Gandikota canyon of South India was created by which one of the following rivers ?
- (a) Cauvery
- (b) Manjira
- (c) Pennar ✓ UPSC's answer
- (d) Tungabhadra
Why the answer is (c)
• Gandikota, in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh, is a spectacular gorge often called the 'Grand Canyon of India', carved by the Pennar (Penna) river through red sandstone and granite of the Erramala hills — option (c).
• The 13th-century Gandikota fort of the Vijayanagara and Qutb Shahi periods stands on the gorge's rim.
• The Cauvery flows through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, the Manjira is a tributary of the Godavari in Telangana, and the Tungabhadra runs through Hampi — none forms Gandikota.
• The Pennar rises in the Nandi Hills of Karnataka and flows east to the Bay of Bengal at Nellore.
• Hence option (c).
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) Cauvery
- The Cauvery flows far to the south-west of Gandikota.
- (b) Manjira
- The Manjira is a Godavari tributary in Telangana.
- (d) Tungabhadra
- The Tungabhadra flows through Karnataka's Hampi region, not Kadapa.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2022, held on 5 June 2022. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.