Static general knowledge is six of the seven lines of the General Studies Paper-I syllabus in the UPSC CSE notice: History of India and the Indian National Movement; Indian and World Geography; Indian Polity and Governance; Economic and Social Development; Environmental Ecology, Bio-diversity and Climate Change; and General Science. The Commission tests understanding rather than recall, through statements to be judged correct or incorrect, pairs to be matched and assertion-reason items, and it likes the edges of a topic: a lesser-known provision of the Constitution, a river's tributary, a species' conservation status, the mandate of a statutory body. This page holds GK24's topic-wise GK notes for UPSC, written as short facts and tables, in English and Hindi, with each note linked to the current affairs and previous-year questions on the same topic. Start with Polity and Modern History, which carry the most questions, then Geography, the Economy, Environment, Ancient and Medieval culture and Science. Read a note, solve its PYQs, take its quiz, and come back to it in your monthly revision. A candidate who knows these notes and reads the daily current affairs has covered the syllabus the notice prescribes for Paper-I.
Who was the first Indian to travel to space?
Rakesh Sharma, then a Squadron Leader in the Indian Air Force, became the first Indian in space on 3 April 1984.
Read the full explanation →The Gaganyaan mission will be launched by which vehicle?
Gaganyaan will fly on the LVM3, the heaviest Indian launch vehicle, modified and certified for carrying human beings and then written as HLVM3.
Read the full explanation →Pokhran, where India conducted its nuclear tests, is in which district of Rajasthan?
Pokhran lies in Jaisalmer district in the Thar desert and was the site of the underground nuclear test of 1974, code named Smiling Buddha, and of the series of tests in May 1998 carried out as Operation Shakti, after which India declared itself a nuclear weapon state.
Read the full explanation →Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, was founded in 1727 by:
Sawai Jai Singh II of the Kachhwaha house moved his seat from the hill fort of Amber to the plain and founded Jaipur in 1727.
Read the full explanation →Makrana, famous for its white marble, is situated in which district of Rajasthan?
The Makrana quarries in Nagaur district have produced white marble for centuries, and it is the marble used in the Taj Mahal at Agra and in the Victoria Memorial at Kolkata.
Read the full explanation →Which folk dance of Rajasthan is inscribed on the UNESCO list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity?
Kalbelia is the dance and song tradition of the Kalbelia community of snake charmers of Rajasthan. The women dance in black swirling skirts with movements that recall a serpent, to the be en and the khanjari played by the men, and the songs are composed on the spot.
Read the full explanation →The Battle of Haldighati in 1576 was fought between:
The Battle of Haldighati was fought in June 1576 in the hills near Gogunda in Mewar between Maharana Pratap of Mewar and the Mughal army sent by Akbar under Man Singh of Amber.
Read the full explanation →The Harappan site of Kalibangan in Rajasthan lies on the dry bed of which river?
Kalibangan, in Hanumangarh district, stands on the dry bed of the Ghaggar, the river many identify with the Saraswati of the texts.
Read the full explanation →Panchayati Raj was first put into effect in India on 2 October 1959 at:
Acting on the report of the Balwant Rai Mehta Committee, Rajasthan became the first state to introduce Panchayati Raj, and Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated it at Nagaur on 2 October 1959, Gandhi Jayanti.
Read the full explanation →Sambhar Lake, the largest inland saline lake in India, is located in:
Sambhar Lake lies west of Jaipur, spread over parts of Jaipur, Nagaur and Ajmer districts. It is the largest inland saline lake in the country, a major source of common salt, a Ramsar site, and a winter feeding ground for flamingos and other migratory birds.
Read the full explanation →The Luni river of Rajasthan finally drains into:
The Luni rises in the Aravallis near Ajmer, flows south west across the desert districts of Marwar, grows saline as it picks up salts from the soil, and ends in the marshes of the Rann of Kutch in Gujarat without reaching open sea.
Read the full explanation →Which is the only perennial river of Rajasthan?
The Chambal enters Rajasthan from Madhya Pradesh and flows north and then east through deep ravines, carrying water through the year, which makes it the only perennial river of the state and also its longest.
Read the full explanation →Guru Shikhar, the highest peak of the Aravalli range, is located in which district of Rajasthan?
Guru Shikhar, about 1,722 metres high, stands on Mount Abu in Sirohi district and is the highest point both of the Aravallis and of Rajasthan.
Read the full explanation →Which is the largest state of India by area?
Rajasthan covers about 342,239 square kilometres, roughly a tenth of the area of India, and has been the largest state since Madhya Pradesh was divided in 2000.
Read the full explanation →The Chennakeshava temple at Belur and the Hoysaleshwara temple at Halebidu belong to which style?
The Hoysalas ruled southern Karnataka from Belur and Dwarasamudra, today's Halebidu, and their temples are unmistakable: a raised star shaped platform called the jagati, shrines on a stellate plan, soft chloritic schist or soapstone that allowed jewellery and hair to be carved in minute detail, lathe turned pillars, and bands…
Read the full explanation →The Sun Temple at Konark, designed in the form of a chariot, was built by:
The Konark Sun Temple in Odisha was raised in the thirteenth century by Narasimhadeva I. The plan is the chariot of Surya: a high platform carrying twelve pairs of carved stone wheels drawn by seven horses.
Read the full explanation →The temples at Pattadakal in Karnataka are best known because they show:
Pattadakal on the Malaprabha was a coronation city of the Chalukyas of Badami, and its temples stand side by side in both idioms: the Papanatha and Galaganatha temples carry curving Nagara towers, while the Virupaksha temple, built by queen Lokamahadevi to mark Vikramaditya II's victory over the Pallavas, and the…
Read the full explanation →The monolithic Kailasa temple at Ellora was excavated during the reign of which dynasty?
Cave 16 at Ellora, the Kailasa temple, was cut for the Rashtrakuta king Krishna I in the eighth century.
Read the full explanation →The curving tower raised over the sanctum of a north Indian temple is called the:
In the Nagara style of north India the tower over the garbhagriha is the shikhara.
Read the full explanation →The Brihadeshwara temple at Thanjavur was built by which ruler?
The Brihadeshwara or Rajarajeshwara temple at Thanjavur was completed about 1010 CE by Raja Raja I. Its vimana rises in shrinking storeys to over sixty metres and is crowned by a single huge capstone, the whole structure is of granite, and the courtyard holds one of the largest monolithic Nandi…
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