India, a union of 29 Indian states, is a sovereign, secular, democratic, republic with a parliamentary system of government. The President is the constitutional head of Executive of the Union.

In the states, the Governor, as the representative of the President, is the head of Executive.

The system of government in states closely resembles that of the Union.

Let’s take a look at the states and their capitals:

Andhra Pradesh – Amravati

• Hyderabad, once the capital of Andhra Pradesh, has been succeed by Amravati, acclaimed as the “People’s Capital.” The symbolic commencement of this transformative endeavor occurred on October 22, 2015, with the laying of the foundation stone.
• A noteworthy feature of Amravati is its Buddhist Stupa, a monumental structure claiming the title of the country’s largest stupa. Its dimensions are awe-inspiring, boasting a diameter of 50 meters and a towering height of 27 meters.
• In a thoughtful nod to Amravati’s ancient Buddhist heritage, the developers have envisioned the High Court to mirror the design of the iconic Buddhist Stupa. This deliberate architectural choice aims to pay homage to the city’s rich cultural roots.
• A comprehensive timeline for this monumental project unfolds, indicating that the capital of Andhra Pradesh. Will achieve full functionality only by 2024, marking the conclusion of its second phase. At this juncture, various key components, including buildings. Commercial establishments, universities, and the central business district, are anticipat to become operational. The third and final phase is slat for completion by 2029. Solidifying Amravati’s status as a fully realized and flourishing capital.

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Arunachal Pradesh – Itanagar

• Itanagar has been the capital of Arunachal Pradesh since April 20, 1974
• Arunachal Pradesh is India’s largest state in the Northeast.

Assam – Dispur

• Initially, Shillong was the capital of Assam but got replaced by Dispur in 1972
• Dispur is a locality or suburb in Guwahati city that is why Guwahati is often referr to as the capital city of Assam.

Bihar – Patna

• Patna, the largest city in the state of Bihar, stands as the 19th most populous city in the country and holds the distinction of being the fifth fastest-growing urban center. Its prominence is further accentuated by its unique geographical feature, situated amidst several significant rivers, including the Sone, Gandak, and Punpun. Consequently, Patna is recognized as the largest riverine city in the world.
• The historical narrative of Patna is enriched by its role as the capital of the British province of Orissa and Bihar from 1912 until 1935 when Orissa gained independent statehood. This period marked a significant chapter in the city’s evolution and its administrative importance during the colonial era.
• Noteworthy chapters in India’s struggle for independence have strong ties to Patna, as it served as the epicenter for some of Mahatma Gandhi’s most influential Satyagraha movements. The Champaran movement, which aimed to address the issues surrounding the Indigo plantation, and the pivotal 1942 Quit India Movement both originated from this city. Patna thus stands as a historical and cultural hub, playing a pivotal role in shaping the narrative of India’s past and present.

Chhattisgarh – Atal Nagar

• Chhattisgarh’s new capital Naya Raipur will be renamed as Atal Nagar in memory of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee
• The announcement was made by Chhattisgarh’s chief minister, Raman Singh, on August 21, 2018
• Raipur was the former capital of Chhattisgarh. The town of Raipur has been in existence since the 9th century.

Goa – Panaji

• Panaji is also known as Panjim in English, Ponnji in Konkani, and Pongim in Portuguese
• After Independence, Indian Army attacked Goa including Panaji and uprooted the Portuguese controls in 1961. Thereafter, Goa was merged with India as a Union Territory
• It was declared as a state of India in 1987 along with Panaji as the capital of Goa

Gujarat – Gandhinagar

• In 1960, the Indian state of Bombay was split into two states, Maharashtra and Gujarat. The city of Mumbai was given to Maharashtra, leaving Gujarat without a capital city
• At that time, Ahmedabad was selected to be the first capital of the newly created state
• It was later proposed that a new capital city should be constructed for the state along the lines of the other two planned cities of India, Chandigarh, and Bhubaneshwar
• Gandhinagar got its name from the Father of the Nation.

Haryana – Chandigarh

• Chandigarh derives its name from the temple of ‘Chandi Mandir’ located in the vicinity of the site selected for the city. The deity ‘Chandi’, the goddess of power and a fort of ‘garh’ lying beyond the temple gave the city its name ‘stronghold of the goddess Chandi
• With the partition of India in 1947, the old British province of Punjab was divided into two parts. The larger western part, including the Punjabi capital of Lahore, became a part of Pakistan
• The eastern part was granted to India, but it was without an administrative, commercial, or cultural centre
• Plans to find a suitable site for the capital of the new Indian Punjab were undertaken soon after the partition
• The Indian government after considering several options selected Chandigarh as the capital in 1948.

Himachal Pradesh – Shimla/Dharamshala

• Jammu and Kashmir no longer stands as the sole state with dual capitals. In 2017, Dharamsala was officially designated as the winter capital of Himachal Pradesh (HP), thereby establishing a dual capital status alongside Shimla.
• This development signifies that the state now acknowledges both Shimla and Dharamshala as integral administrative centers, with each playing a distinct role during different seasons. Shimla retains its status as the primary capital, while Dharamshala assumes the role of the winter capital, emphasizing the geographical and climatic diversity of Himachal Pradesh.
• Beyond its administrative significance, Dharamshala holds cultural and spiritual importance as the hometown of the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama. This dual capital arrangement not only reflects the state’s strategic approach to governance but also highlights the cultural richness embedded in its administrative landscape.

Jammu and Kashmir – Srinagar/Jammu

• Jammu and Kashmir was the only state having two capital cities until 2017. In Jammu and Kashmir, every year there is a shift of the secretariat and all other government offices from Srinagar to Jammu and vice versa
• This bi-annual shift is know as Darbar move. From May to October, all the government offices are hous in Srinagar which is the summer capital of the state and from November to April, the offices are hous in Jammu which is the winter capital of the state
• The Jammu and Kashmir High Court also move from Srinagar to Jammu in winters and from Jammu to Srinagar in summers.

Jharkhand – Ranchi

• Jharkhand is one of the richest mineral zones in the world and boasts of 40 per cent and 29 per cent of India’s mineral and coal reserves respectively
• Jharkhand is the only state in India to produce coking coal, uranium and pyrite.

Karnataka – Bengaluru

• Bangalore, officially know as Bengaluru, is the capital of south Indian state, Karnataka. After India’s independence in 1947. Bengaluru became the capital of Mysore State and remain its capital till the new Indian state of Karnataka was form in 1956.
• Bengaluru is also know as the ‘Silicon Valley of India’ because of its role as the nation’s leading information technology (IT) exporter
• Indian technological organizations, such as ISRO, Infosys and Wipro are headquarter in the city.

Kerala – Thiruvananthapuram

• Thiruvananthapuram, formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of Kerala state
• This clean city is built on seven hills, call as Thiru-Anantha-Puram, meaning ‘the town of Lord Anantha’.

Madhya Pradesh – Bhopal

• Bhopal was found by King Bhoja in the 11th century. The city was thus name ‘Bhoj-pal’ and later came to be know as Bhopal
• Bhopal is also know as the ‘city of lakes’ for its various natural as well as artificial lakes. Bhopal lake, known as the upper lake is the oldest man-made lake in India.

Maharashtra – Mumbai

• Mumbai was formerly know as Bombay till 1995. Mumbai is the financial, commercial and entertainment capital of India
• It is also one of the world’s top ten centres of commerce in terms of global financial flow, generating 6.16 per cent of India’s GDP.

Manipur – Imphal

• Ima Keithal market in Imphal is probably the world only all-women run marketplace. In Manipuri, Ima means mother and Keithal means market, so it is know as ‘Mothers market’
• Only married women are allow to trade and run the stalls in this multi-ethnic 500-year-old marketplace, a privilege that is pass on from one generation of Manipuri women to the another.

Meghalaya – Shillong

• Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya, is the only hill station that is accessible from all sides. In 1874, it became the capital of composite Assam under British rule
• In 1972, after the formation of Meghalaya as an independent state, Shillong became its capital

Mizoram – Aizawl

• Aizawl is the political and cultural centre of Mizoram. It is here that the State Legislature is situat.
• It is also the commercial hub of the state and all commercial and economic activities are center around the city.

Nagaland – Kohima

• Kohima is the land of the Angami Naga tribe
• The name, Kohima, was officially give by the British as they could not pronounce. The Angami name Kewhima or Kewhira, which comes from the Kewhi flower, which are found all around in the mountains
• Earlier, Kohima was also know as Thigoma.

Odisha (Orissa) – Bhubaneswar

• In 1948, Bhubaneswar replaced Cuttack as the capital of Odisha
• It is also popularly know as the ‘temple city of India’.

Punjab – Chandigarh

• Chandigarh as a Union Territory was constitut on November 1, 1966. When the Indian Punjab was reorganis along linguistic lines into two new states- Haryana and Punjab
• Straddl between Haryana and Punjab, the city of Chandigarh. Was made the shar capital of the two state and of the Union Territory itself.

Rajasthan – Jaipur

• Jaipur, widely recognized as the ‘Pink City of Rajasthan,’ derives its distinctive epithet from the characteristic pink hue that graces its buildings. This unique architectural feature has become emblematic of the city’s identity.
• Construct in the 18th century under the visionary guidance of Raja Sawai Jai Singh II. Jaipur holds the distinction of being India’s inaugural plann city. The meticulous planning and execution of its layout set a precedent for urban design in the country, showcasing the ruler’s forward-thinking approach.
• The prevalence of the pink color scheme throughout Jaipur’s architecture is not merely a cosmetic choice but a deliberate and meaningful aspect of its aesthetic. This vibrant cityscape stands as a testament to the thoughtful urban planning of its time, offering a harmonious blend of history, culture, and architectural innovation. Today, Jaipur’s pink buildings serve as a visual narrative, echoing the legacy of its founder and the city’s role in shaping the architectural landscape of India.

Sikkim – Gangtok

• The name Gangtok is deriv from a Tibetan word, which means ‘hilltop’ or ‘top of the hill’
• With the presence of several monasteries, centres for tibetology and religious educational institutions. Gangtok is a famous centre of Tibetan Buddhist culture.

Tamil Nadu – Chennai

• Chennai, formerly known as Madras Patnam, is 380 years old. From a stretch of no man’s land in 1639. It has grown to become a major industrial, business and cultural centre
• Chennai Corporation initially call as Madras municipal corporation is the oldest Municipal Corporation in India establish in 1688.

Telangana – Hyderabad

• Telangana was constitut as the 29th state of India on June 2, 2014
• Hyderabad was the joint capital of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh until 2015
• Now, Hyderabad is only the capital of Telangana.

Tripura – Agartala

• Agartala is a component of two words — namely Agar, a kind of oily valuable perfume tree and tala, a storehouse
• The percentage of literacy in Agartala, according to 2011 census, was 93.88, higher than the national literacy rate.

Uttar Pradesh – Lucknow

• Lucknow is popularly know as ‘The City of Nawabs’. It is also know as the Golden City of the East, Shiraz-i-Hind and the Constantinople of India
• Lucknow was the epicenter of the 1857 War of Independence.

Uttarakhand – Dehradun

• Dehradun is mention in the Ramayana and Mahabharata in the ancient puranic stories making it one of the oldest cities of India
• Dehradun is also call as the Abode of Guru Drona
• The Central Braille Press in Dehradun is the largest producer of Braille textbooks in India.

West Bengal – Kolkata

• Until 1911, Kolkata was the capital of India due to its trade importance during the British Rule in India. Later, Delhi was made the capital of India
• In 2001 the city’s name was officially chang from Calcutta to Kolkata. A legacy of the Raj, Kolkata is one of the fewest cities in the world to have retained the tradition of Tram
• Though these are slowly rumbling into history, but Trams continue to fascinate many, including travelers from other cities
• Birla Planetarium in Kolkata is the largest planetarium in Asia and second largest in the world. Kolkata is the only city to have hand-pulled rickshaws in India

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Conclusion

India is a diverse nation, embodying the principles of sovereignty, secularism, democracy, and republicanism. Governed by a parliamentary system, the President oversees the Union’s Executive, while Governors serve as presidential representatives in the states. The varied state capitals, each with its unique history and cultural significance, contribute to India’s rich tapestry. Reflecting the nation’s unity in diversity. From the bustling metropolis of Mumbai to the serene landscapes of Shimla. These capitals stand as symbols of administrative prowess, cultural heritage, and historical importance within the democratic framework of the country.