Thanjavur and Dhaka are names of:

The correct answer is Option (1) → Old industrial towns

Note: The given answer is as per the official NTA Answer Key. However, Option (4) can also be considered correct, as explained below.

Option (1) Old industrial towns — Correct as per NTA. Thanjavur and Dhaka were old urban centres whose artisans made goods for the royal courts; the high quality silks and cottons of Dacca were among their luxury manufactures. When the British took over Indian states, towns like Thanjavur, Dhaka and Murshidabad lost their courts and, therefore, some of their artisans, and British industrialisation led to the decline of such old centres. Their crafts made them centres of manufacture before modern industry, which is why they are called old industrial towns.

Option (2) New industrial towns — Incorrect. The new industrial towns are those that emerged after Independence, such as Bokaro, Bhilai, Rourkela and Durgapur, built around steel plants and other heavy industry.

Option (3) Port cities — Incorrect. The cities favoured under colonial rule were the coastal cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai, from where primary commodities were exported. Thanjavur and Dhaka were inland court towns, and they declined.

Option (4) Urban centres — Can also be considered correct. The decline of old urban centres under British rule is described with Thanjavur, Dhaka and Murshidabad named among the towns that lost their courts. So ‘urban centres’ is also a true description of these towns, only a more general one.