Indian Architecture
On independence day, the PM of India hoists the Indian Flag at which historically significant building?
The red fort (Lal qila)
What is the (direct) distance from Jammu to Kanyakumari (rounded to the nearest 500 km – i.e. closest of 500, 1000, 1500, …)
3000 km
Who built the Taj Mahal?
Shah Jahan
Which recent movie was dedicated as an homage to Akkineni Nageswara Rao for being his last movie and a “befitting send-off” featuring him, his son Nagarjuna and his grandson Nagachaitanya?
Manam
Pav is a kind of bread most popular in which state of India?
Maharashtra
Which ancient temple in Odisha is shaped like a colossal chariot and is said to actually have rotatable wheels?
Konark Sun Temple
Which city does the latitude for the Indian Standard Time (UTC+5:30) pass closest to?
Allahabad (or Prayagraj or Mirzapur)
Which Mughal emperor is known to have started the secularism trend in their empire, starting with abolishing Jizya (a tax on non-muslim subjects)?
Akbar the great
What do the 3 ‘R’s in the RRR movie title stand for?
Roudram Ranam Rudhiram
Food from which state is known for having a slight sweet flavor in many dishes of their thali (including dal and some sabjis)?
Gujarat
How tall is the Qutb minar (you need to be within 5m of the true height)?
72 m (Anything from 67 m to 77 m works)
Which is the tallest peak in India?
Kanchenjunga (8.5 km, Sikkim)
Under which emperor did the Mauryan Empire reach its highest territorial peak (largest area under their control)?
Ashoka
Which song from the 1957 film Maya Bazaar was the only one to significantly feature the actress Savitri’s voice directly (instead of her playback singer) during the song?
Sundari nee vanti divya swaroopamu (Dialog between stanzas)
Cows are considered holy in Hinduism and for social and religious reasons, slaughtering cows for beef is banned in most of India, opting for bulls and buffaloes as the beef sources instead. Other than the Goa, which state in central or West India is the only one where cow slaughtering is legal?
Where is the tallest TV broadcasting tower of India located (it also happens to be the tallest manmade building in India)?
Rameswaram TV tower (Rameswaram)
Which is the largest river in India (by volume)?
Brahmaputra
Which Indian Philosopher is known for consolidating the doctrine of Advaita Vedanta?
Sri Adi Shankaracharya
Which Telugu movie features Amrish Puri as the villain “Mahadrashta”?
Jagadeka Veerudu Atiloka Sundari
What is the major (and usually only) source of vitamin B12 in a common vegetarian Indian household (not counting eggs, if eaten)?
Milk (or yogurt or buttermilk)
The Ashoka pillars feature 4 lions back-to-back symbolizing power, courage, confidence and pride. But the pedestal depicts 4 different animals engraved onto it – Lion, Elephant, Bull and what?
Horse
Only 2 major rivers in India drain into the Arabian Sea. One of these originates in the Vindhya mountains. Which river is it?
Narmada
Which year was the first war of Independence in India (answer within 3 years)?
1857-1858 (Anything from 1854 to 1861 works)
Which of these songs did NOT have tune and/or lyrics copied from a non-Indian film – Ya Ali (Gangster), Dilbar Shikdum Shikdum (Dhoom), Nagada Nagada (Jab We Met), Ye Hai Bombay Meri Jaan (CID)?
Nagada Nagada
Which festive dish prepared for Ganesh Chaturthi in Maharashtra is a sweet flatbread stuffed with chana dal and jaggery?
Puran Poli