Which of the following is NOT an ancient town of India?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 3
The correct answer is Option (3) → Hyderabad
Option (1) Varanasi — An ancient town (Incorrect). Ancient towns have a history of over 2000 years and grew as religious and cultural centres; Varanasi is one of the most important of them.
Option (2) Madurai — An ancient town (Incorrect). Madurai is one of the ancient towns, like Prayag (Allahabad) and Pataliputra, that grew as religious and cultural centres.
Option (3) Hyderabad — Not an ancient town (Correct). Hyderabad is a medieval town. About 100 towns have their roots in the medieval period; they grew as headquarters of principalities and kingdoms, often as fort towns on the ruins of ancient towns. Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Agra and Nagpur are the important ones.
Option (4) Pataliputra (Patna) — An ancient town (Incorrect). Pataliputra (Patna) is one of the ancient towns of India.
Note: A similar question was also asked in CUET (UG) 2026 on 29-05-2026 (Slot 2).
NCERT (2025-26): “Ancient Towns There are number of towns in India having historical background spanning over 2000 years. Most of them developed as religious and cultural centres. Varanasi is one of the important towns among these. Prayag (Allahabad), Pataliputra (Patna), Madurai are some other examples of ancient towns in the country.…” “Medieval Towns About 100 of the existing towns have their roots in the medieval period. Most of them developed as headquarters of principalities and kingdoms. These are fort towns which came up on the ruins of ancient towns. Important among them are Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lucknow, Agra and Nagpur.…” |