RAS question
The Palace on Wheels luxury train was launched in which year and connects which cities on its route?
Correct answer: (B) 1982 — Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur.
The Palace on Wheels luxury train was launched in 1982 and its Rajasthan heritage circuit includes Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Udaipur.
Explanation
Palace on Wheels is tied to Rajasthan's tourism geography because it presents the state's heritage cities as a single luxury rail circuit. The official Palace on Wheels site says the train was launched in 1982 in association with the Rajasthan Tourism Development Corporation and Indian Railways. It also identifies the journey as a 7-night route covering New Delhi, Jaipur, Sawai Madhopur, Chittorgarh, Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Bharatpur, Agra and back to New Delhi. Option B is therefore the best match: it gives the correct launch year and lists the core Rajasthan heritage stops Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Udaipur.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) It lists heritage cities on the circuit, but the launch year is wrong because the Palace on Wheels was launched in 1982, not 1978.
- (C) It gives 1990 as the launch year, while the official source and the explanation identify 1982; its city set also omits Jaisalmer and Udaipur from the core Rajasthan heritage circuit in the answer.
- (D) It gives 1985 instead of 1982 and replaces Udaipur with Bikaner, whereas the cited route includes Udaipur, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Jaipur.
Concept
This tests tourism geography of Rajasthan, especially how heritage cities are linked through state-backed tourism circuits. It recurs in RAS because transport, tourism and cultural geography often overlap in questions on Rajasthan's economy and regional identity.