India is the 7th largest country in the world and the 2nd most populous country in the world. With a total of 28 states and 8 Union Territories, it forms a union of states in India. India is a union of states and in the states, the Governor, as the representative of the President, is the head of the executive. In India, each state has an administrative, legislative and judicial capital some states all three functions are conducted in one capital. It is a territory that has its own Chief Minister. A state has its own separate government. Functions of the state are handled by the State Government such as security, healthcare, governance, revenue generation, etc.
As responsible citizens, we should know about the states and capitals of India. The states and capitals are very commonly asked as the General Awareness Questions in a number of competitive exams held all over the country.
There are a total of 28 states and 8 union territories in India at present. Each state of India has an administrative, legislative and judicial capital some state all three functions are conducted in one capital. Every state is ruled by a Chief Minister. Here we have covered the list of the Indian States, Union Territories, and their capitals. Out of all the states, three states i.e. Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Uttarakhand have different capitals for their summer and winter sessions of the legislature.
India according to the preamble of the Indian constitution is a sovereign, secular, socialist, democratic, republic country. India follows a democratic parliamentary system. There are 28 states and 8 Union territories in India. Union Territories are governed by the President of India. The President is the executive head of the country and the Governors are the executive heads of states. The state governments resemble the union government. The state governments are governed by Chief Ministers.
States formation in India:
The States Reorganization Act, formed in 1956 was a prime force in reorganizing the margins of Indian states along semantic lines. Later, as per a reformation in the Indian Constitution, three types of states, known as Part A states, Part B states, and Part C states, were changed to form a single type of state.
- Part A: States belong to former governors’ regions of British India.
- Part B: States belong to former royal states
- Part C: States involved both the former chief commissioner’s provinces and some princely states.
Although new changes have been introduced in the state boundaries since 1947, the Act is still regarded as an authoritative player in implementing the present shape and forms to the Indian states.
Here is the list of the Indian States and their capitals that every Indian must know:
States Name | Capital | Founded on | Official Languages |
Andhra Pradesh | Amaravati | 1 Nov. 1956 | Telugu |
Arunachal Pradesh | Itanagar | 20 Feb. 1987 | English |
Assam | Dispur | 26 Jan. 1950 | Assamese |
Bihar | Patna | 22 Mar. 1912 | Hindi |
Chhattisgarh | Raipur | 1 Nov. 2000 | Chhattisgarhi |
Goa | Panaji | 30 May. 1987 | Konkani |
Gujarat | Gandhinagar | 1 May. 1960 | Gujarati |
Haryana | Chandigarh | 1 Nov. 1966 | Hindi |
Himachal Pradesh | Shimla | 25 Jan. 1971 | Hindi |
Jharkhand | Ranchi | 15 Nov. 2000 | Hindi |
Karnataka | Bengaluru | 1 Nov. 1956 | Kannada |
Kerala | Thiruvananthapuram | 1 Nov. 1956 | Malayalam |
Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal | 1 Nov. 1956 | Hindi |
Maharashtra | Mumbai | 1 May. 1960 | Marathi |
Manipur | Imphal | 21 Jan. 1972 | Meiteilon (Manipuri) |
Meghalaya | Shillong | 21 Jan. 1972 | Garo, Khasi, Pnar & English |
Mizoram | Aizawl | 20 Feb. 1987 | Mizo |
Nagaland | Kohima | 1 Dec. 1963 | English |
Odisha | Bhubaneswar | 26 Jan. 1950 | Odia |
Punjab | Chandigarh | 1 Nov. 1966 | Punjabi |
Rajasthan | Jaipur | 1 Nov. 1956 | Hindi |
Sikkim | Gangtok | 16 May. 1975 | Nepali |
Tamil Nadu | Chennai | 26 Jan. 1950 | Tamil |
Telangana | Hyderabad | 2 Jun. 2014 | Telugu |
Tripura | Agartala | 21 Jan. 1972 | Bengali & Kokborok |
Uttar Pradesh | Lucknow | 26 Jan. 1950 | Hindi |
Uttarakhand | Dehradun | 9 Nov. 2000 | Hindi |
West Bengal | Kolkata | 1 Nov. 1956 | Bengali |
States and Capitals of India: History
India is a sovereign, secular, democratic, republic country with a parliamentary system of government. It is a land of rich cultural heritage and natural beauty. The states and Capitals of India are the basis of its linguistic, cultural, and geographical demarcation. After independence, it comprised 2 political units namely the British Provinces and the Princely States. The partition between India and Pakistan gave three options to the princely states:
- Joining India
- Joining Pakistan
- Remaining independent
Out of the 552 princely states situated within India, 549 joined India and the remaining 3 refused to join India. However, they also integrated later. The Constitution of India was adopted on 26 November 1949 and it was implemented on 26 January 1950. The boundaries of the states of India are reorganized on a linguistic basis by the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Ques1. What are the 29 States and Capital of India?
Ans. The 28 States in India are as follows: Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha (Orissa), Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
New Delhi is the Capital of India.
Ques2. What are the 28 states of India and their capitals?
Ans. The 28 states and their capitals are as follows:
● Andhra Pradesh – Amravati
● Arunachal Pradesh – Itanagar
● Assam – Dispur
● Bihar – Patna
● Chhattisgarh – Atal Nagar (Naya Raipur)
● Goa – Panaji
● Gujarat – Gandhinagar
● Haryana – Chandigarh
● Himachal Pradesh – Shimla/Dharamshala
● Jharkhand – Ranchi
● Karnataka – Bengaluru
● Kerala – Thiruvananthapuram
● Madhya Pradesh – Bhopal
● Maharashtra – Mumbai
● Manipur – Imphal
● Meghalaya – Shillong
● Mizoram – Aizawl
● Nagaland – Kohima
● Odisha (Orissa) – Bhubaneswar
● Punjab – Chandigarh
● Rajasthan – Jaipur
● Sikkim – Gangtok
● West Bengal- Kolkata
● Tamil Nadu – Chennai
● Telangana – Hyderabad
● Tripura – Agartala
● Uttar Pradesh – Lucknow
● Uttarakhand – Dehradun
Ques3. Is it 28 or 29 States in India?
Ans. India has 28 States in total.
Ques4. Which are the 28 states and 9 union territories?
Ans. The 28 states in India are as follows: Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha (Orissa), Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
The 9 union territories are:
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, Delhi and Puducherry.