Indian Geography

Vijayawada, a major city in Andhra Pradesh, is located on the banks of the Krishna River where it enters the plains from the Eastern Ghats. The city is an important transportation hub and commercial center. The Godavari flows through different districts of Andhra Pradesh, Saraswati is largely mythical, and 'Mahanandi' appears to be a misspelling of Mahanadi which flows through Odisha.

Sambalpur, located in western Odisha, is situated on the banks of the Mahanadi River. The Mahanadi is the largest river in Odisha by water discharge and is crucial for the region's agriculture and hydroelectric projects like the Hirakud Dam near Sambalpur. Option A uses 'Mahanandi' which is clearly a typo for Mahanadi.

Dibrugarh, a major city in upper Assam, is situated on the southern banks of the Brahmaputra River. The Brahmaputra (known as the Tsangpo in Tibet) is one of India's major rivers and forms the lifeline of Assam's tea-growing region. The Ganga and Yamuna are in northern India, while the Brahmaputra flows through the northeast.

Jamshedpur, India's first planned industrial city and home to Tata Steel, is located on the banks of the Subarnarekha River in Jharkhand. The river flows through Jharkhand, West Bengal, and Odisha before reaching the Bay of Bengal. Hooghly is a distributary of the Ganga in West Bengal, Mahanadi flows through eastern India, and Tungavadra is a southern river.

Kurnool (spelled 'Curnool' in the question), a major city in Andhra Pradesh, is located on the banks of the Tungabhadra River, which is a tributary of the Krishna. The Tungabhadra flows through Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh before joining the Krishna. The Brahmaputra flows through Assam, Tapti through central India, and 'Kashipra' appears to be a misspelling or non-existent river name.

The Delhi-Mumbai route via Jaipur, Ahmedabad, and Vadodara was historically designated as National Highway 8 (now renumbered as NH 48). Option B is correct. This is one of India's busiest and most important highways, connecting the national capital to the financial capital.

National Highway 17 historically connected Panvel (near Mumbai) to Edapally (near Kochi), running along India's west coast. Option D is correct. This 1,252 km highway passes through Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, and Kerala, serving as a crucial coastal route. It's now part of NH 66.

National Highway 86 connected Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh to Dewas in Madhya Pradesh. Option C is correct. This highway provides an important east-west link in central India, connecting key industrial cities across state boundaries.

National Highway 209 connected Dindigul in Tamil Nadu to Bengaluru in Karnataka. Option B is correct. This highway links Tamil Nadu's interior districts to Karnataka's capital, serving as an important inter-state connection in South India.

National Highway 52 connected Baihata Junction (near NH 37) to Saikhoa Ghat on the Brahmaputra River in Assam. Option A is correct. This highway serves as an important intra-state route in Assam, connecting upper Assam to the river crossing point. The NH-37 reference in the option helps identify it as a northeastern highway.

National Highway 49 connected Cochin (Kochi) in Kerala to Dhanushkodi in Tamil Nadu. Option C is correct. This highway runs along India's southern tip, connecting Kerala's major port city to what was formerly the southernmost point of mainland India before the 1964 cyclone.

Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, was born in Talwandi in 1469. This village is now known as Nankana Sahib and is located in present-day Pakistan. Anandpur Sahib is sacred but was established later, Amritsar was founded by Guru Ram Das, and Nanded is where Guru Gobind Singh passed away.

Historically, most coal mines were located in Bihar (now Jharkhand) and West Bengal, which are home to the Damodar Valley coalfields - India's primary coal-producing region. This includes the Raniganj, Jharia, and Bokaro coalfields.

The Son Valley (Son River valley) in Madhya Pradesh is considered highly prospective for coal exploration, with the Sohagpur coalfield being a significant asset. The Subarnarekha, Surma, and Mahi valleys are not major coal-bearing regions compared to the Son Valley's Gondwana basin potential.