Question

Q. Consider the following pairs regarding European settlements in India:

	Colonial power	Capital
1.	British	Calcutta
2.	French	Goa
3.	Portuguese	Pondicherry

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

• A.
  1 only
• B.
  1 and 2 only
• C.
  3 only
• D.
  1, 2 and 3

Answer 1

The correct option is A

1 only
Explanation:

Pair 1 is correctly matched: From 1772 to 1911, Calcutta was the capital of British India. In 1911 during Delhi Darbar, George V, then Emperor of India, announced that the capital of the Raj was to be shifted from Calcutta to Delhi.

Pair 2 is incorrectly matched: Pondicherry originated as a French trade centre in 1674, when it was purchased from a local ruler. The colony of Pondicherry was the scene of frequent fighting between the French and Dutch in the late 17th century, and it was occupied several times by British troops. However, it remained a French colonial possession and their capital until it was transferred to India in 1962.

Pair 3 is incorrectly matched: For almost a century (1500–1600), the Portuguese held a monopoly on European exploration and trade in the Indian Ocean. Portuguese interests on the west coast of India were largely determined by sailing conditions, and in Goa, the capital they found a defensible island site with excellent harbour facilities on either side. Goa accounted for the bulk of Portuguese India in terms of both territory and population. It was Portugal’s first territorial possession in Asia, captured by Afonso de Albuquerque in 1510, and it served as the main Portuguese base in the East for four and a half centuries.