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Question 49 of 54 · Indian States & Union Territories
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Which city is known as the 'City of Palaces' among the following?

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Answer: Option D — Kolkata

Detailed Solution

Kolkata (Calcutta), the capital of West Bengal, is known as the "City of Palaces" because of the many grand mansions and palatial buildings built there during the British period by British officials, merchants and wealthy Bengali families (zamindars).

Why Kolkata is called the City of Palaces:

  • Calcutta was the capital of British India from 1772 (when Warren Hastings became Governor of Bengal) until 1911, when the capital was moved to Delhi.
  • As the capital and a major trading city, it was filled with large buildings in European styles, such as neo-classical, Gothic and Indo-Saracenic.

Famous palaces and grand buildings of Kolkata:

  • Marble Palace: built in 1835 by Raja Rajendra Mullick, a wealthy Bengali merchant; famous for its marble walls and collection of paintings and sculptures.
  • Raj Bhavan (Government House): built in 1803 under Lord Wellesley, modelled on Kedleston Hall in England.
  • Writers' Building: built in 1777 for the junior clerks ("writers") of the East India Company; it later housed the West Bengal government secretariat.
  • Victoria Memorial: built of white marble in memory of Queen Victoria, completed in 1921.
  • Jorasanko Thakur Bari: the ancestral home of Rabindranath Tagore.
  • Shobhabazar Rajbari: the palace of Raja Nabakrishna Deb, famous for its Durga Puja.

Other nicknames of Kolkata:

  • "City of Joy": after Dominique Lapierre's book "The City of Joy" (1985).
  • "Cultural Capital of India".

📌 Remember

Mysuru (Karnataka) is also popularly called the "City of Palaces", because of its many royal palaces, such as the Mysore Palace (Amba Vilas Palace) and Jaganmohan Palace.

Other city nicknames:

  • Chennai: "Detroit of Asia" and "Gateway of South India".
  • Kanpur: "Manchester of the East" or "Leather City of the World".
  • Pune: "Oxford of the East" and "Queen of the Deccan".

Kolkata facts:

  • It was founded (as a British settlement) by Job Charnock in 1690, from three villages: Sutanuti, Gobindapur and Kalikata.
  • In 2001, its official name was changed from Calcutta to Kolkata.
  • Durga Puja in Kolkata was added to UNESCO's list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2021.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Chennai is called the "Detroit of Asia".
  • ✗Kanpur is called the "Manchester of the East".
  • ✗Pune is called the "Oxford of the East".

Quick tip

Remember: "City of Palaces" = Kolkata (Marble Palace, Raj Bhavan, Victoria Memorial; also Mysuru is so called); Kolkata = also "City of Joy"; founded by Job Charnock (1690); Durga Puja = UNESCO 2021.

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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.

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