The 1st day of November is very important in India’s mapping history as 8 states & 3 Union Territories of India were formed on this day. Yes, not one, not two, but 7 states were formed on this day. Hence, this day marks very importantly in Indian geographical history.

1st November marks as the foundation day of eight Indian states & 3 Union territories of the country. Although there were not found in the same year but were found in different years on this day.

The name of the states are:

1. Andhra Pradesh State (1956): 

Andhra was created in India in 1953, from the Telugu-speaking northern districts of Madras State. The state was made up of two distinct cultural regions viz Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra. Although the Andhra was created in 1953 it hadn’t included a few Telugu speaking regions in from the then Hyderabad State.

However, after state reorganisation act 1956, Andhra Pradesh became the first state in India under the State reorganisation act in 1956. Recently, the state got further divided to form a new state Telangana on 2nd June 2014 On 2 June 2014. Telangana was separated from the northwestern part of Andhra Pradesh to form a separate state. The prime language of both states is Telugu.

2. Karnataka State (1956)

The state of Karnataka was formed on 1st November 1956, after the States Reorganisation Act came into force. Originally the state was known as the State of ‘Mysore. Later in the year 1973, it was renamed as Karnataka. The prime language of the region is ‘Kannada’.

3. Kerala State (1956)

The Indian state of Kerela is yet another state which was found on 1st November 1956 along with several other states. This state was also formed through the provisions of the States Reorganisation Act of 1956. The state was formed after combining Malayalam-speaking regions, hence the prime language of the region is also Malayali.

4. Madhya Pradesh State (1956)

Madhya Pradesh, the second largest state of India and was founded on November 1, 1956, through the State re-organisation Act. Formerly, it was the largest state of the country, until the state got further divided in the year 2000 to create the state of Chattisgarh. The region covered by the modern-day Madhya Pradesh covers the area of the ancient Avanti Mahajanapada, which had Ujjain (also known as Avantika) as its capital city.

5. Punjab State (1956)

Modern-Day Punjab formerly included Haryana in itself. It was also formed on 1st November 1956 after the State reorganization Act came into force. The Punjabi Suba movement was one of the key events which played a significant role in the formation of Punjab as a state in 1956. The movement which began in erstwhile East Punjab in the 1950s resulted in the formation of the Punjabi/Sikh-majority state Punjab state including a major region of Haryanvi-Hindi speaking region (modern-day Haryana) & Chandigarh (modern-day Chandigarh Union Territory).

6. Rajasthan State (1956)

Known as the “Land of the Kings”, modern-day Rajasthan was formed by Britishers on 30th March 1949, when Rajputana (the name adopted by the British Raj for its dependencies in the region) was merged into the Dominion of India. However, the region got the status of an Indian state on 1st November when India’s state re-organisation act came into force. It is the largest Indian State.

7. Haryana State (1966)

Merely 10 years after the formation of Punjab State, the state got re-divided to form a new state of Haryana, which comprised majorly of Haryanvi& Hindi speaking population. The state was created on 1st November 1966 based on differences in linguistic & cultural cum religious grounds.

8. Chhattisgarh State (2000)

Formerly forming the part of the largest state of India, Madhya Pradesh, the state of Chattisgarh was formed on 1st November 2000 by partitioning ten Chhattisgarhi and six Gondi speaking southeastern districts of Madhya Pradesh.

The name of the union territories formed on this day are:

1. Andaman and Nicobar Islands UT (1956).

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands, are a Union territory of India and encompasses 572 small and large islands. Out of which 37 are inhabited and rest aren’t. The group of islands is at the juncture of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. Andaman & Nicobar is around 150 km to the north of Aceh, Indonesia and is separated from Thailand and Myanmar by the Andaman Sea. The group of islands comprises two island groups viz, the Andaman Islands (partly) and the Nicobar Islands.

2. Lakshadweep UT (1956/1973).

Modern-day Lakshadweep islands were formerly known as the Laccadive, Minicoy, and Aminidivi Islands. It is a group of islands in the Laccadive Sea. After the enforcement of State Reorganisation Act in 19656, on 1 November 1956, the Lakshadweep islands were separated from Madras and got organized into a separate union territory for administrative purposes. In 1956, the newly organized territory was called Laccadive, Minicoy, and Amindivi Islands. However, in 1973 on 1st November only, the name ‘Lakshadweep’ was adopted.

3. Chandigarh UT (1966).

Chandigarh is a city and a union territory of India which serves as the capital city of the two neighbouring states of India i.e. Punjab and Haryana. The city is unique as it is not a part of either of the two states and is directly governed by the Union Government. It was formed on 1st November 1966, when the newly formed state of Haryana was carved out of Punjab. During the re-organisation of the Chandigarh was located to be on the border of both the states. Hence, the states moved to incorporate the city into their respective territories. However, the union government enacted to declare the city of Chandigarh as a union territory and decided that it will serve as capital of both the states.