India's Colorful Cities Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Blue City

Rao Jodha founded the city of Jodhpur in 1459. Located on a strategic trade route, the city became very prosperous. Many of the homes in the oldest part of Jodhpur are painted blue. Why? Several reasons have been given. Blue is a soothing color, and, being connected to Lord Shiva, is also sacred. In addition, the paint is traditionally produced by mixing limestone and copper sulphate, making the color a natural blue. There is an indigo plantation nearby - perhaps that is also added to the paint that is used. Lastly, it is said that the blue paint helps to keep homes cooler; remember that another nickname for for the city is "Sun City" because the sun shines every day there!

Buildings in the city of Chefchaouen, Morocco, founded in 1451, are also painted different shades of blue. It is believed that Jewish immigrants escaping the Spanish Inquisition in 1492 brought the tradition with them as they fled to the city, believing that the color of the sky helped to keep them mindful of God.

Answer: The Pink City

Founded in 1727 by Jai Singh II, after whom it is also named, Jaipur has not always been known as "The Pink City". In 1876, anticipating a visit from Queen Victoria and the Prince of Wales, who eventually became Edward VII, the city was painted pink, which is the traditional color of welcome in India. The color continues to be used today as residents of the city are required by law to keep the buildings pink!

The ancient city of Petra, also called "The Rose City", was given its name due to the color of the sandstone from which the buildings were carved. Situated at a busy crossroads for trade, the city, built by the Nabataeans, became prosperous during the 1st century BC and continued to thrive until it was damaged by an earthquake in 363 AD.

Answer: The White City

The city of Udaipur is known by many nicknames, including "Lake City", "Venice of the East", and "White City". Built in 1553 by Maharana Udai Singh to serve as his capital, the city is situated around a system of five major lakes; it is called the "White City" because of the marble that was used in the construction of many of its temples and palaces. The marble industry continues to be important today, with Udaipur's fine marble being shipped world-wide.

In the 1930s German Jewish architects fled to Tel Aviv during the rise of the Nazi regime and ultimately designed over 4,000 buildings there in the Bauhaus style. In 2003 the area, which contains mostly all white buildings, was named a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO.

Answer: The Orange City

Getting the official nod as "The Orange City" in just 2016, Nagpur has been traditionally known as "The Orange City" much longer. Founded in 1703 by King Bakht Buland Shah of Deogarh, Nagpur is famous for its oranges and for being a major trade center of the produce. Nagpur oranges are said to be sweet with a juicy pulp; it is not, however, the only variety of orange grown in Nagpur. In addition, there is another important orange nearby. The city has also been called "The Tiger Capital of the World" as the Tadoba Tiger Reserve is nearby.

The reference to Orange City in both Florida and California refers to the oranges that were grown in the areas; Orange (both the city and the country) in California was a booming citrus-growing region in the late 180e0s and early 1900s. Since WWII, however, the groves of orange trees have dwindled in number; instead, the land was needed to build houses for a growing population. In 1894 the Great Freeze wiped out the orange trees in Orange City, Florida. There is also an Orange City in Iowa, which was named after William of Orange.

Answer: The Golden City

The name "Amritsar" literally means "Pool of Nectar"; the city was originally founded by Sikh Guru Ram Das in 1574. It is the most sacred city of the Sikhs, and the Golden Temple is the reason for the city's sobriquet, "The City of Gold". Officially known as Sri Harmandir Sahib, which means "the abode of God", the temple has been rebuilt several times since its first construction in 1604. It has remained intact since its reconstruction in 1809 which featured copper and marble that was overlaid with gold foil in 1830. It is considered to be the most important temple in Sikhism.

It is believed that Prague was first called "The Golden City" during the reign of Holy Roman Emperor Charles IV in the 1300s, who is said to have had the towers of his castle decorated with gold. There is also a legend that it was called "The Golden City" during the reign of Rudolf II (1576-1612) due to his practice of hiring alchemists to turn base metals into gold!

Answer: The Yellow City

Also called "The Golden City" in some publications, Jaisalmer has received its nickname from the color of the sandstone that was used to construct the city's fort and many of the residences, as well as the ridge of yellow sandstone that serves as the foundation of the city itself. Founded in 1156 by Rawal Jaisal, the city was made the capital of the area, which came to be known as Jaisalmer State. At the time the principal income of the city was taxes on the caravan trade; the advent of sea trade, however, as well as a drought and famine in the late 1800s, was devastating to the economy of the city. Today the city's economy is based on tourism.

Izamal, located in the Mexican state of Yucatan, is called "The Yellow City" because most of its buildings are painted yellow. It is also called "The City of Hills"; the "hills", however, are remains of Mayan temples.

Answer: The Evergreen City

The region of Thiruvananthapuram, also known as Trivadrum during its history, was an ancient trading center as early as 1000 BC. First ruled by the Ay Dynasty, the city was taken over by the Kingdom of Quilon in the tenth century. Marthanda Varma made the city his capital in 1745; by the 19th century it was experiencing a golden age in education and health care. Today it is important as a technology hub. Some sources credit Mahatma Gandhi with the nickname because of the number of trees present both in the city and around it.

The state of Washington, located on the northwest coast of the United States, was first called "The Evergreen State" by Charles Tallmadge Conover, an early real estate developer, because of its evergreen forests. In 1893 the state legislature officially adopted the nickname.

Answer: The Black City

Although people were living in the area a long time before the founding of the city, Kolkata was officially founded in 1690 by the English East India Company as a seaport. Its nickname, "The Black City", refers to the incident at Fort William in 1756 regarding the deaths of British troops in what is commonly called the Black Hole of Calcutta. There is, however, another story that the name relates to Kali, the Hindu goddess of death, doom, and time. The Kalighat Kali Temple in Kolkata is dedicated to the goddess, and houses a shrine that contains a black stone statue of her.

In 1893 the Columbian Exposition was held in Chicago, Illinois. Buildings that contained the exhibition and those located nearby were whitewashed; the area was consequently nicknamed "The White City". At the time, however, most of the city was called "The Black City". It was dirty, smelly, smokey, and filled with poverty. The streets were filled with trash and filth, the water supply was unhealthy, and many residents died during cholera outbreaks and from other diseases.

Answer: The Silver City

Historians have differing theories as to the founding of Cuttack; some credit King Nrupa Keshari with its founding as a military installation in 989, while others believe it was made Odisha's capital by Raja Anangabhimadeva III of the Ganga dynasty in 1211. A center of trade in textiles, Cuttack is also known for its exquisite silver filigree work on jewelry and other ornaments.

Broken Hill, located in New South Wales, became an important mining town in Australia after silver, lead, and zinc were discovered there in 1883. Considered to be an area of one of the wealthiest orebodies in the world, mining continues to be important to the city today.

Answer: The Green City

Gandhinagar is a relatively new city in comparison to others in India. It is the capital of the state of Gujarat, which came into existence in the 1960s after the state of Mumbai was divided into the new states of Gujarat and Maharashtra. Named after Mahatma Gandhi, the city was specifically planned to be filled with parks and other green space which provides a garden-like appearance.

Founded in 1958, Zelenograd's name translates as "The Green City". Located in the middle of a forest, it is only about twenty-five miles from Moscow. The city itself was kept a bit of a secret from the Western world as it was to be the center of the Russian electronic industry. As such, it was closed to foreigners and kept off the map for years.