GK of India — Questions & Answers
India GK Questions and Answers are useful for Kerala PSC, SSC, UPSC, Railway, Banking, and other competitive exams. This collection covers important topics such as Indian history, geography, states and capitals, Constitution, science, culture, sports, and national symbols.
States, Capitals & Union Territories
1. What is the capital of India? — New Delhi
2. How many states does India have? — 28
3. How many Union Territories does India have? — 8
4. Which is the largest state in India by area? — Rajasthan
5. Which is the smallest state in India by area? — Goa
6. Which is the most populous state in India? — Uttar Pradesh
7. Which is the least populous state in India? — Sikkim
8. Which is the largest Union Territory by area? — Ladakh
9. Which is the smallest Union Territory by area? — Lakshadweep
10. What is the capital of Andhra Pradesh? — Amaravati
11. What is the capital of Arunachal Pradesh? — Itanagar
12. What is the capital of Assam? — Dispur
13. What is the capital of Bihar? — Patna
14. What is the capital of Chhattisgarh? — Raipur
15. What is the capital of Goa? — Panaji
16. What is the capital of Gujarat? — Gandhinagar
17. What are the capitals of Haryana and Punjab? — Both share Chandigarh
18. What is the capital of Himachal Pradesh? — Shimla
19. What is the capital of Jharkhand? — Ranchi
20. What is the capital of Karnataka? — Bengaluru
21. What is the capital of Kerala? — Thiruvananthapuram
22. What is the capital of Madhya Pradesh? — Bhopal
23. What is the capital of Maharashtra? — Mumbai
24. What is the capital of Manipur? — Imphal
25. What is the capital of Meghalaya? — Shillong
26. What is the capital of Mizoram? — Aizawl
27. What is the capital of Nagaland? — Kohima
28. What is the capital of Odisha? — Bhubaneswar
29. What is the capital of Rajasthan? — Jaipur
30. What is the capital of Sikkim? — Gangtok
31. What is the capital of Tamil Nadu? — Chennai
32. What is the capital of Telangana? — Hyderabad
33. What is the capital of Tripura? — Agartala
34. What is the capital of Uttar Pradesh? — Lucknow
35. What is the capital of Uttarakhand? — Dehradun
36. What is the capital of West Bengal? — Kolkata
37. Is Jammu & Kashmir a state or Union Territory today? — A Union Territory (reorganised in 2019); Srinagar serves as summer capital and Jammu as winter capital
38. What is the capital of Ladakh (UT)? — Leh
39. What is the capital of Delhi (UT)? — New Delhi
40. What is the capital of Puducherry? — Puducherry
41. What is the capital of Lakshadweep? — Kavaratti
42. What is the capital of Andaman & Nicobar Islands? — Port Blair
43. Which Indian state shares the longest international border? — West Bengal
44. Which is the longest coastline state in India? — Gujarat
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Nicknames of Cities & States
45. Which city is known as the Pink City? — Jaipur
46. Which city is known as the City of Lakes? — Udaipur
47. Which city is known as the City of Joy? — Kolkata
48. Which city is known as the Silicon Valley of India? — Bengaluru
49. Which city is known as the Garden City of India? — Bengaluru
50. Which city is known as the Blue City? — Jodhpur
51. Which city is known as the Manchester of India? — Ahmedabad
52. Which city is known as the City of Pearls? — Hyderabad
53. Which city is known as the Steel City of India? — Jamshedpur
54. Which city is known as the Temple City of India? — Bhubaneswar
55. Which city is known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea? — Kochi
56. Which city is known as the Cultural Capital of India? — Kolkata
57. Which city is known as the Financial Capital of India? — Mumbai
58. Which city is known as the City of Nawabs? — Lucknow
59. Which city is known as the Diamond City of India? — Surat
60. Which city is known as the Orange City of India? — Nagpur
61. Which city is known as the Tea City of India? — Dibrugarh
62. Which city is known as the Cyber City of India? — Gurugram
63. Which city is known as the Yoga Capital of the World? — Rishikesh
64. Which city is known as the Venice of the East? — Alappuzha
65. Which city is known as the Holy City of Sikhism? — Amritsar
66. Which state is known as God's Own Country? — Kerala
67. Which state is known as the Land of the Rising Sun? — Arunachal Pradesh
68. Which state is known as the Abode of Clouds? — Meghalaya
69. Which state is known as the Land of Five Rivers? — Punjab
70. Which state is known as the Spice Garden of India? — Keralam
71. Which state is known as the Land of Festivals? — Nagaland
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Rivers, Lakes & Water Bodies
72. Which is the longest river in India? — Ganga
73. Which is the longest river in South India? — Godavari
74. Which river is called the "Ganga of the South"? — Kaveri
75. Which river is called the "Dakshin Ganga"? — Godavari
76. Which river flows through Delhi and Agra? — Yamuna
77. Which river flows through Varanasi and Patna? — Ganga
78. Which river flows through Kolkata? — Hooghly
79. Which river flows through Guwahati? — Brahmaputra
80. Which river flows through Tiruchirappalli? — Kaveri
81. Which glacier is the source of the Ganga? — Gangotri Glacier
82. Which glacier is the source of the Yamuna? — Yamunotri Glacier
83. Near which town does the Narmada originate? — Amarkantak
84. Which river is called the "Sorrow of Bihar"? — Kosi
85. Which river is called the "Lifeline of Madhya Pradesh"? — Narmada
86. Which is the longest tributary of the Ganga? — Yamuna
87. Which is the largest freshwater lake in India? — Wular Lake
88. Which is the largest brackish-water lagoon in India? — Chilika Lake
89. Which is the largest inland salt lake in India? — Sambhar Lake
90. Which lake is famous for houseboats? — Dal Lake
91. Which lake in Manipur hosts the world's only floating national park? — Loktak Lake (Keibul Lamjao National Park)
92. Which is the largest delta in the world? — Sundarbans Delta
93. Which sea lies to the west of India? — Arabian Sea
94. Which bay lies to the east of India? — Bay of Bengal
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Mountains, Deserts & Landforms
95. Which is the highest mountain peak in India? — Kangchenjunga (Sikkim)
96. Which is the highest peak in South India? — Anamudi (Kerala)
97. Which is the highest battlefield in the world? — Siachen Glacier
98. Which desert is located in India? — Thar Desert
99. Which is the oldest mountain range in India? — Aravalli Range
100. Which is the largest plateau in India? — Deccan Plateau
101. Which mountain range separates India from China? — The Himalayas
102. Which is the highest waterfall in India? — Kunchikal Falls (Karnataka)
103. Which waterfall is called the "Niagara of India"? — Chitrakote Falls (Chhattisgarh)
104. Jog Falls is formed by which river, and in which state? — Sharavati River, Karnataka
105. Which is the highest dam in India? — Tehri Dam
106. Which is the longest dam in India? — Hirakud Dam
107. Which is the southernmost point of India? — Indira Point (Andaman & Nicobar Islands)
108. Which is the highest motorable road in India? — Umling La Pass road
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National Symbols
109. What is the national animal of India? — Royal Bengal Tiger
110. What is the national bird of India? — Indian Peacock
111. What is the national flower of India? — Lotus
112. What is the national tree of India? — Banyan Tree
113. What is the national fruit of India? — Mango
114. What is the national river of India? — Ganga
115. What is the national aquatic animal of India? — Ganges River Dolphin
116. What is the national heritage animal of India? — Indian Elephant
117. What is the national anthem of India, and who wrote it? — Jana Gana Mana, by Rabindranath Tagore
118. What is the national song of India, and who wrote it? — Vande Mataram, by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay
119. What is the national emblem of India? — The Lion Capital of Ashoka
120. What is the national motto of India, and its source? — Satyameva Jayate, from the Mundaka Upanishad
121. What calendar is India's official national calendar? — The Saka calendar
122. What is the currency of India, and its symbol? — Indian Rupee (₹)
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Monuments, Temples & Heritage Sites
123. In which city is the Taj Mahal located, and who built it? — Agra; built by Shah Jahan
124. In which state is the famous Mahabodhi Temple located? — Bihar
125. Where did Gautama Buddha attain enlightenment? — Bodh Gaya, Bihar
126. Which state is home to the Ajanta and Ellora Caves? — Maharashtra
127. Which state is famous for the Konark Sun Temple? — Odisha
128. Which state is famous for the Meenakshi Temple? — Tamil Nadu
129. Which state is famous for the Khajuraho Temples? — Madhya Pradesh
130. Which state is famous for the Golden Temple? — Punjab
131. Which monument in Delhi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and India's tallest minaret? — Qutub Minar
132. Which ancient seat of learning was located in Bihar? — Nalanda University
133. Which is the largest mosque in India? — Jama Masjid, Delhi
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Modern History & Freedom Struggle
134. Who is known as the Father of the Nation? — Mahatma Gandhi
135. Who is known as the Iron Man of India? — Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel
136. Who is known as the Missile Man of India? — Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam
137. Who is known as the Nightingale of India? — Sarojini Naidu
138. Who is known as "Frontier Gandhi"? — Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan
139. Who was the first Prime Minister of India? — Jawaharlal Nehru
140. Who was the first President of India? — Dr. Rajendra Prasad
141. Who was the first Vice President of India? — Dr. S. Radhakrishnan
142. Who was the first woman Prime Minister of India? — Indira Gandhi
143. Who was the first woman President of India? — Pratibha Patil
144. When did India gain Independence? — 15 August 1947
145. When did India become a Republic? — 26 January 1950
146. In which year was the Indian National Congress founded? — 1885
147. In which year did the Dandi March take place, and who led it? — 1930, led by Mahatma Gandhi
148. Which movement did Gandhi launch in 1942? — The Quit India Movement
149. Who founded the Indian National Army (INA)? — Subhas Chandra Bose
150. Who was the first Mughal Emperor of India? — Babur
151. Who was the founder of the Maurya Empire? — Chandragupta Maurya
152. Which Mauryan emperor was transformed by the Kalinga War? — Ashoka
153. Who wrote the Arthashastra? — Kautilya (Chanakya)
154. Who founded Buddhism? — Gautama Buddha
155. Who founded Jainism? — Mahavira
156. In which year did Vasco da Gama arrive in India? — 1498
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Polity & Constitution
157. When was the Constitution of India adopted, and when did it come into force? — Adopted 26 November 1949; came into force 26 January 1950
158. Who is known as the Father of the Indian Constitution? — Dr. B. R. Ambedkar
159. How many Fundamental Rights are currently guaranteed by the Constitution? — 6
160. How many Fundamental Duties does the Constitution list? — 11
161. How many Schedules does the Constitution have? — 12
162. Which is the lower house of Parliament? — Lok Sabha
163. Which is the upper house of Parliament? — Rajya Sabha
164. What is the tenure of the President of India? — 5 years
165. What is the minimum age to become President of India? — 35 years
166. What is the minimum age to contest for the Lok Sabha? — 25 years
167. What is the minimum age to contest for the Rajya Sabha? — 30 years
168. Which body conducts elections in India? — The Election Commission of India
169. Which is the highest civilian award in India? — Bharat Ratna
170. Which is the highest wartime gallantry award in India? — Param Vir Chakra
171. Which is the highest peacetime gallantry award in India? — Ashoka Chakra
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Science, Space & Technology
172. Who won India's first Nobel Prize, and in which field? — Rabindranath Tagore, in Literature (1913)
173. Which Indian scientist won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1930, and for what discovery? — C. V. Raman, for the Raman Effect
174. What does ISRO stand for? — Indian Space Research Organisation
175. What does DRDO stand for? — Defence Research and Development Organisation
176. Which was India's first satellite, and in which year was it launched? — Aryabhata, launched in 1975
177. Which was India's first lunar mission? — Chandrayaan-1
178. Which mission made India the first country to land near the Moon's south pole? — Chandrayaan-3 (2023)
179. Which was India's first interplanetary mission to Mars? — Mars Orbiter Mission (Mangalyaan)
180. Who was the first Indian to travel to space? — Rakesh Sharma (1984)
181. Who was the first Indian-born woman in space? — Kalpana Chawla
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Economy
182. What is the currency of India? — Indian Rupee
183. Which bank issues Indian currency notes (except the ₹1 note)? — Reserve Bank of India
184. In which year was the RBI established, and where is it headquartered? — 1935; headquartered in Mumbai
185. What does GST stand for, and when was it introduced? — Goods and Services Tax, introduced in 2017
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Wildlife, Parks & Miscellaneous
186. Which state is famous for Kaziranga National Park? — Assam
187. Which state is famous for Bandipur National Park? — Karnataka
188. Which state is famous for Gir National Park (home to Asiatic lions)? — Gujarat
189. Which state is famous for Jim Corbett National Park? — Uttarakhand
190. Which state is famous for Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary? — Keralam
191. Which is the largest river island in the world? — Majuli, Assam
192. Which state hosts the Hornbill Festival? — Nagaland
193. Which island in India hosts the country's only active volcano? — Barren Island (Andaman & Nicobar Islands)
194. Which Union Territory is known for the Cellular Jail? — Andaman & Nicobar Islands
195. Which state is famous for the Rann of Kutch? — Gujarat
196. Which state is famous for tea gardens and Kaziranga? — Assam
197. Which is the official language of Goa? — Konkani
