List of 28 Indian States, Union Terrirories and Capitals

Check out the information about the Indian states, union territories, and their capitals in this article.

As per the United Nations population projections for 2023, India recently surpasses China and became the most populous country in the world with over 1.429 billion people. India is also the largest democratic country and is located in the Southern Asia region.

Being the largest populous and the largest democratic country, it is not feasible to manage the entire country from a single location by a single governing body. Therefore, the Indian constitution grants the government the power to divide the country into smaller administrative units, which are managed by separate governing bodies at a smaller scale.

By using constitutional power Indian government announces new states and territories from time to time. Indian Parliament can take some below-mentioned decisions if there is any need.

• Announcement of new states.
• Diminish the area of any State.
• Change the name of any State:
• Announcement of new union territories.
• alter the boundaries of any State.
• Make a separate territory from any current Indian state.
• Separating territory by merging two or more states/ union territories.

List of 28 Indian States and Union Territories

As of 2023, India consists of 28 states and 8 union territories. It’s important to note that prior to October 31, 2019, there were 29 states and 7 union territories in India. However, on 31 October 2019, Jammu and Kashmir state has been re-constituted as two separate Union Territories ‘Jammu and Kashmir’ and ‘Ladakh’.

The Parliament of India passes the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, on 5,6 August 2019 and re-constituted the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir as two union territories, ‘Jammu and Kashmir’ and ‘Ladakh’, with effect from 31 October 2019. Currently, India has 8 Union Territories.

List of 28 States and their Capitals of India

Please find below the list of Indian States.

Check all state’s capitals and date of establishment

Below is a comprehensive list of the 28 Indian states, their capitals, and the dates of their establishment:

1. Andhra Pradesh – Capital: Amaravati – Date of establishment: October 22, 2015
2. Arunachal Pradesh – Capital: Itanagar – Date of establishment: February 20, 1987
3. Assam – Capital: Dispur – Date of establishment: 1973
4. Bihar – Capital: Patna – Date of establishment: January 26, 1950
5. Chhattisgarh – Capital: Raipur – Date of establishment: November 1, 2000
6. Goa – Capital: Porvorim – Date of establishment: May 30, 1987
7. Gujarat – Capital: Gandhinagar – Date of establishment: 1970
8. Haryana – Capital: Chandigarh – Date of establishment: November 1, 1966
9. Himachal Pradesh – Capital: Shimla – Date of establishment: January 25, 1971
10. Jharkhand – Capital: Ranchi – Date of establishment: November 15, 2000
11. Karnataka – Capital: Bangalore – Date of establishment: November 1, 1956
12. Kerala – Capital: Thiruvananthapuram – Date of establishment: November 1, 1956
13. Madhya Pradesh – Capital: Bhopal – Date of establishment: November 1, 1956
14. Maharashtra – Capital: Mumbai – Date of establishment: May 1, 1960
15. Manipur – Capital: Imphal – Date of establishment: January 21, 1972
16. Meghalaya – Capital: Shillong – Date of establishment: January 21, 1972
17. Mizoram – Capital: Aizawl – Date of establishment: February 20, 1987
18. Nagaland – Capital: Kohima – Date of establishment: December 1, 1963
19. Odisha – Capital: Bhubaneswar – Date of establishment: January 26, 1950
20. Punjab – Capital: Chandigarh – Date of establishment: November 1, 1966
21. Rajasthan – Capital: Jaipur – Date of establishment: November 1, 1950
22. Sikkim – Capital: Gangtok – Date of establishment: May 16, 1975
23. Tamil Nadu – Capital: Chennai – Date of establishment: January 26, 1956
24. Telangana – Capital: Hyderabad – Date of establishment: June 2, 2014
25. Tripura – Capital: Agartala – Date of establishment: January 21, 1972
26. Uttar Pradesh – Capital: Lucknow – Date of establishment: January 26, 1950
27. Uttarakhand – Capital: Gairsain (Summer), Dehradun (Winter) – Date of establishment: November 9, 2000
28. West Bengal – Capital: Kolkata – Date of establishment: November 1, 1950

List of 8 Indian Union Territories and Capitals

Currently, there are 8 Union Territories in India.

Union Territories are administered by the President through an Administrator appointed by him/her. From the largest to the smallest, each State/UT of India has a unique demography, history, culture, dress, festivals, language, etc.

Please find below the list of Union Territories and their Capitals in India.

1. Andaman and Nicobar Islands – Capital: Port Blair – Founded on: November 1, 1956
2. Chandigarh – Capital: Chandigarh – Founded on: November 1, 1966
3. Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu – Capital: Daman – Founded on: January 26, 2020
4. Delhi – Capital: New Delhi – Founded on: February 13, 1931
5. Jammu and Kashmir – Capital: Srinagar (Summer), Jammu (Winter) – Founded on: October 31, 2019
6. Lakshadweep – Capital: Kavaratti – Founded on: November 1, 1956
7. Puducherry – Capital: Pondicherry – Founded on: November 1, 1954
8. Ladakh – Capital: Leh – Founded on: October 31, 2019

Each state and union territory in India differentiates each other in terms of its own unique demographics, history, culture, dress, festivals, languages, and more, and also contributes to the rich diversity of the nation.

All 28 states and 8 Union Territories in India contribute to the rich diversity of the nation and also preserve and promote this cultural tapestry.

References:

1. The Constitution of India Part I, National Portal of India, Accessed on: Sep 9, 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.india.gov.in/sites/upload_files/npi/files/coi_part_full.pdf.
2. The Constitution of India – First Schedule, National Portal of India, Accessed on: Sep 9, 2020. [Online]. Available: www.india.gov.in/sites/upload_files/npi/files/coi-eng-schedules_1-12.pdf.
3. States and Union Territories, Know India, Accessed on: Sep 9, 2020. [Online]. Available: knowindia.gov.in/states-uts/.