Indian States and Union Territories

[Suryaprakash Ghanathe]

Indian States and Union Territories

India, a Union of States, is a Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic with a Parliamentary System of government. The Republic is governed in terms of the constitution, which was adopted by Constituent Assembly on 26 November 1949 and came into force on 26 January 1950. India comprises of 28 states and seven union territories.

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The States Reorganization Act of 1956 was a primary force in reorganizing the boundaries of India's states along linguistic lines, and bringing an amendment in the Indian Constitution whereby the three types of states, known as Parts A, B, and C states, were amended with a single type of state. Though additional changes have occurred in the state boundaries since 1947, the Act is still considered as an undisputed player in providing the present shapes and contours of the Indian states. In November 2000, India gained three new states - Chattisgarhwas carved out of Madhya Pradesh, Uttaranchal out of Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand Bihar .

The Constitution distributes legislative powers between the Parliament and state legislatures. The Parliament is bicameral - the lower house is known as the Lok Sabha (House of the People) and the upper house is known as the Rajya Sabha (Council of States). At state level some legislatures are bicameral and are run along the lines of the two houses of the national Parliament.

A land blessed in all terms be it topography, natural beauty, population, religion culture or language India is home to twenty eight states and seven union territories. The twenty eight states and the seven union territories are all unique in their own way. Having an extraordinary history and culture all the states and union territories in India never fail to charm its visitors with their unfolding mysteries and charisma.

State	Capital	Area	Population	Official Languages	LargestCities	Districts /Admin divisions	Population Density	Literacy Rate%	Urban Pop. %	Sex Ratio	Estb Year
Andhra Pradesh	Hyderabad	275,045 km2	84,655,533	Telugu	Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Guntur, Warangal	23	308 /km2	67.66	33.49	992	1956
Arunachal Pradesh	Itanagar	83,743 km2	1,382,611	English	Itanagar	17	17 /km2	66.95	22.67	920	1987
Assam	Dispur	78,438 km2	31,169,272	Assamese	Guwahati, Silchar, Dibrugarh, Nagaon	27	397 /km2	73.18	14.08	954	1975
Bihar	Patna	94,163 km2	103,804,637	Hindi	Patna, Gaya, Bhagalpur, Muzaffarpur, Biharsharif	38	1,102 /km2	63.82	11.30	916	1935
Chhattisgarh	Raipur	135,191 km2	25,540,196	Chhattisgarhi	Raipur, Bhilai Nagar, Korba, Bilaspur, Durg	27	189 /km2	71.04	23.24	991	2000
Goa	Panaji	3,702 km2	1,457,723	Konkani	Panaji	2	394 /km2	87.4	62.17	968	1961
Gujarat	Gandhinagar	196,024 km2	60,383,628	Gujarati	Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar	33	308 /km2	79.31	42.58	918	1960
Haryana	Chandigarh	44,212 km2	25,353,081	Haryanvi	Faridabad, Gurgaon, Rohtak, Hisar, Panipat	21	573 /km2	76.64	24.25	877	1966
Himachal Pradesh	Shimla	55,673 km2	6,856,509	Hindi	Shimla	12	123 /km2	83.78	10.04	974	1971
Jammu and Kashmir	Srinagar (summer), Jammu (winter)	222,236 km2	12,548,926	Urdu	Srinagar, Jammu, Anantnag	22	56 /km2	68.74	27.21	883	1948
Jharkhand	Ranchi	79,714 km2	32,966,238	Hindi	Dhanbad, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, Bokaro Steel, Mango	24	414 /km2	67.63	24.05	947	2000
Karnataka	Bengaluru	191,791 km2	61,130,704	Kannada	Bangalore, Hubli and Dharwad, Mysore, Gulbarga, Belgaum	30	319 /km2	75.6	38.57	968	1956
Kerala	Trivandrum	38,863 km2	33,387,677	Malayalam	Trivandrum, Kochi, Kozhikode, Kollam, Thrissur	14	859 /km2	93.91	47.72	1084	1956
Madhya Pradesh	Bhopal	308,245 km2	72,597,565	Hindi	Indore, Bhopal, Jabalpur, Gwalior, Ujjain	50	236 /km2	70.63	27.63	930	1956
Maharashtra	Mumbai	307,713 km2	112,372,972	Marathi	Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur, Thane, Pimpri and Chinchwad	35	365 /km2	82.91	45.23	946	1960
Manipur	Imphal	22,327 km2	2,721,756	Meiteilon (Manipuri)	Imphal	9	122 /km2	79.85	20.21	987	1947
Meghalaya	Shillong	22,429 km2	2,964,007	English	Shillong	11	132 /km2	75.48	20.08	986	1970
Mizoram	Aizawl	21,081 km2	1,091,014	Mizo	Aizawl	8	52 /km2	91.58	51.51	975	1972
Nagaland	Kohima	16,579 km2	1,980,602	English	Dimapur	11	119 /km2	80.11	28.97	931	1963
Odisha	Bhubaneswar	155,707 km2	41,947,358	Oriya	Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Brahmapur Town, Raurkela, Puri Town	30	269 /km2	73.45	16.68	978	1948
Punjab	Chandigarh	50,362 km2	27,704,236	Punjabi	Ludhiana, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Patiala, Bathinda	22	550 /km2	76.68	37.49	893	1966
Rajasthan	Jaipur	342,239 km2	68,621,012	Hindi	Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Bikaner, Ajmer	33	201 /km2	67.06	24.89	926	1948
Sikkim	Gangtok	7,096 km2	607,688	Nepali	Gangtok	4	86 /km2	82.2	24.97	889	1975
Tamil Nadu	Chennai	130,058 km2	72,138,958	Tamil	Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Salem	32	555 /km2	80.33	48.45	995	1969
Tripura	Agartala	10,486 km2	3,671,032	Bengali and Kokborok	Agartala	8	350 /km2	87.75	26.18	961	1956
Uttar Pradesh	Lucknow	240,928 km2	199,581,477	Hindi	Lucknow, Kanpur, Ghaziabad, Agra, Meerut	75	828 /km2	69.72	22.28	908	1937
Uttarakhand	Dehradun	53,483 km2	10,116,752	Hindi	Dehradun, Hardwar, Haldwani and Kathgodam, Rudrapur	13	189 /km2	79.63	30.55	963	2000
West Bengal	Kolkata	88,752 km2	91,347,736	Bengali	Kolkata, Haora, Durgapur, Asansol, Siliguri	19	1,029 /km2	77.08	31.89	947	1947
Union Territories	Capital	Area	Population	Official Languages	LargestCities	Districts /Admin divisions	Population Density	Literacy Rate%	Urban Pop. %	Sex Ratio	Estb Year
Andaman and Nicobar Islands	Port Blair	8,249 km2	379,944	English	Port Blair	3	46 /km2	86.27	35.67	878	1956
Chandigarh	Chandigarh	114 km2	1,054,686	Punjabi	Chandigarh	1	9,252 /km2	86.43	97.25	818	1966
Dadar and Nagar Haveli	Silvassa	491 km2	342,853	English	Silvassa	1	698 /km2	77.65	46.62	775	1944
Daman and Diu	Daman	112 km2	242,911	Konkani, Marathi and Gujarati	Daman	2	2,169 /km2	87.07	75.16	618	1987
Delhi	Delhi	11,297 km2	16,753,235	Hindi, Punjabi and Urdu	Delhi	9	11,297 /km2	86.34	97.50	866	1952
Lakshadweep	Kavaratti	32 km2	64,429	English	Kavaratti	1	2,013 /km2	92.28	78.08	946
Pondicherry	Pondicherry	479 km2	1,244,464	Tamil, English	Ozhukarai, Puducherry	4	2598 /km2	86.55	68.31	1038	1954

Below 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 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.