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Matheran, Asia's only automobile-free hill station, is located in:
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Answer: Option D — Maharashtra
Detailed Solution
Matheran is a hill station in the Raigad district of Maharashtra, in the Sahyadri (Western Ghats) range, about 90 km from Mumbai.
About Matheran:
- It is located at a height of about 800 metres above sea level.
- Its name means "forest on the top" or "forest on the forehead".
It was discovered for the British in 1850 by Hugh Poyntz Malet, the Collector of Thane district. Lord Elphinstone, the Governor of Bombay, developed it as a hill station.
It is known as Asia's only automobile-free hill station. Motor vehicles, including cars and two-wheelers, are banned in the town. Visitors walk, ride horses or use hand-pulled rickshaws.
It was declared an eco-sensitive zone by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in 2003.
It has many viewpoints, such as Panorama Point, Louisa Point, Echo Point and One Tree Hill, which give views of the surrounding valleys and hills.
Its roads are made of red laterite soil.
The Matheran Light Railway:
- It is a narrow-gauge (2 feet) "toy train" that runs between Neral and Matheran, a distance of about 21 km.
- It was built by Abdul Hussein Adamjee Peerbhoy and opened in 1907.
- It is on UNESCO's Tentative List as an addition to the "Mountain Railways of India" World Heritage Site.
The Mountain Railways of India (UNESCO):
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (1999), Nilgiri Mountain Railway (2005) and Kalka-Shimla Railway (2008).
Other hill stations of Maharashtra:
- Mahabaleshwar: the source of the Krishna river; famous for strawberries.
- Lonavala and Khandala: on the Mumbai-Pune route.
- Panchgani: near Mahabaleshwar.
- Chikhaldara: the only hill station in the Vidarbha region.
Other hill stations in the options:
- Himachal Pradesh: Shimla, Manali and Dalhousie.
- Uttarakhand: Mussoorie, Nainital and Ranikhet.
- Tamil Nadu: Ooty (Udhagamandalam) and Kodaikanal.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Himachal Pradesh has hill stations such as Shimla and Manali.
- ✗Uttarakhand has hill stations such as Mussoorie and Nainital.
- ✗Tamil Nadu has hill stations such as Ooty and Kodaikanal.
Quick tip
Remember: Matheran = Raigad, Maharashtra (Asia's only automobile-free hill station; discovered 1850 by Hugh Malet; Neral-Matheran toy train 1907; eco-sensitive zone 2003); Mahabaleshwar = source of the Krishna.
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Indian States & Union Territories — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Indian States & Union Territories, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers state-wise GK for India: capitals, formation dates, high courts, state animals, birds and flowers, famous places, and the culture, dances and festivals that identify each state and union territory. Questions commonly ask about the newest state or union territory, the state formed on a particular date, the capitals of states, and which high court serves more than one state. Keep a single table per state with its capital, formation year and key facts. Reorganisations such as that of Jammu and Kashmir in 2019 change the answers, so make sure your notes are up to date. Practise the Indian states and union territories questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.