RAS question
The term 'Chauhatte' in the context of Jaipur's urban planning refers to:
Correct answer: (B) Crossroads where four roads meet.
In Jaipur's urban planning, Chauhatte are major crossroads where four roads meet.
Explanation
In Jaipur's grid-plan urban design, attributed in the question explanation to Vidyadhar Bhattacharya, Chauhatte refers to the major four-way intersections of the city. The cited glossary supports the underlying term by defining Chauhatta as a junction of four roads. That is why the answer is not a palace feature, a water structure, or a generic market space: the word points to road geometry. In Jaipur's planned layout, these intersections helped divide the city into organised sectors, or chowkris, within a systematic design associated with Vastu Shastra principles. The key idea is spatial order: the city is being read through its planned street network, not through monuments or utilities.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Palace gates are architectural entry points, whereas Chauhatte refers to four-road intersections in the street plan.
- (C) Water reservoirs belong to the city's water-storage infrastructure, while Chauhatte denotes a junction of roads.
- (D) Market squares may sit near busy streets, but Chauhatte specifically means a four-road crossroads, not a market square as such.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan urban planning vocabulary, especially Jaipur's planned grid and its sectoral organisation. RAS repeats such terms because they connect local history, art and culture with the physical layout of Rajasthan's historic cities.