Two years after Indian independence, which city was replaced by Bhubaneswar as Odisha’s capital?



Bhubaneswar replaced Cuttack as the capital on 19 August 1949, 2 years after India gained its independence from Britain. 



Notably, the capital of the then British-ruled Orissa Province was Cuttack, which was vulnerabile to floods and suffered from space constraints. Thus on 30 September 1946, a proposal to move the capital to a new capital was introduced in the Legislative Assembly of the Orissa Province. After the Independence of India, the foundation of the new capital was laid by India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru on 13 April 1948.



Accordingly, Bhubaneswar replaced Cuttack as the capital on 19 August 1949, 2 years after India gained its independence from the British Raj.



The modern city, now with a smart city tag since 2016, was designed by the German architect Otto Königsberger in 1946. Along with Jamshedpur and Chandigarh, it was one of modern India’s first planned cities.



Bhubaneswar and Cuttack are often referred to ‘Twin Cities of Odisha’. The metropolitan area formed by the two cities had a population of 1.7 million in 2011.

Bhubaneswar is categorised as a Tier-2 city. An emerging information technology (IT) and education hub, Bhubaneswar is one of the country’s fastest-developing cities.



 



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What is another name of Goa’s capital Panaji?



Panaji is the state capital of Goa. The city is also known as Panjim. Panaji with a population of 40,017 (2011 census), is the biggest city in north Goa, and the third biggest city in the state after Vasco da Gama and Margao. It is on the southern banks of the Mandovi River. However, the greater Panaji metropolitan area also has a beachfront location with the Arabian Sea. It is the peninsula of the Mandovi where you will see floating casinos and cruise boats. Panjim is 27.8 kilometers from the Goa International Airport at Dabolim.



According to census report of 2011 India, approximately 114,405 people reside in Panaji metro city. Among them the male person compromise a population of 59,379 and rest 55,026 are female. Maximum of them survive with the profession of fishing. Now a day’s tourism is another source of income by the inhabitants of Panaji. Usually, maximum citizen of Panaji use Konkani as primary spoken language. But, some other languages like Urdu, Marathi, Kannada, Hindi and English are also used by a marginal.



People of Panaji mainly belong to Hindu and Christian Religion. But, some other religions like, Muslim, Buddhist, Jains, Sikh, etc also live with marginal. Goans celebrate lots of fair and festivals throughout the year in the city. Most popular festival of Panaji is first day of New Year or Fontainhas celebration. Some other attractive festivals of the city are the Holi (festival of color), Narkasur parade before the festival Diwali, Bonderam, Festival, Christmas, Easter, Sao Joao Festival, Shigmotsav, St. Francis Day, Feast of Three Kings, Ganesh Chaturthi, Goa Carnival and Good Friday.



The main transportation hub is across the “Patto Bridge” over the Rua de Ourem creek at the Kadamba Bus Station. From this Bus station buses take off regularly to other Goan cities like Margao, Vasco da Gama, Mapusa , Ponda and other towns in Goa and to neighboring states. The nearest train station is Karmali, near Old Goa.



Typical of a Goan town, Panaji is built around a church facing a prominent square. The town has some beautiful Portuguese Baroque style buildings and enchanting old villas. The riverside, speckled with brightly whitewashed houses with wrought iron balconies, offers a fine view.



 



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Which South Indian Union Territory and its capital share the same name?



Puducherry, original name Putucceri, formerly (until 2006) Pondicherry, also spelled Pondichéry, union territory of India. It was formed in 1962 out of the four former colonies of French India: Pondicherry (now Puducherry) and Karaikal along India’s southeastern Coromandel Coast, surrounded by Tamil Nadu state; Yanam, farther north along the eastern coast in the delta region of the Godavari River, surrounded by Andhra Pradesh state; and Mahe, lying on the western Malabar Coast, surrounded by Kerala state. The territory’s capital is the city of Puducherry in the Puducherry sector, just north of Cuddalore.



The original name of the territory, Putucceri, is derived from the Tamil words putu (“new”) and ceri (“village”). The French corrupted this to Pondichéry (English: Pondicherry), by which it was called until its name was officially changed to Puducherry in 2006. Area 190 square miles (492 square km). Pop. (2011) 1,244,464.



The Union Territory of Puducherry consists of four small unconnected districts: Puducherry district (293 km2 or 113 sq mi), Karaikal district (161 km2 or 62 sq mi) and Yanam district (20 km2 or 7.7 sq mi) on the Bay of Bengal and Mahé district (9 km2 or 3.5 sq mi) on the Laccadive Sea, covering a total area of 483 km2 (186 sq mi). Puducherry and Karaikal have the largest areas and population, and are both enclaves of Tamil Nadu. Yanam and Mahé are enclaves of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala respectively. Its population, as per the 2011 Census, is 1,244,464.



Some of Puducherry's regions are themselves amalgamations of non-contiguous enclaves, often called "pockets" in India. The Puducherry region is made of 11 such pockets, some of which are very small and entirely surrounded by the territory of Tamil Nadu. Mahé region is made up of three pockets. This unusual geography is a legacy of the colonial period with Puducherry retaining the borders of former French India.



All four regions of Puducherry are located in the coastal region. Five rivers in Puducherry district, seven in Karaikal district, two in Mahé district and one in Yanam district drain into the sea, but none originates within the territory.



 



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Which Union Territory’s capital is Silvassa?



Dadra and Nagar Haveli is a district of the Indian union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu in western India. It is composed of two separate geographical entities: Nagar Haveli, wedged between Maharashtra and Gujarat and 1 km to the northwest, the smaller enclave of Dadra, which is surrounded by Gujarat. Silvassa is the administrative headquarters of Dadra and Nagar Haveli.



The climate is typical of the region. Summers are hot, with the mean temperatures in May typically rising into the low 90s F (mid-30s C). Annual rainfall averages about 120 inches (3,050 mm), most of it falling between June and September.



Farming is the chief occupation and is largely practiced by the indigenous people, most of whom live in rural areas. Much cultivation is done on terraced land. Rice and ragi (also called finger millet) are the major food crops. Wheat and sugarcane are also grown. A dam and reservoir on the Daman Ganga River in neighbouring Gujarat has extended irrigation in the territory significantly. Timber production is mainly centred on the valuable native teak.



Dadra and Nagar Haveli came under the rule of Portugal in the late 18th century. The Marathas ceded Nagar Haveli to the Portuguese in 1783 as compensation for a Portuguese vessel that their navy had destroyed. Two years later Portugal acquired Dadra, which became a kind of fief. After India achieved independence in 1947, nationalists in Goa—the oldest Portuguese possession in India—sought to break away from Portugal; their first successes were the seizure of Dadra on the night of July 21, 1954, and their capture of Nagar Haveli two weeks later. A pro-Indian administration was formed in these enclaves, and on June 1, 1961, Dadra and Nagar Haveli requested accession to the Indian union. Although the Indian government had already acknowledged the incorporation of the two areas after their liberation from the Portuguese, their status as a single union territory was made official on Aug. 11, 1961.



 



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Which is the capital of Maharashtra’s winter?



Nagpur is the winter capital of the state of Maharashtra, a fast growing metropolis and third largest city in Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune. With a population of 46,53,570 (2011) Nagpur Metropolitan Area is the 13th largest urban conglomeration in India. It has also recently been ranked as the cleanest city and the second greenest city of India . In addition to being the seat of annual winter session of Maharashtra state assembly “Vidhan Sabha”, Nagpur is also a major commercial and political center of the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, and is also famous throughout the country as “Orange City” for being a major trade center of oranges that are cultivated in the region. In addition, the city also derives political importance from being the headquarters for the RSS and an important location for the Buddhist movement.



Nagpur is the seat of the annual winter session of the Maharashtra state assembly. It is a major commercial and political centre of the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. In addition, the city derives unique importance from being an important location for the Dalit Buddhist movement and the headquarters for the Hindu nationalist organisation RSS. Nagpur is also known for the Deekshabhoomi, which is graded an A-class tourism and pilgrimage site, the largest hollow stupa among all the Buddhist stupas in the world.



It is famous for Nagpur oranges and is sometimes known as the Orange City for being a major trade center of oranges cultivated in large part of the region. It is also called the Tiger Capital of India or the Tiger Gateway of India as many tiger reserves are located in and around the city and also hosts the regional office of National Tiger Conservation Authority. The city was founded in 1703 by the Gond King Bakht Buland Shah of Deogarh and later became a part of the Maratha Empire under the royal Bhonsale dynasty. The British East India Company took over Nagpur in the 19th century and made it the capital of the Central Provinces and Berar. After the first re-organisation of states, the city lost its status as the capital. Following the informal Nagpur Pact between political leaders, it was made the second capital of Maharashtra.



 



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Tripura’s capital Agartala is located very close to the border of which neighbouring country?



Tripura, state of India, It is located in the northeastern part of the subcontinent. It is bordered to the north, west, and south by Bangladesh, to the east by the state of Mizoram, and to the northeast by the state of Assam. 



Agartala offers some outstandingly beautiful palaces, gardens, hills, temples and lakes. Perfection is the word for the architectural monuments of the city. The red government buildings are in contrast against the remarkably usually white old British buildings that are still in existence and in use. Some of the monuments have been selected as UNESCO world heritage sites.



It was Maharaja Krishna Chandra Manikya Bahadur, of Manikya Dynasty, who shifted the capital of Swadhin Tripura to Agartala in the 19th century. The earlier capital was Rangamati in south Tripura. It was shifted to old Agartala which was called ‘Haveli’. However, frequent invasions by Kuki’s and also to maintain communication with British Bengal, the Maharaja shifted his capital from Old Haveli to New Haveli (present Agartala) in 1849. During the British Raj, Agartala was the capital of the former ‘Hill Tippera’ state.



During the reign of Maharaja Bir Chandra Manikya (1862), Agartala Municipality was formed. In the 1940s the town was planned and re-constructed properly with new roads, markets and buildings.



 



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Which city is capital of Chhattisgarh?



Chhattisgarh, state of east-central India. It is bounded by the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand to the north and northeast, Odisha (Orissa) to the east, Telangana (formerly part of Andhra Pradesh) to the south, and Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh to the west. Its capital is Raipur. Area 52,199 square miles (135,194 square km).



Naya Raipur would be India's fourth planned city after Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, and Bhubaneswar and has been constructed in phases incorporating world class architecture and design. Naya Raipur is also planning as the business, cultural and educational hubs of the Indian state Chhattisgarh. Greater Raipur is an urban agglomeration comprising the city of Raipur along with the new city of Naya Raipur and the industrial city of Bhilai-Durg. Raipur was a city of Indian state Madhya Pradesh, before Chhattisgarh was formed on 1st November 2000.



Raipur also serves as the administrative headquarter of Raipur District. Raipur District is bordered by Bilaspur by the North, Bastar & Orissa by the South, Raigarh & Orissa by the East and the Durg to the West. The district is divided into two major divisions, namely, the Chhattisgarh plain and the Hilly Areas. Raipur City is situated at the center of Raipur District. It covers an area of 180 sq. km. and it maintains a height of 298.16 meters above mean sea level. According to the census report 2011, the city has a population of 1,010,087. As on 2016, Raipur is the 45th largest populous metropolis in India with an approximate population of 1,456,406.



Once, Raipur was a part of the Dakshina Kosala Kingdom, later it was a part of the Maurya Kingdom and the capital of the Haihaya kings who controlling the traditional forts of the Chhattisgarh for a long time. The town of Raipur has been in existence since the 9th century. Archaeological evidence and ruins of the fort can be seen in the southern part of Raipur city, which have historically important in the ancient Indian History.



 



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Which State’s capital was earlier called Madras?



Chennai, formerly Madras, city, capital of Tamil Nadu state, southern India, on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. At the time of its formation in 1950, it included the whole of present-day Tamil Nadu (except Kanyakumari district), Coastal Andhra, Rayalaseema, the Malabar region of North and central Kerala, and Bellary, South Canara. Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema were separated to form Andhra State in 1953, while South Canara and Bellary districts were merged with Mysore State, and Malabar District with the State of Travancore-Cochin to form Kerala in 1956. Post State Reorganization in 1956, the remaining Madras State was renamed to Tamil Nadu, meaning "Tamil country" on January 14, 1969.



After Indian Independence, the Madras Presidency became the Madras Province on 15 August 1947. On 26 January 1950, it was formed as Madras State by the Government of India. As a result of the 1956 States Reorganisation Act, the state's boundaries were re-organized following linguistic lines. The state was finally renamed Tamil Nadu on 14 January 1969 by C.N.Annadurai, Chief Minister.



Over the years, it became a matter of linguistic pride to reclaim the names of cities in the vernacular rather than hang on to the names previous colonial administrators left cities with. These were looked at as an unwanted legacy of colonial rule.



The new name Chennai was derived from the name Chennaipattanam, a town near Fort St. George which the British built in 1639. There are two theories about the name Chennaipattanam. According to the first, the name Chennaipattanam was taken from the name of the Telegu king Damarla Chennappa Nayakudu Nayaka, from whose father they acquired the town in 1639. The second theory is that Chennai is named after the Chenna Kesava Perumal Temple, since the word Chennai means face in Tamil, the temple is considered to be the face of the city.



 



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In 2017, which city was announced as Himachal Pradesh’s second capital?



On 19 January 2017, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh declared Dharamshala as the second capital of Himachal Pradesh state, making Himachal Pradesh the third state of India with two capitals after Jammu and Kashmir and Maharashtra.



Dharamshala is a municipal corporation city in the upper reaches of the Kangra Valley and is surrounded by dense coniferous forest consisting mainly of stately Deodar cedar trees.The suburbs include McLeod Ganj, Bhagsunag, Dharamkot, Naddi, Forsyth Ganj, Kotwali Bazar (the main market), Kaccheri Adda (government offices such as the court, police, post, etc.), Dari, Ramnagar, Sidhpur, and Sidhbari (where the Karmapa is based). This place is also famous for its Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium (2003), which offers opportunities to the youth of state to prepare for their future in the game. The McLeod Ganj town, lying in the upper reaches, is known worldwide for the presence of the Dalai Lama. On 29 April 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso) established the Tibetan exile administration in the north Indian hill station of Mussoorie. In May 1960, the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) was moved to Dharamshala, making it the centre of the Tibetan exile world in India. Following the 1959 Tibetan uprising there was an influx of Tibetan refugees who followed the 14th Dalai Lama. His presence and the Tibetan population have made Dharamshala a destination for Indian and foreign tourists, including students studying Tibet.



 



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What was the ancient name for Bihar’s capital Patna?



One of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world, Patna was founded in 490 BCE by the king of Magadha. Ancient Patna, known as Patliputra or Pataliputra, was the capital of the Magadh Empire through Haryanka, Nanda, Mauryan, Shunga, Gupta and Pala dynasties.



Patliputra really saw its pinnacle during the Maurya period when it became one of the largest cities in the world. As per the Greek diplomat, traveller and historian Megasthenes, during the Mauryan Empire, it was among the first cities in the world to have a highly efficient form of local self-government.



Extensive archaeological excavations have been made in the vicinity of modern Patna. Excavations early in the 20th century around Patna revealed clear evidence of large fortification walls, including reinforcing wooden trusses. Now we know that after the post-Palas decline, it was Sher Shah Suri (1538–1545) who revived Pataliputra and renamed it Pa?na.



The first accepted references to the place are observed more than 2500 years ago in Jain and Buddhist scriptures. Recorded history of the city begins in the year 490 BCE when Ajatashatru, the king of Magadh, wanted to shift his capital from the hilly Rajgriha to a more strategically located place to combat the Licchavi of Vaishali. He chose a site on the bank of the Ganges and fortified the area which developed into Patna.



From that time, the city has had a continuous history, a record claimed by few cities in the world. During its history and existence of more than two millennia, Patna has been known by different names: Pataligram, Pataliputra, Palibothra, Kusumpur, Pushpapura, Azimabad, and the present-day Patna. Gautam Buddha passed through this place in the last year of his life, and he had prophesied a great future for this place, but at the same time, he predicted its ruin from flood, fire, and feud.



 



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I am a student of Std IX. I want to become a lawyer. What should I do to become a lawyer?


 



After completing 10+2 in any stream, go for BALLB, which is of 5 years’ duration. Admission is through Common Law Admission Test (CLAT). Some institutes conduct their own entrance examination.



The course incorporates a lot of practical training and also includes court attendance, legal research projects, and practical work in legal aid centres. To qualify for legal practice, a year’s apprenticeship in a legal firm is essential. Law graduates are allowed to practice law throughout the country only after they get themselves enrolled as advocates at the Bar Council.



Some of the well-known institutes are: National Law School of India University, Bangalore; NALSAR University of Law, Hyderabad; National Law Institute University, Bhopal; The West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata; National Law University, Jodhpur; ILS Law College, Pune.



 



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Why is Honiara an important city for the Solomon Islands?


            Solomon Island is a country in The Pacific Ocean consisting of six main islands and over 900 smaller ones. Honiara, located at the mouth of the Mataniko River on the north coast of Guadalcanal, is the capital of the country.



            The town is an important port and communication centre. The economy of Honiara depends on trade chiefly in coconut, timber, fish and gold. The urbanization of the city started in the 1960s. Today, most of the government buildings and institutions and important educational centres are housed in the town. One of the main attractions of the city is its market, known as the Honiara Central Market. The market is the centre of trading activity in the islands.



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Which city is the capital of New Zealand?


          Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand, is located in the extreme south of North Island. A beautiful city, Wellington is located on the shores and hills surrounding Wellington Harbour known as Port Nicholson. A landlocked bay, Port Nicholson is one of the finest harbours in the world.



          The city is reputed for its spellbinding natural harbour and green hillsides adorned with exquisite suburbs of colonial villas. A good portion of the city is built on land reclaimed from the bay. There are many important monuments in the city such as the Parliament buildings, the National Library, the City Gallery Wellington and the New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts. Another tourist attraction, the old Government Building, which was built in 1876, is one of the World’s largest wooden structures.



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What is special about Palikir?


 



               The Federated States of Micronesia is an independent republic associated to the United States. Palikir is the capital of the country. It was an inconsequential village long ago. Colonialism slowly transformed the place to a town. Located on the north-west side of Pohnpei Island, the town is a high volcanic island surrounded by a beautiful fringing coral reef. The largest settlement of Palikir is Kolonia, situated at the northeast side of the island. One of the most favourite locations for tourists are the underwater coral reefs, which are found all around the coastal region of the island.



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Why is the city Tarawa called so?



Tarawa is the capital of Kiribati, a country in Micronesia in the central Pacific Ocean. In Kiribati mythology, Tarawa meant the earth. According to the legends, Nareau the spider, the creator of the universe, after creating the earth, called the sky ‘karawa’ and the ocean, ‘Marawa’. He stood on the ground and called it ‘Tarawa’.



            The city’s economy is supported by its export of Copra and mother-of-pearl. There are light manufacturing facilities in the city too. When the war between the U.S. and the Japanese took place, the city suffered significant damage. Tarawa is an atoll, meaning that it is a lagoon surrounded by a coral rim. There are many culturally significant spots in the city.



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