and located on the banks of Triveni. There are two ancient kunds in the premises of the temple.

Gita Mandir

• This temple is also located on the banks of the Triveni Sangam Ghat.
• There are 18 marble pillars in the temple on which the divine shlokas from Shrimad Bhagavad Geeta are engraved in Sanskrit.

Bhalka Teerth

• The temple is considered a place where Lord Krishna was hit by an arrow that was shot by a hunter, Jara.

Shree Shashibhushan Mahadev and Bhidbhanjan Ganapatiji Temple:

• Lord Shashibhushan (the Moon God) along with Bhidbhanjan (savior form of Lord Ganesha) is worshipped here. ​

• Capital of Gujarat: Gandhinagar
• CM of Gujarat: Bhupendra Patel
• Governor of Gujarat: Acharya Devvart

• Victoria Memorial is a famous monument in the city of Kolkata, West Bengal.
• The monument was built between 1906 and 1921 to commemorate Queen Victoria's 25 years of reign in India.
• The memorial lies on the ground by the bank of the river Hooghly, near Jawaharlal Nehru Road.
• Lord Curzon, who was the then Viceroy of India, placed the question of setting up a 'stately' memorial for Queen Victoria, on her death in January 1901 to the public.
• The Prince of Wales, King George V, laid the foundation stone on January 4, 1906.
• It was formally opened to the public in 1921.

• Sher Shah Suri was a Pathan from Bihar who founded the Suri empire after defeating the Mughal empire.
• In his memory, a tomb designed by Mir Muhammad Aliwal Khan was built in Sasaram, Bihar and it is an example of Indo-Islamic Architecture.

• Sher Shah Suri died in a gunpowder explosion in the fort of Kalinjar.
• The tomb of Sher Shah Suri is also known as the Second Taj Mahal of India as it is built in between an artificial lake.

​Mistake Points

• In Delhi, the construction of Purana Qila was begun during the time of Humayun which was continued till the time of Sher Shah Suri.
• The son of Suri, Salim Shah Suri built the Salimgarh fort in Delhi.
• Grand Trunk Road connecting Central Asia and India was built by Sher Shah Suri.

Sher Shah Suri tomb in Sasaram, Bihar

• Located 100 kms apart from each other, Ajanta and Ellora caves are situated in the state of Maharashtra.
• The Ajanta Caves are 29 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments which date from the 2nd century BCE to about 480 CE.
• The Ellora cave complex features Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monuments dating from the 600-1000 CE period.

Pachmarhi is widely known as Satpura ki Rani (“Queen of Satpura”), situated at a height of 1100 m in a valley of the Satpura Range in Hoshangabad district.

• Pachmarhi is a hill station in the Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh state.
• The name Pachmarhi is believed to be derived from the Hindi words Panch ("five") and Marhi ("caves").
• These caves were built by five Pandava brothers of the Mahabharatha era during their thirteen years of exile.
• The caves are situated on a hilltop and provide an excellent vantage point.
• Before the British, the Pachmarhi region came under the kingdom of the Gond king Bhawut Singh, although it was not a populated village or town at that time.
• Captain James Forsyth of the British Army along with Subhedar Major Nathoo Ramji Powar who was later made the Kotwal of Pachmarhi, spotted the plateau in the Pachmarhi region in 1857, while leading his troops on the way to Jhansi.

• The Satpura Range is a range of hills in central India.
• The range rises in the eastern Gujarat state running east through the border of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to the east till Chhattisgarh.
• The range parallels the Vindhya Range to the north, and these two east-west ranges divide Indian Subcontinent into the Indo-Gangetic plain of northern India and the Deccan Plateau of the south.
• The Narmada River originates from the north-eastern end of Satpura in Amarkantak.
• The Satpura Range is a horst mountain and is flanked by Narmada Graben in the north and much smaller but parallel Tapi Graben in the south.

• Dachigam National Park has located 22 km (kilometer) from Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir.

• It covers an area of 141 sq km (square kilometers).
  The name literally stands for 'ten villages', which could be in memory of the ten villages that were relocated in order to create the park.
• Dachigam was initially established to ensure the supply of clean drinking water to Srinagar city.
• It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in the year of 1951.
• In 1981, the Dachigam wildlife sanctuary declared as a National Park.

• The park is best known as the home of the hangul, or Kashmir stag.

• Jamshedpur is known as Pittsburg of India.
• It is called Pittsburg of India because of the production of steel on a large scale.
• Jamshedpur is named after Jamsetji Tata, Who is the founder of the TATA group.
• Jamshedpur is a planned industrial city also called Tatanagar.
• Jamshedpur is situated in Jharkhand.

• The name Pachmarhi is believed to be derived from the Hindi words Panch ("five") and Marhi ("caves").
• According to a legend, these caves were built by five Pandava brothers of the Mahabharatha era during their thirteen years of exile.
• Pachmarhi is a hill station in the Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh state of central India.
• It is widely known as Satpura ki Rani ("Queen of Satpura")
• It is situated at a height of 1067 m in a valley of the Satpura Range in the Hoshangabad district. Dhupgarh, the highest point (1,352 m) in Madhya Pradesh and the Satpura range.

Airports in Madhya Pradesh and its name:

• Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport — Indore
• Raja Bhoj International Airport — Bhopal
• Jabalpur Airport, also known as Dumna Airport—Jabalpur
• Rajmata Vijaya Raje Scindia Air Terminal— Gwalior

Folk Dance of Madhya Pradesh: Lokranjan, Matki, Gangaur, Badhai, etc.

• Majuli is the largest river island in the world.
• It is situated in Assam on the Brahmaputra river.
• It is spread across an area of 880 sq km and is inhabited by tribes such as Deori and Mising.
• The Guinness World Records has declared the Majuli island as the largest river island in the world, toppling Marajo in Brazil to clinch the record.

• Central Rice Research Institute was established on 23 April 1946 at Bidyadharpur, Cuttack, Orissa.
• This institute was established to grow advanced varieties of rice and to remove diseases.
• Institute works for making unprecedented progress in the field of rice.
• Institute works under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research ICAR.

• The Central Forest Research Institute was established in 1906 in Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
• It was declared a deemed university by the University Grants Commission in 1991.
• The Forest Research Institute campus hosts the Indira Gandhi National Forest Academy (IGNFA).
• Mussoorie Lal Bahadur Shastri National Administrative Academy LBSNAA.
• Pune The Film and Television Institute of India
• Firozabad Glass products, especially for a glass of bangles

• The Sarnath place is famous for Buddhism.
• Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath
• It is located near the confluence of the Ganges and Varuna Rivers.
• Sarnath is also known as Mrigadava as deer park is located over there.
• Gautama Buddha first taught in Sarnath deer park about religion.

• Elephanta Caves are a network of sculpted caves located on Elephanta Island, or Gharapuri (literally "the city of caves") in Mumbai Harbour, 10 kilometres to the east of the city of Mumbai in the Indian state of Maharashtra.
• The island, located on an arm of the Arabian Sea, consists of two groups of caves - the first is a large group of five Hindu caves, the second, a smaller group of two Buddhist caves.

• The Hindu caves contain rock cut stone sculptures, representing the Shaiva Hindu sect, dedicated to Lord Shiva.
• It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 to preserve the artwork and is currently maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

• Fort William was built during the time of the Bengal Presidency and is an architectural marvel in Kolkata.
• It is named after William III, the fort sits on the banks of the Hooghly River and was at the centre of the Battle of Plassey fought between the British and the Nawab of Bengal, Siraj-ud-Daulah.
• It is also the site of an infamous dungeon called the Black Hole of Calcutta.
• Fort William was built as a symbol of British Raj and was perceived as an icon of imperialism for two centuries.
• The construction of the fort was completed by 1770.
• Fort William roughly occupies an area of 177.42 acres on the ground and has a regular octagonal shape with 5 sides towards the land and 3 sides towards the Hoogly river.

• TheGrand Trunk Road was built by Sher Shah Suri, a 16th-century ruler.
• It was known as "Sadak - e - Azam".
• The road connected India to Central Asia and was crucial for inland trade.
• This road was earlier known as " Uttarapath ", " Badshahi Sarak ", and " Sarak - e - Azam ".
• It is Asia's oldest and longest major road.
• The length of this road is 3,710 Km.
• The east end of this road is Teknaf, Bangladesh and the west end of this road in Kabul, Afghanistan.

• The Central Potato Research Institute, established on 1 April 1935 in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.
• It works under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research(ICAR).
• it was established to prevent diseases in potato and to produce various advanced varieties of potato.

• Ellora caves are located in the Aurangabad district of Maharashtra.
• It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• It is one of the largest rock-cut monastery-temple cave complexes in the world which feature Buddhist, Hindu and Jain monuments.

• National Research Centre on Camel was established in 1984 by the Central Government under Indian Council of Agricultural Research in Bikaner city to promote research and development on camels.

• Considering the importance of camel in the socio-economic development of arid and semi-arid zones,
  • the Government of India established a Project Directorate on Camel at Bikaner (India) on 5th July 1984.
  • Under the aegis of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) which was upgraded to National Research Center on Camel (NRCC) on September 20, 1995.

• Vijay Ghat is the final resting place (samadhi) of Lal Bahadur Shastri, situated in New Delhi.

• Vijay Ghat is the memorial of Lal Bahadur Shastri.
• ​Vijay means victory and his memorial was named after the victory he led India to in the 1965 war against Pakistan.
• Lal Bahadur Shastri was India's 2nd Prime Minister.
  • His memorial was named after the victory he led India to in the 1965 war against Pakistan.
  • He was the only Prime Minister of India who died outside India.
  • Lal Bahadur Shastri died in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on the 11th of January 1966.
  • He was elected to the legislature of the United Provinces in 1937 and 1946.

• The Jallianwala Bagh massacre is also known as the Amritsar massacre.
  • It happened on April 13, 1919, when Acting Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer ordered British Indian Army troops to fire their rifles at a crowd of unarmed Indian civilians in Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar, Punjab.

• The Asian Awards honored the Jalianwala Bagh Martyrs with the prestigious Founders Award in April 2019.
• Colonel Reginald Edward Harry Dyer was a Bengal Army general.
• His military career started to serve briefly in the regular British Army before being transferred to serve with India's presidential armies.
• He was responsible as a temporary brigadier-general for the Amritsar massacre at Jallianwala Bagh.

• Majuli isthe largest river island in the world. It is located in Assam.
• It is situated in Bhramhaputra river.
• It was made first island district in the year 2016.
• Capital: Dispur

• Konark Sun Temple is a 13th-century CE Sun Temple at Konark located in Puri, Odisha built by Narasimhadeva I of the Eastern Ganga Dynasty.

• The temple is dedicated to the Hindu Sun God Surya and is also called as the Surya Devalaya.
• It is a major pilgrimage site for Hindus, who gather here every year for the Chandrabhaga Mela.
• It was inscribed as a UNESCO world heritage site in 1984.
• This temple was used as a navigation point by European sailors.
• They referred the temple as the ‘Black Pagoda’ because of its dark colour and magnetic power that drew ships into the shore and caused shipwrecks.

• The famous “Rock Garden” is located in Chandigarh.
• It is completely built of industrial and home waste and thrown-away items.
• Nek Chand Saini is known for building the Rock Garden of Chandigarh.

• Loktak Lake is the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India.
• It is famous for the phumdis (heterogeneous mass of vegetation, soil, and organic matter at various stages of decomposition) floating over it.
• It is located near Moirang town in Manipur, India.

• Chittorgarh fort designated as Unesco World Heritage Site in 2013.

• The Chittor Fort or Chittorgarh:
  • The Chittor Fort or Chittorgarh is the largest fort in India.
  • It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
  • Chittorgarh Fort is said to have been the capital of the Sisodia and Gahlot (Guhila) kings who ruled Mewar between the 8th and the 16th century.
  • The fort was the capital of Mewar and is located in the present-day town of Chittor.
  • It sprawls over a hill 180 m in height spread over an area of 280 ha above the plains of the valley drained by the Berach River.

• In 2013, at the 37th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
• Chittorgarh Fort, along with four other forts of Rajasthan, was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as a group called the Hill Forts of Rajasthan.
• Presently six forts under this list: The Most Famous UNESCO Sites in Rajasthan
  • Chittorgarh Fort
  • Kumbalgarh
  • Gagron Fort
  • Amber or Amer Fort
  • Jaisalmer Fort
  • Ranthambore Fort

• The Largest Wall after The Great Wall of China is in India.
• The Second Largest Wall (Over 38 Kilometers) is in Kumbhalgarh, Rajasthan. It's the Wall around the Kumbhalgarh Fort.
• Kumbhalgarh Fort (or Kumbhal fort) is a Mewar fortress on the westerly range of Aravalli Hills, near Udaipur of Rajasthan state.
• It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site included in Hill Forts of Rajasthan, built during the course of the 15th century by Rana Kumbha.
• There are over 360 temples within the fort, 300 ancient Jain, and the rest are Hindu temples.

• Ajodhya Hills has located in the Purulia district of the state of West Bengal.
• It is a small plateau with hilly surroundings and the easternmost part of the Chhotanagpur Plateau and extended part of the Eastern Ghats range.
• The highest peak of Ajodhya Hills is Chamtaburu and the height is about 712 m.
• It is a popular place for young mountaineers to learn the basic course in rock climbing.

Confusion Points

• Do not get confused with the similar name Ayodhya, which is a city in Uttar Pradesh on the bank of Saryu river.

West Bengal

• State Formed: 1^st November 1956
• Capital: Kolkata
• Official Language: Bengali.
• The sorrow of Bengal: Damodar
• City of Palaces and City of Joy - Kolkata
• India's first underground railway system and first metro train service were established in Kolkata.
• India's first IIT was set up at Kharagpur.
• The Himalayan Mountaineering Institute was established in Darjeeling.
• Largest Cantilever bridge in India - Howrah Bridge
• The leading producer of Rice and Jute.
• Largest Delta in the world - Sunderbans Delta Kolkata
• Largest Planetarium - Birla Planetarium in Kolkata

• Velankanni has one of the country's biggest Catholic pilgrimage centres located in Nagapattinam, Tamilnadu.
• The Basilica of Our Lady of Good Health is popularly known as the "Lourdes of the East".
• Its origins can be traced back to the 16th century.
• The church's founding is attributed to three miracles: the apparition of Mary and Jesus to a slumbering shepherd boy, the curing of a lame buttermilk vendor, and the survival of Portuguese sailors assaulted by a violent sea storm.
• It is built in the Gothic style, was modified by Portuguese and then further expanded later on due to the influx of pilgrims.
• The church building was raised to the status of basilica in 1962 by Pope John XXIII.

Himachal Pradesh is situated in Kardang Monastery.

• It is a famous monastery of the Drukpa Lineage, and the most important monastery of the Lahaul Valley, India.
• The nearby Kardang village once became the capital of Lahaul.
• It is located on a ridge below the Rangcha peak of 15,000 feet (4,572 metres), at an altitude of 3,500 meters on the left bank of the river Bhaga, facing Keylong city.
• The monastery has a number of books and articles from very old times.

• The Ujjayanta Palace located in Agartala,Tripura.
• Ujjayanta Palace is a museum that was constructed between 1899 and 1901.
• Maharaja Raja Kishore Debabarma had built this palace.
• The palace was inspired by the European style.
• The palace is surrounded by gardens.
• The seat of the ruling Malikya dynasty was in this palace until Tripura was not merged into India in 1949.
• The government of Tripura had purchased the palace from the royal family in the amount of 2.5 million rupees.
• The art, culture, tradition and crafts of people of north-east India is shown by this museum now.

• Kadam Rasul Mosque is half a kilometer away from the Feroze Minar, built-in 1530.
• Kadam Rasool means Footprints of the Prophet. The mosque contains the footprints of Hazrat Muhammad on stone. On the four corners, there are four towers made of black marble.
• Opposite the Kadam Rasool Mosque stands the 17th-century tomb of Fateh Khan, a commander of Aurangzeb's army. This interesting structure was built in the Hindu Chala style.

• Alwar is one of the oldest cities in Rajasthan. Moosi Maharani Chhatri is Rani Moosi, which reflects the Indo-Islamic style of architecture.
• The city of Mandu is adorned with spell-binding Afghan architecture surrounded by baobab trees, native to Africa.
  • Floating over its own reflection, the Jahaz Mahal in Mandu looks like a ship that's about to sail.
  • However, for centuries this ship made of stone and mortar never did. Instead, it stood floating over the twin lakes, bearing a silent witness to Mandu's long, rich and varied history.
• Purnia is a city of Bihar, Purnea has a rich Hindu history and a glorious past. During Mughal rule, Purnea was an outlying military province.

• Kalimpong is an east Indian hill town in the Himalayan foothills of West Bengal.
• Deolo Park has landscaped gardens and offers views of the town and surrounding hills.
• Handicrafts, embroidered items, copper-ware and Tibetan jewellery and artefacts are popular here.

• M. Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President of India, visited DRDO’s Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex in Hyderabad on 25 January 2021.
• He inaugurated the Integrated Weapon System Design Centre in the complex.
• The facility will enhance the capability in design and development of command and control systems for surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems and ballistic missile defence (BMD) systems.

• Gurgaon, now Gurugram, is known as the 'Millennium City of India' since it is an ideal example of 'from rags to riches'.
• It is a model for India's global cities in the future.
• Some important tourist places in Gurgaon include Badhshapur Fort, Kingdom of Dreams, Sultanpur National Park, and more.

• Swami Vivekananda Planetarium at Pilikula in Mangalore is the first 3D planetarium in India.
• It is created by Pilikula Regional Science Centre.

• The Gandhi Bhawan is a major landmark located in Chandigarh.
• It is a centre dedicated to learning Mohandas K. Gandhi's words and works.
• It was designed by Le Corbusier's cousin the architect Pierre Jeanneret.
• It is the hall of an auditorium that sits in the middle of a water pond. At the entrance, an Architect's mural welcomes tourists.
• The words "Truth is God" are written at the entrance.

• According to the 2018 IMD survey, Mahabaleshwar is the wettest place in India.
• It received more rain (5,619 mm) than even Cherrapunji which was known to be the wettest place in the country for many years.
• This was because Cherrapunji received significantly less rainfall (4730 mm) compared to previous years.

• Mawsynram (Megalaya,India), the wettest place in the world, recorded an enormous 1003.6 mm of precipitation in 24 hours ending 8:30 am on June 17, 2022.
• This was the highest single-day rainfall recorded in June, while neighbouring Cherrapunji received 972 mm of rainfall, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD)

• National Rail Museum is located in Chanakyapuri, New Delhi.
• National Rail Museum was established in the year 1977 is a unique museum that has a fascinating and exotic collection of over 100 real size exhibits of Indian Railways.
• The National Rail Museum was inaugurated by Kamalapati Tripathi, the minister for public transportation. The line-up of old coaches includes the handsome Prince of Wales Saloon, built-in 1875.

• The first passenger train in India was started in 1853, the train covered the journey of 34 kilometres between Bori Bunder (Bombay) to Thane.
• There are a total of six rail museums in India.

• Matheran is a hill station is situated in the Raigad district of Maharashtra. It is located on the Western Ghats range.
• Panchgani, Keechakadara, Bhandardara, Mahabaleshwar are some of the famous hill stations of Maharashtra.
• Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra.
• Current, Chief Minister is Eknath Shinde, and Governor is Bhagat Singh Koshyari.

• Ooty, Kodaikanal, Coonoor, Valparai, Meghamalai, Yercaud are some of the famous hill stations of Tamil Nadu.
• Pachmarhi, Omkareshwar, Amarkantak, Shivpuri, Mandu, Tamiya are some of the famous hill stations of Madhya Pradesh.
• Chikmagalur, Coorg, Madikeri, Ramnagaram, Shimoga, Kemmanagundi, Nandi Hills, Kudremukh are some of the famous hill stations of Karnataka.

• Central Research Institute for Jute and Allied Fibers (CRIJAF) founded in 1938.
• It is a research institute on jute & allied fiber crops.
• It works under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research of Government of India.
• This institute is located in Barrackpore, West Bengal, India.

• Kurukshetra has been described as the Dharmakshetra Kurukshetra in the first verse of the Gita.
  • Kurukshetra is an ancient city located in Haryana.
  • Kurukshetra is also known as Dharmakshetra.
  • Kurukshetra has been described in the first verse of Shrimadbhagvadgita, in the form of Dharmakshetra Kurukshetra.
  • Kurukshetra Widely recognised as the "Land of the Bhagavad Gita".
  • The Kurukshetra city is named after King Kuru (According to the Puranas).
  • The famous Kurukshetra War of the Mahabharata is believed to taken place in Kurukshetra.
• The Ramayana and Mahabharata are two equally significant great epics of India.
• Purana is a genre of ancient Indian literature found both in Hinduism and Jainism.
  • There are 1 Maha Purana, 17 Mukhya Puranas, and 18 Upa Puranas.

• India's oldest European church is in Kochi.
• The name of the church is St. Francis Church.
• It was built in 1503.
• It has great historical significance as a mute witness to the European colonial struggle in the subcontinent.
• Vasco da Gama's body was originally buried in this church.

• The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama died in Kochi in 1524 when he was on his third visit to India.
• His body was originally buried in Saint Francis Church.
• After 14 years his remains were moved to Lisbon and are now located at Jeronimos Monastery.
• Saint Francis Church, in Fort Kochi (Fort Cochin), Kochi, originally built in 1503, is one of the oldest European churches in India.

• Ratnagiri is located on a hill located between the Brahmani and Birupa rivers in the Jajpur district of Odisha.
• It is close to other Buddhist sites in the area, including Lalitagiri and Udayagiri.
• Excavation of this site brought to light the remains of a magnificent Buddhist establishment consisting of a stupa, monastic complex, shrines, votive stupas, myriad sculptures, architectural fragments, and other antiquities.

Important facts about Gol Gumbaz:

• Located in Vijaypura, Karnataka
• Built from 1626 to 1656
• Mausoleum of king Mohammed Adil Shah, Sultan of Bijapur.

• The Sheesh Mahal or the 'Palace of Mirrors' is in Patiala (Punjab).
• It was built by Maharaja Narinder Singh (1845-1862) behind the main Moti Bagh Palace. The Palace was built in a forest with terraces, gardens, fountains, and an artificial lake.
• The Sheesh Mahal, which was a residential palace, has a suspension bridge that is a copy of the Lakshman Jhoola at Rishikesh.
• The walls and ceilings of the Sheesh Mahal are rich in floral designs and its interior is a kaleidoscope of images and multi-colored lights.
• The Sheesh Mahal draws its name from the exquisitely designed glass and mirror work, which covers an entire section of the palace.
• Maharaja Narinder Singh was known to be a great patron of art and literature.
  He engaged great painters from Kangra and Rajasthan to paint the walls of the Sheesh Mahal with a variety of images pertaining to literature, mythology, and legends.
• The Sheesh Mahal also consists of a museum, which displays fine objects of Tibetan art, particularly the sculpture of different kinds of metals.
• Ivory carvings of Punjab, royal wooden carved furniture, and a large number of Burmese and Kashmiri carved objects have also been exhibited.

• Daringbadi is called the Kashmir of Odisha.
• It is the only place in Orissa where snow-fall occurs during the winter.
• It has pine jungles, coffee gardens and beautiful valleys.

The country's first underwater restaurant, Real Poseidon, located in south Bopal in Ahmedabad.

• The Indian Museum in Kolkata also referred to as the Imperial Museum at Calcutta, is the largest and oldest museum in India.
• Indian Museum is the earliest and the largest multipurpose Museum not only in the Indian subcontinent but also in the Asia-Pacific region of the world.
• It has rare collections of antiques, armour and ornaments, fossils, skeletons, mummies, and Mughal paintings.
• It was founded by the Asiatic Society of Bengal in Kolkata (Calcutta), India, in 1814.

• 13 elements of India were listed in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as of March 2018.

• National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of India:
  • Ministry of Culture launched the National List of Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) of India.
  • The National ICH List is an effort to recognize the diversity of Indian culture rooted in its intangible heritage.
  • The initiative is also a part of the Vision 2024 of the Ministry of Culture.
• UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage:
  • ​The list was established in 2008 when the Convention for Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage came into effect.
  • UNESCO maintains three lists under its “Intangible Cultural Heritage”:
    • The list of intangible cultural heritage in need of urgent safeguarding.
    • The list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
    • The register of good safeguarding practices.

• The National Research Centre on Equines (NRCE) was established in 1986 during the 7th five-year plan.
• It is under the aegis of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research for research on equine health and production considering the importance of equines in India.
• It has one more campus in Bikaner, Rajasthan.
• The Maximum population of Horses in Haryana is found in the Gurugram district.
• The Ambala district has War Heroes Memorial Stadium.

• Chief Minister of Haryana – Nayab Singh Saini
• Governor of Haryana - Bandaru Dattatreya
• DGP of Haryana - Manoj Yadava
• First Battle of Panipat was fought in 1526 in between Babur and the Lodi dynasty.
• Second Battle of Panipat was fought in 1556 in between Hemu and the forces of the Mughal emperor Akbar.
• Third Battle of Panipat was fought in 1761 in between the Maratha Empire and the invading Afghan army of (Ahmad Shah Durrani).

• Shalimar Bagh was built in the year 1619 by Mughal Emperor Jahangir for his beloved wife, Nur Jahan.
• Shalimar Bagh (also called Farah Baksh and Faiz Baksh) is one of the Mughal Gardens in Srinagar, Kashmir.
• It lies on the right bank of Dal Lake.

• Jahangir (1605–27) favored paintings of events from his own life rather than illustrated fiction.
• He encouraged portraiture and scientific studies of birds, flowers, and animals, which were collected in albums.
• Mansur and Manohar were among his famous painters. Jahangir, who resided at Lahore, built less than his predecessors but effected the significant change from sandstone to marble.
• The emperor Jahangir showed a keen interest in painting and maintained his own atelier. The tradition of illustrating books assumed secondary importance to portraiture during Jahangir’s reign because of the emperor’s own preference for portraits.
• Among the finest works of his reign are elaborate court scenes depicting him surrounded by his courtiers. These are large scale exercises in portraiture, and the likeness of each figure is produced faithfully.
  • The composition lacks the vigor, movement, and vivid color characterized by the works of Akbar’s reign; the figures are more formally ordered, the colors soft and harmonious, and the brushwork particularly fine.
  • Mughal paintings during Jahangir’s reign also boast magnificent floral and geometric borders.

• The Construction of the Shalimar gardens of Lahore began in 1641 during the reign of Emperor Shah Jahan, and was completed in 1642.
• In 1981 the Shalimar Gardens were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as they embody Mughal garden design at the apogee of its development.

• Kokernag is a town in the Berang area which is known as the "golden crown of Kashmir".
  • The area is well known for being the largest freshwater spring of Kashmir.
  • It is also known as Asia's largest fisheries farm which contains rainbow trout and brown trout fish.
  • There is a terrace garden around the spring which was developed during the rule of Bakshi Ghulam Mohammad.
  • lt is 25 km from Anantnag on NH 244.
  • The erstwhile state's first rural mart has been set up here to promote women SHGS.

• M. Venkaiah Naidu, Vice President of India, visited DRDO’s Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Missile Complex in Hyderabad on 25 January 2021.
• He inaugurated the Integrated Weapon System Design Centre in the complex.
• The facility will enhance the capability in design and development of command and control systems for surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems and ballistic missile defence (BMD) systems.

• The Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research (IISR), Lucknow was established in 1952 by the erstwhile Indian Central Sugarcane Committee.
• The Government of India took over the Institute from the Indian Central Sugarcane Committee on 1st January 1954.
• On April 1, 1969, it was transferred to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New Delhi along with other central agricultural research institutes.