RAS question
Which city is called the 'Golden City' of Rajasthan?
Correct answer: (D) Jaisalmer.
Jaisalmer is called the Golden City of Rajasthan because its yellow sandstone architecture and surrounding golden sand dunes give the city its distinctive colour identity.
Explanation
Jaisalmer is the city known as Rajasthan's Golden City. The standard exam clue is visual: its architecture uses yellow sandstone, and the nearby desert landscape is marked by golden sand dunes. Rajasthan Tourism also identifies Jaisalmer as the Golden City and describes Jaisalmer Fort, or Sonar Qila, as a fort that rises from the desert and seems to merge with the golden hues of the sand. That is why the epithet is tied not just to a nickname, but to the city's physical setting and built form. For RAS geography, this makes Jaisalmer the clear answer when the question asks for the Golden City of Rajasthan.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Jaipur is associated with the Pink City, so it does not match the Golden City clue.
- (B) Bikaner is a major Rajasthan city, but the Golden City identity is attached to Jaisalmer, not Bikaner.
- (C) Jodhpur is associated with the Sun City and Blue City labels, so it is not the Golden City of Rajasthan.
Concept
This tests Rajasthan's place-name and cultural-geography nicknames, a recurring RAS area because city identities are linked to architecture, colour, landscape and tourism geography. Jaisalmer recurs because its desert setting and yellow sandstone built form make the nickname easy to test directly.