Question

Which of the following cities lies in the middle of the Ganges valley?
A. Kanpur
B. Patna
C. Allahabad
D. Varanasi

Answer 1

Hint: Ganga River is the holy or sacred river of India. Ganga is known as ‘Ganga’ but internationally, it is called ‘Ganges’. It is the holy river and one of the most important rivers for Hinduism.

Complete step-by-step solution:
River Ganga is also known as Bhagwati river and also known as the epicenter of ancient India. The Ganga river flows from the northern to the eastern areas of India and it is one of the most important rivers of ancient India. The Ganga river passes through Kanpur, Patna, Allahabad, and Varanasi. These cities are located at different places in the Ganges valley.
Kanpur: Kanpur was earlier known as Cawnpore. It is a metropolitan city in Uttar Pradesh in India. Kanpur is divided into two districts i.e. Urban and rural districts. The urban district is known as Kanpur Nagar and the rural one is called Kanpur Dehat. It lies on the west bank of the Ganga River and it is well known for its major trade and commerce center in North India.
Patna: Patna is the capital of Bihar and it is the largest city present in Bihar. It lies on the southern bank of the Ganga river. A few years back, Patna was ranked by the World Bank as the second-most city in India which has the ease of starting a business.
Allahabad: Allahabad is also a metropolitan city in Uttar Pradesh. It is also known as Prayagraj or Allahabad. It lies near the Triveni Sangam, i.e. the ‘three-river confluence’ of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers. In 2016, Allahabad was ranked as the third most liveable city in Uttar Pradesh.
Varanasi: Varanasi is located in the middle of the Ganges valley, it is also known as the ‘heart of the Ganges Valley’. Varanasi is a city present in the south eastern Uttar Pradesh in the northern India. It is also known as Banaras or Kashi. It is located in the middle of Ganges valley and it is one of the seven sacred cities of Hinduism. Since, most of the Hindu pilgrims bathe in the Ganga river’s sacred water and perform their funeral rites, Varanasi is also known as the Spiritual capital of India.

Hence, option D is the correct option.

Note: There is a popular hymn devoted to the Ganges which means that those Hindus who are lucky to die in Varanasi are cremated on the banks on the Ganga River and hence, they are granted instant salvation. Varanasi or Benaras has more than 1.4 million inhabitants and is one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. There are more than 2000 temples in Varanasi and the most famous among them is the ‘Kashi Vishwanath’ which is dedicated to God Shiva.