State Capitals (India)

Bhubaneswar (also spelled Bhubneshwar) is the capital city of the Indian state of Odisha (formerly known as Orissa). It is an ancient city with significant religious and historical importance, particularly for Hindu temples. Option A is correct.

Agartala is the capital city of Tripura, a northeastern state of India. Shillong is the capital of Meghalaya, Aizawl is the capital of Mizoram, and Itanagar is the capital of Arunachal Pradesh. All four options are state capitals of northeastern Indian states, but only Agartala belongs to Tripura.

Raipur is the capital city of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh (note the standard spelling). Imphal is the capital of Manipur, Ranchi is the capital of Jharkhand, and Raigarh is a city in Chhattisgarh but not its capital.

Panaji is the capital of the Indian state of Goa. It is located on the banks of the Mandovi River and is known for its Portuguese colonial architecture.

Gandhinagar is the capital of the state of Gujarat. It is a planned city named after Mahatma Gandhi, located on the banks of the Sabarmati River.

Gangtok is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Sikkim, situated in the eastern Himalayan range.

Correct Answer: Ranchi

Itanagar is the capital of Arunachal Pradesh. It is known for its historical Ita Fort and its location in the foothills of the Himalayas.

Kohima is the capital of Nagaland, one of the northeastern states of India. It has been the capital since Nagaland attained statehood in 1963. The other options are capitals of different northeastern states: Imphal (Manipur), Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh), and Aizawl (Mizoram).

Hyderabad served as the capital of Andhra Pradesh from 1956 until 2014, when Telangana was carved out as a separate state. After bifurcation in 2014, Hyderabad became the joint capital of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for a period of 10 years (until 2024), after which Amaravati is intended to serve as Andhra Pradesh's sole capital. The question likely refers to the historical capital.

Chandigarh is the capital of Haryana and serves as a shared capital with Punjab. It is a Union Territory and planned city distinct from both states. Karnal and Ambala are important cities in Haryana but not the capital, while Pasighat is in Arunachal Pradesh.

Bhopal has been the capital of Madhya Pradesh since the state's reorganization in 1956. It is centrally located and known for its lakes. The other options are cities in other Indian states: Kolhapur (Maharashtra), Nagpur (Maharashtra), and Indore (Madhya Pradesh, but not the capital).

Shimla is the capital and largest city of Himachal Pradesh, serving as its administrative center since the colonial era when it was the summer capital of British India. Kullu, Chamba, and Dalhousie are popular hill stations in the state but are not capitals.

Dehradun is the capital of Uttarakhand (formerly Uttaranchal), serving as the administrative headquarters since the state's formation in 2000. Mussoorie is a nearby hill station, while Rudrapur and Rishikesh are other important cities in the state.

Jammu serves as the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir from November to April, as it's situated at a lower altitude making it more accessible during winter months. Jammu and Kashmir follows the practice of having two capitals: Srinagar for summer and Jammu for winter.

Thiruvananthapuram (also known as Trivandrum) is the capital of Kerala, hosting the state legislature and government offices. Kozhikode and Calicut refer to the same city, while Cochin is a major port city but not the capital.

Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan and is known as the 'Pink City' due to its distinctive pink-colored buildings. Udaipur, Ajmer, and Ganganagar are historically significant cities in Rajasthan but serve different administrative and commercial functions.

Lucknow is the capital of Uttar Pradesh and serves as the administrative, educational, and cultural center of the state. Agra, Kanpur, and Allahabad (Prayagraj) are major cities but Lucknow houses the state government machinery.

Chandigarh is the capital of Punjab and also serves as the capital of Haryana, making it a shared union territory. Ludhiana is the largest city in Punjab by population, while Amritsar is spiritually significant as the home of the Golden Temple.

Srinagar serves as the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir from May to October when the weather is pleasant. The state follows the unique practice of having two capitals: Srinagar for summer in the Kashmir valley and Jammu for winter at lower elevation.

Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) is the capital of West Bengal and was the capital of British India until 1911. Kharagpur, Durgapur, and Darjeeling are important cities but Darjeeling, while famous, is a hill district not the state capital.

Bangalore (Bengaluru) is the capital of Karnataka and is known as India's Silicon Valley due to its IT industry. Mysore was the former capital of the Kingdom of Mysore, while Mangalore and Udupi are important coastal cities.

Patna is the capital of Bihar and is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, with historical significance dating back to ancient Magadha. Jamshedpur is a major industrial city in Jharkhand, while Darbhanga and Gopalganj are important cities in Bihar but not the capital.

Chennai (formerly Madras) is the capital of Tamil Nadu and is a major cultural, economic, and educational center in South India. Madurai is an important cultural and temple city, Kanyakumari is the southern tip of India, and Pondicherry (Puducherry) is a union territory.

Shillong is the capital of Meghalaya, a northeastern state known as the 'Abode of Clouds'. Imphal is the capital of Manipur, Aizawl is the capital of Mizoram, and Tripura is itself a state (its capital is Agartala).