Indian States and Union Territories

India is a union of a number of states and union territories.  It is a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic with Parliamentary System of Government.  The Indian Republic is governed in terms of the constitution, which was adopted on 26th November, 1949 and came into force on 26th January, 1950.   At present as on today, India has 28 States and 7 Union Territories.


The States Reorganization Act of 1956 was an important force in reorganizing the boundaries of various States of India along linguistic lines, and bringing an amendment in Indian Constitution where by 3 types of states, known as Parts A, B and C states were amended with single type of state.   

3 new states were formed in November, 2000 - Chattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh.  Uttaranchal was carved out from Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand out of Bihar.  The Indian Constitution distributes the legislative powers between the Parliament and State legislatures.  The Indian Parliament comprises of two houses - lower house is known as Lok Sabha ( House of People ) and the upper house is called as Rajya Sabha ( Council of States ).  At State level, some legislatures are bicameral and are run along the lines of the two houses of national Parliament.

India blessed with natural beauty, population, religions, cultures, languages has 28 states and seven union territories.   Each state and union territory is unique in its own way.   Here is a list of all Indian States and Union Territories as on today listed along with capital cities.

States of India

• Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad
• Arunachal Pradesh - Itanagar
• Assam - Dispur
• Bihar - patna
• Chattisgarh - Raipur
• Goa - panaji
• Gujarat - Gandhi Nagar
• Haryana - Chandigarh
• HImachal Pradesh - Shimla
• Jammu & Kashmir - Sri Nagar (Summer),  Jammu (Winter)
• Jharkhand - Ranchi
• Karnataka - Bengaluru
• Kerala - Trivandrum
• Madhya Pradesh - Bhopal
• Maharashtra - Mumbai
• Manipur - Imphal
• Meghalaya - Shillong
• Mizoram - Aizawl
• Nagaland - Kohima
• Odisha - Bhubaneshwar
• Punjab - Chandigarh
• Rajasthan - Jaipur
• Sikkim - Gangtok
• Tamil Nadu - Chennai
• Tripura - Agartala
• Uttar Pradesh - Lucknow
• Uttar Khand - Dehradun
• West Bengal - Kolkata

Union Territories of India

• Andaman & Nicobar islands - Port Blair
• Chandigarh - Chandigarh
• Dadar Nagar haveli - Silvassa
• Daman and Diu - Daman
• Delhi - Delhi
• Lakshadweep - Kavaratti
• Pondicherry - Pondicherry

Here is a  brief about some of the popular states and Union Territories of India.

Goa

Situated in the Malabar Coast of India Goa is the best beach resort in India. Populated with a mix of Christians and Hindu's Goa's culture is unique in its own kind. Known as the most happening states in India Goa is home to fun loving and easy going people. The major attraction in the state is its long stretches of pristine beaches. Some of the important beaches in Goa are; Colva, Vagator, Calangute, Harmal, Anjuna and Miramar and Baga.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Popular as the Emerald Isles the Andaman and Nicobar islands situated in the Bay of Bengal.  It is  one of the popular tourist's destinations in India. The union territory is home to numerous aboriginal tribes and two distinct native cultures the Negrito and the Andamans. Known to be a friendly and cheerful lot of people the population of Andaman and Nicobar islands enjoy festivities such as Panguni, Pongal, Shivratri, Uthiram, Janmastami etc. Some of the popular tourist spots in the union territory include National Memorial, Marine Museum, Naval Marine Museum, Smrithika Museum, Haddo Zoological Garden.

Andhra Pradesh

Located in the southern region of India, Andhra Pradesh happens to be the third largest state in the country. Reputed for its distinct culture and fine arts Andhra Pradesh is mostly dominated by Telugu speaking people. The important festivals celebrated in the state are Dasara, Deepavali, Sri Ramanavami, Vinayaka Sankranti and Chavithi. The places which are a definite must see in the state include Nehru Zoological Park, Hussain Sagar Lake, State Museum and Art gallery, Salarjung Museum, Ethurnagaram sanctuaries etc.

 Arunachal Pradesh

Ranked as the most charming state in India Arunachal Pradesh is characterized by lofty mountains and snow clad peaks. Home to numerous tribes and sub tribes the population of Arunachal Pradesh consists mostly of people of Asiatic origin. The one thing that is unique about the state is its belief in animism. Beautiful as it is the state is home to several popular tourist hubs like Sinyi Bomdila, Tawang and Gyaker.

Assam (Asom)

Situated in northeastern India Assam abounds in natural beauty. The population of Assam is said to be a mix of people of Tibetan, Aryan, and Burman origins. The population of Assam is made up of numerous tribes who believe in celebrating all the religious festivals with equal vigor. However the one festival that is most popular in Assam is Bihu. Assam over the years has also developed into an important tourist destination with attractions such as Gandhi Mandap, Kamakhya Temple, Umananda, Nabagraha (Temple of nine planets), State Zoo, State Museum etc.

Dadra & Nagar Haveli

Lying in close proximity to the west coast of India Dadra & Nagar Haveli is home to a mass of shy and simple Adivasis. Evolving as an important hub for tourist this union territory houses numerous tourist attractions like The Tribal Cultural Museum, Khanvel, The Vanganga Lake and Island Garden.

Bihar

Situated in Eastern India, Bihar boasts of a rich cultural heritage that dates back to ancient India. The people of Bihar are lively and co exists in peace and harmony. The locals are known as Bihari's and festivals celebrated in the state include Buddha Purnima, Saraswati Puja, Eid-ul-Fitr, Holi, Rath yatra, Maha Shivaratri and Mahavir Jayanti.

Apart from these the other states and union territories in India are Chhattisgarh , Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Chandigarh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu ,Tripura , Uttarakhand , Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Uttaranchal is the latest introduction to the Indian states list and is foreseen as a booming industrial region in the next few decades.

States like Manipur, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland are known for their distinct culture which is very different from the rest of the country. The popular festivals celebrated in these regions include; Sekrenyi, Moatsu, Tuluni in Nagalanad, Ka Pomblang Nongkrem in Meghalaya, Chapchar Kut and Pawl Kut in Mizoram. Sikkim celebrates most of the Hindu and Buddhist festivals that are celebrated across the country and Ingol Chakouba and Yaoshang in Manipur.

Chandigarh, Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana situated in the northern part of India are known for their natural beauty and serve as ideal tourist destinations in the country. Janmastami, Idul Fitr, Lohri and Diwali are the common festivals celebrated with much enthusiasm in these parts of the country.

The southern part of India comprising Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu is of prime importance from the tourism point of view as these places attract millions of tourists from different parts of the globe.

Other important Indian states that have still manage to preserve the cultural heritage of the country include; Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, West Bengal Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra, Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh.

United Andhra Pradesh - the first linguistic state of India

Andhra Pradesh is one of the state of the country, which takes pride in its rich historical and cultural heritage. A peek into the History of Andhra Pradesh can give an idea of the glorious past the state has witnessed. 

Andhra Pradesh is the first State formed based on linguistic basis.  Let us see a brief history of Andhra Pradesh.

The origin of Andhra Pradesh

 The historians believe that the Andhra Pradesh people were Aryans.  These people migrated to the south of Vindhyas and they mixed up with other races.  Andhra Pradesh which was a major part of Emperor of Ashoka's kingdom was an important Buddhist center of that time. Many places of the state still bears the traces of the Buddhist culture and influence.

The earlier period

One of the earliest dynasty which ruled Andhra Pradesh is the Satavahana dynasty.  This was during the second century B.C and they were also known as Andhras.  The capital city at that time was Amaravathi which was on the banks of river Krishna. They promoted national and international trade and were great followers of Buddhism. After the end of the Satavahana reign, the state was ruled by the Pallavas, the Chalukyas, the Cholas and the Kakaityas respectively. 

The Kakatiya dynasty was uprooted in 1323.  Their ruler was captured by Tughlak Sultan of Delhi.  After the end of Kakatiya dynasty, some local kingdoms rose to power in different parts of the kingdom.  One of those was the Vijayanagar Kingdom was the most powerful.  King Krishnadeva Raya belonged to this kingdom.  The Vijayanagar kingdom was finally captured by Mulsim invaders.    The Qutb Shahi dynasty was seen by the state in middle of 16th century.  They were defeated by the Mughals, to be precise by Aurangazeb's son.  

Hyderabad was declared independent in 1707 and went under the rule of the Nizams.  The Nizams were great allies of the British and they helped the Europeans to defeat Tipu Sultan of Mysore.


The post independence period

Andhra Pradesh became the first state to be formed on basis of language after independence. 21 districts were given to Telugu speaking people out of which nine were in the Nizam's dominions and the rest are in Madras Presidency.  But after an agitation in 1953, 11 districts of the Madras presidency were taken out to form a new Andhra State with Kurnool as the capital. Nine districts under the Nizam rule were later added to form the combined Andhra Pradesh in 1956.  Hyderabad became the capital of the new Andhra Pradesh State.  Hyderabad was one of the most technologically advanced cities of modern India.