India is a country with 28 states and 8 union territories. Each state has its own legislative capital where the legislative assembly is located. In this article, you will learn about the capital of Indian states and some interesting facts about them.
States are listed in alphabetical order
Capital of Indian states
Andhra Pradesh
Capital – Amaravati
- Located on the banks of Krishna River, Amaravati is just a few kilometers west of Vijayawada.
- Visakhapatnam is a large city on India’s east coast. It was declared on 31 January 2023 that the city will become the new state capital.
Arunachal Pradesh
Capital – Itanagar
- Itanagar was named after the Ita fort (fort made of bricks) located in the city.
- The average annual precipitation in Itanagar is quite high. There are more than 120 rainy days in a year in Itanagar.
Assam
Capital – Dispur
- Dispur is a locality within Guwahati city. The legislative assembly is located in Dispur.
Bihar
Capital – Patna
- Patna is one of the oldest cities in the world. Formerly known as Pataliputra, Patna was founded in 490 BCE.
Chhattisgarh
Capital – Raipur
- Raipur is famous for its premier educational institutions. The city is home to an IIM, an NIT, an NLU, an AIIMs, and an IIIT.
Goa
Capital – Panaji
- According to the 2011 census, Panaji had an average literacy rate of 90.98 %.
Gujarat
Capital – Gandhinagar
- The city of Gandhinagar is famous as a “green city”. The green cover in the city is over 50% of the land area.
Haryana
Capital – Chandigarh
- The city is the capital of both Haryana and Punjab. It is also a union territory.
Himachal Pradesh
Capital – Shimla (Summer capital), Dharamshala (Winter capital)
- In March 2017, Dharamshala was declared the second capital of Himachal Pradesh.
- Shimla is a famous tourist destination. The city is also the last station of the Kalka-Shimla railway line, a UNESCO world heritage site.
Jharkhand
Capital – Ranchi
- Ranchi is also known as the “city of waterfalls”. Dassam Falls, Hundru Falls, and Hirni Falls are some famous waterfalls in Ranchi.
Karnataka
Capital – Bengaluru
- Known as the “Silicon Valley of India“, Bengaluru is an important city in India. It is the third most populous city in India. The city enjoys a pleasant climate throughout the year.
Kerala
Capital – Thiruvananthapuram (old name Trivandrum)
- The Padmanabhaswamy temple, located in Thiruvananthapuram, is one of the richest religious structures in the world. It has treasures worth billions of dollars stored in its vaults.
Madhya Pradesh
Capital – Bhopal
- The infamous Bhopal Gas Tragedy which took place in December 1984 claimed the lives of thousands of people. The exact death toll is still unknown.
- Bhopal was ranked the 14th cleanest city in the 2021 Swachh Survekshan.
Maharashtra
Capital – Mumbai (Bombay)
- Mumbai is the financial capital of India. The city is also the home of Hindi and Marathi cinema.
Manipur
Capital – Imphal
- Interestingly, Imphal city’s area falls under both the Imphal East and Imphal West districts of Manipur.
Meghalaya
Capital – Shillong
- The British used to call Shillong the “Scotland of the East“.
- Like most of Meghalaya, Shillong also receives a lot of precipitation with more than 110 average rainy days in a year.
Mizoram
Capital – Aizawl
- According to the 2011 census, 93.63 % population of Aizawl is Christian.
Nagaland
Capital – Kohima
- Just like Aizawl, Kohima also has a majority Christian population.
Odisha
Capital – Bhubaneswar
- Known as the “temple city“, Bhubaneswar has many famous Hindu, Buddhist, and Jain temples.
- The literacy rate of Bhubaneshwar (91.87 %) is much higher than the national average literacy rate (74.04 ℅).
Punjab
Capital – Chandigarh
- The city is the capital of both Haryana and Punjab. It is also a union territory.
Rajasthan
Capital – Jaipur
- Known as the “pink city“, Jaipur is the 10th most populous city in India.
- Jaipur is a part of the Golden Triangle (Delhi, Agra, Jaipur), the foremost tourist circuit in India.
Sikkim
Capital – Gangtok
- Gangtok is a popular tourist destination. For a capital city, Gangtok has a very low population of only around 1 lakh.
- On clear days, the third-highest mountain in the world, the Kanchenjunga is easily visible from Gangtok.
Tamil Nadu
Capital – Chennai (Madras)
- Known as the “health capital” of India, Chennai is the sixth most populous city in India.
- Chennai is also referred to as “the Detroit of India” as the majority of the Indian automobile industry is based in Chennai.
Telangana
Capital – Hyderabad
- Hyderabad is the fourth most populous city in India. It is one of the fastest-growing IT cities in India.
Tripura
Capital – Agartala
- Bengali is the most spoken language in Agartala.
- Agartala is just a few kilometers from the eastern Indo-Bangladesh border.
Uttar Pradesh
Capital – Lucknow
- Located in the Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow is a major Indian city. The city is among the “happiest” Indian cities.
Uttarakhand
Capital – Dehradun (Winter capital), Gairsain (Summer capital)
- The city of Dehradun lies in the Doon valley with the famous hill station Mussoorie just 30 kilometers from the city center.
- Gairsain is announced as the summer capital of Uttarakhand. However, its infrastructure is still in a developmental phase.
West Bengal
Capital – Kolkata (Calcutta)
- Kolkata is known as the “cultural capital of India“. It was the capital of British India for a long time.
- Kolkata is the seventh most populous city in the country.
Capital of Indian states
| State | Capital |
| Andhra Pradesh | Amaravati |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Itanagar |
| Assam | Dispur |
| Bihar | Patna |
| Chhattisgarh | Raipur |
| Goa | Panaji |
| Gujarat | Gandhinagar |
| Haryana | Chandigarh |
| Himachal Pradesh | Shimla (Summer capital), Dharamshala (Winter capital) |
| Jharkhand | Ranchi |
| Karnataka | Bengaluru |
| Kerala | Thiruvananthapuram |
| Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal |
| Maharashtra | Mumbai |
| Manipur | Imphal |
| Meghalaya | Shillong |
| Mizoram | Aizawl |
| Nagaland | Kohima |
| Orissa | Bhubaneswar |
| Punjab | Chandigarh |
| Rajasthan | Jaipur |
| Sikkim | Gangtok |
| Tamil Nadu | Chennai |
| Telangana | Hyderabad |
| Tripura | Agartala |
| Uttar Pradesh | Lucknow |
| Uttarakhand | Dehradun (Winter capital), Gairsain (Summer capital) |
| West Bengal | Kolkata |
Quick question 1
Which is the largest state in terms of area?
Quick question 2
Which state has the most number of Lok Sabha seats?
Read more
- States and union territories of India – area rank, population rank, etc.
- Lok Sabha seats in India | State-wise composition | interesting facts
- Top 5 most populous cities of India
- Top 10 largest cities in India
Answer to quick questions
Answer 1
Rajasthan is the largest state in terms of area. Madhya Pradesh is the second largest state.
Answer 2
Uttar Pradesh has the most number of Lok Sabha seats, 80.