RAS question
Sawai Ram Singh II of Jaipur is credited with painting the entire city pink in 1876. The occasion was the visit of:
Correct answer: (B) Prince of Wales (later Edward VII).
Sawai Ram Singh II had Jaipur painted pink in 1876 to welcome the Prince of Wales, who later became Edward VII.
Explanation
Jaipur's pink colour is tied to the 1876 visit of the Prince of Wales to India. The Rajasthan Tourism account says Maharaja Ram Singh of Jaipur painted the entire city pink because pink symbolised hospitality. That directly explains why the event is associated with the Prince of Wales rather than another colonial or royal figure. This terracotta-rose colour gave Jaipur its enduring identity as the Pink City, and the old city's buildings are expected to maintain that colour. For RAS, the key is to connect the date, ruler, occasion, and cultural marker in one chain: Sawai Ram Singh II, 1876, Prince of Wales, Pink City.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Lord Curzon belongs to a later phase of British India, whereas the 1876 painting of Jaipur is linked to the Prince of Wales's visit.
- (C) Queen Victoria is not the occasion here, and she never visited India.
- (D) Lord Mountbatten came to India much later, so he cannot explain a Jaipur event dated to 1876.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan History, Art and Culture through the origin of Jaipur's Pink City identity. RAS often asks such compact links between a ruler, a date, a visiting dignitary, and a lasting cultural marker.