Which Indian city, among the following options, is located directly on the banks of the river Yamuna?

Introduction / Context:
Many Indian geography questions test your knowledge of important river side cities because these locations are crucial for history, culture, trade, and tourism. The river Yamuna is one of the major tributaries of the Ganga and passes through several well known towns and cities in north India. Knowing which city lies on which river helps you quickly answer map based and factual questions in competitive exams.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The focus is on the river Yamuna, an important northern Indian river.
• We are given four famous cities: Varanasi, Lucknow, Patna, and Agra.
• Only one of these cities is located directly on the banks of the Yamuna.
• The others are associated with different rivers of the Ganga system.

Concept / Approach:
To solve this question, you should recall the basic river city associations for major north Indian cities. Varanasi and Patna are classic Ganga river cities, while Lucknow is on the Gomti River. Agra, on the other hand, is historically and geographically linked with the Yamuna, and many famous monuments such as the Taj Mahal are built close to its banks. By matching each city with its correct river, we can logically eliminate the wrong choices and identify the correct one.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that Varanasi (Kashi) is situated on the banks of the river Ganga in Uttar Pradesh. Step 2: Remember that Patna, the capital of Bihar, is also located on the Ganga, further downstream to the east. Step 3: Know that Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, lies on the banks of the river Gomti, a tributary of the Ganga, not on the Yamuna. Step 4: Agra, in Uttar Pradesh, is historically renowned for the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, and other Mughal monuments built near the river Yamuna. Step 5: Since Agra is the only city among the options located directly on the Yamuna, it must be the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this association through school maps, atlases, or history textbooks. Photographs of the Taj Mahal clearly show the Yamuna flowing behind the monument. In contrast, images and maps of Varanasi, Patna, and Lucknow consistently show them along the Ganga or Gomti. Standard exam preparation books on Indian geography also list Agra as a Yamuna side city, confirming our reasoning.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Varanasi: Located on the river Ganga, not on the Yamuna, and is famous as a major Hindu pilgrimage centre on the Ganga ghats. Lucknow: Situated on the river Gomti, an important tributary of the Ganga, and not on the Yamuna. Patna: Capital of Bihar, lying on the southern bank of the Ganga River, again not associated with the Yamuna.

Common Pitfalls:
Candidates sometimes confuse the river locations of north Indian cities because many of them are on the Ganga or its tributaries. Another common mistake is to choose a city purely based on its fame rather than recalling the exact river. To avoid such confusion, it is helpful to memorise a small list of “city and river pairs,” such as Delhi and Yamuna, Agra and Yamuna, Varanasi and Ganga, Lucknow and Gomti, and Patna and Ganga. Understanding these pairs will make river based MCQs much easier.

Final Answer:
Among the given options, the city located on the banks of the river Yamuna is Agra.