If you travel by road from Kohima to Kottayam, what is the minimum number of States within India through which you can travel, including the origin and the destination?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) 7
The shortest chain of neighbouring States from Kohima (Nagaland) to Kottayam (Kerala) has seven States: Nagaland, Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Each State in this chain shares a border with the next.
- ✓ (b) Nagaland borders Assam on the west, and Assam has a boundary with West Bengal. West Bengal has Odisha to its south, Andhra Pradesh lies south of Odisha, Tamil Nadu is on Andhra Pradesh's southern border, and Kerala is on Tamil Nadu's west. That is 7 States.
- ✗ (a) Six is not possible. Odisha does not touch Tamil Nadu, Karnataka or Kerala, so a route must pass through Andhra Pradesh and then one of Tamil Nadu or Karnataka before reaching Kerala.
- ✗ (c) Eight would come from a longer route, for example adding Jharkhand or going through both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. The question asks for the minimum.
Remember · Kohima to Kottayam by road, shortest State chain: Nagaland, Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu (or Karnataka), Kerala = 7.
Sources
- Nagaland, Know India (Government of India portal, Internet Archive copy) ↗ “It is bounded by Myanmar on the East, Arunachal Pradesh on the North, Assam on the West, and Manipur on the South.”
- Boundaries of Assam, Directorate of Border Protection and Development, Government of Assam ↗ “Assam-Manipur - 204.1 Km Assam-Mizoram - 164.6 Km Assam-Tripura - 46.3 Km Assam-Meghalaya - 884.9 Km Assam-West Bengal - 127.0 Km”
- West Bengal, Know India (Government of India portal, Internet Archive copy) ↗ “On the west are the States of Bihar and Jharkhand, while on the South lies Odisha and the Bay of Bengal washes its southern frontiers.”
- Andhra Pradesh, Know India (Government of India portal, 2016 Internet Archive copy) ↗ “Andhra Pradesh is bound on the north by Odisha and Chhattisgarh, on the west by Maharashtra and Karnataka, on the south by Tamil Nadu”
- Tamil Nadu, Know India (Government of India portal, Internet Archive copy) ↗ “Tamil Nadu is bounded on north by Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka on west by Kerala, on east by the Bay of Bengal and on South by the Indian Ocean.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2017, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). ·