No, this is not the Taj Mahal; this is Bibi Ka Maqbara, another mausoleum. It is the tomb of Rabia-ul-Daurani, also known as Dilras Banu Begum. She was the wife of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb (1658-1707 CE) in Aurangabad, the "City of Gates" in Maharashtra.
Image: Arian Zwegers
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is India's most industrialized state, located in west-central India, with a coastline along the
Arabian Sea. Much of the state lies on the
Deccan Plateau, while its western edge is marked by a section of the Western Ghats known as the
Sahyadri Mountains. This mountain chain runs parallel to the coast and is separated from the sea by the
Konkan, a narrow, rugged coastal belt.
Maharashtra covers an
area of 307,713 km²; making it slightly larger than
Italy.
The state is divided into six divisions: Amravati, Aurangabad, Konkan, Nagpur, Nashik, and Pune.
With an estimated
population of 128 million (2025), Maharashtra is the third-most populous state in India. The capital is
Mumbai (formerly Bombay), India's largest port and financial center, with a metropolitan population of around 20 million. Other major cities include
Pune, considered the cultural capital of the state;
Nagpur, which serves as the winter capital; and
Nashik, an ancient Hindu pilgrimage site and one of the locations of the
Kumbh Mela. The coastal twin city of
Vasai-Virar, part of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, is a rapidly growing urban area.
Aurangabad, a historic city and tourism hub, is known for its replica of the
Taj Mahal and its proximity to the
Ajanta 
and
Ellora Caves, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The official language of Maharashtra is Marathi, predominantly spoken by the Marathi people. The main religions are Hinduism (80%), Islam (11.5%), and Buddhism (5.8%).
Maharashtra Government
Official state website of the Maharashtra government.
Maharashtra Tourism
Official website of Maharashtra tourism.
Loktak Lake, a freshwater lake in Northeast India, south of Imphal, Manipurs capital city.
Image: Colleen
Manipur
Manipur, the "Land of Gems," is a landlocked mountainous state in northeastern India. It borders
Myanmar's
Chin State to the southeast and the Burmese
Sagaing Region to the east. Like the other
Seven Sister States in India's northeast, Manipur is geographically and culturally distinct, and relatively isolated from the rest of the country.
The state covers an area of 22,327 km², about half the size of
Denmark, or about the size of the U.S. state of
New Jersey.
The scenic landscape of the former kingdom features the
Imphal Valley, surrounded by forested hills and mountains.
Manipur has an estimated population of 3.1 million people (2025). The majority ethnic group is the
Meitei, primarily Hindu, who live in the
Imphal Valley. Roughly one-third of the population belongs to Tibeto-Burman tribal communities, including the
Kuki and
Naga peoples, who mostly inhabit the surrounding hill districts. Tensions between the hill tribes and the valley-based Meitei population have been a longstanding feature of the region's political and social landscape. The capital city Imphal lies in the center of the valley. It is connected to the rest of India by roads that pass through Naga-dominated hill areas.
Between November 2016 and March 2017, several key roads were blocked during a Naga-led economic blockade protesting the state government's decision to create seven new districts. Naga groups claimed that the reorganization infringed on ancestral lands and was politically motivated to dilute their electoral influence.
Manipur has been considered one of India's more politically sensitive states. Armed separatist movements have been active since the 1960s, with some groups demanding full independence or the reorganization of the state along ethnic lines. Among the demands have been calls for the integration of Naga-inhabited areas into a greater Nagaland, or the creation of separate tribal states within Manipur.
Manipur government
Official website of the Manipur government.
Manipur Tourism
Official website of Manipur tourism.
Meghalaya
Meghalaya, meaning "abode of clouds", is a small, mountainous state in northeastern India. Formerly part of Assam, it became a separate state in 1972. It shares a southern border with
Bangladesh and is known for its dramatic landscape of plateaus, valleys, and steep gorges. The state spans 22,429 km² and is part of the
Shillong Plateau. The
Khasi Hills form its highest region, with
Shillong Peak (Lum Shyllong) rising to 1,968 meters above sea level. The capital,
Shillong, sits at an altitude of around 1,495 meters and is home to about 200,000 people (2024).
Meghalaya is one of the wettest places on Earth, with the towns of
Cherrapunji (Sora) and
Mawsynram recording record-breaking rainfall.
[WP]
Nohkalikai Falls near
Cherrapunji, with a height of 340 meters, is among India's tallest waterfalls.
The state is home to several indigenous groups, including the Khasis, Jaintias, and Garos. Meghalaya has a population of estimated 3.3 million people (in 2025).
Khasi (47%),
Garo (31%), and English (official) are the main languages. Christianity is the dominant religion (74%), a legacy of 19th-century Welsh and German missionaries; followed by Hinduism (11%) and Islam (4%).
Meghalaya Government
Official website of the Meghalaya government.
Meghalaya Tourism
Official website of Meghalaya Tourism.
A well-camouflaged Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), the state animal of Mizoram, in Aizawl Zoological Park. The clouded leopard is a medium-sized wild cat found in the dense forests of Southeast Asia and the eastern Himalayan foothills, including parts of Northeast India like Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh.
Image: Dr. Raju Kasambe
Mizoram
Mizoram is the '
land of the hill people,' a landlocked state in Northeast India. It borders Bangladesh's
Chittagong Hill Tracts to the west and Myanmar's
Chin State to the east. Formerly known as the Lushai Hills District of Assam, Mizoram became a Union Territory in 1972 and achieved statehood in 1987.
The state covers an area of 21,087 km², about half the size of
Denmark, or slightly smaller than the U.S. state of
New Jersey.
Mizoram's landscape is characterized by rolling hills and mountain ranges, steep cliffs, deep valleys, lakes, and rivers. Lush forests dominated by bamboo groves cover much of its terrain.
The
highest peak is
Phawngpui, the Blue Mountain, rising to 2,157 meters (7,077 ft).
Mizoram is home to the Mizo people, a group of tribal communities that include the Lusei, Lai, Mara, and Kuki sub-tribes. The population is estimated at 1.3 million (2025).
Aizawl, the capital and largest city, sits atop a ridge at about 1,100 meters above sea level.
Mizo and English are the official languages. Traditionally animist, the Mizo people embraced Christianity in the late 19th and early 20th centuries through the efforts of British missionaries. These missions introduced formal education and literacy, helping transform Mizoram into one of India's most literate states.
Mizoram Government
Official website of the Mizoram government.
Mizoram Department of Tourism
Official website of Mizoram Tourism.
A group of Chang Naga people in traditional colorful costumes perform dance at Horbill festival.
Image: Nagaland Tourism
Nagaland
Nagaland is one of India's most remote and rural states, part of the "Seven Sisters" in the country's far northeast. It borders Assam to the west and shares an international boundary with Myanmar's Sagaing Region, including the Burmese
Naga Self-Administered Zone. Nagaland became a state of India in 1963.
The largely mountainous state covers an area of 16,579 km². The
Naga Hills, part of the
Purvanchal Range, rise steeply from the
Brahmaputra Valley up to about 2,000 meters (6,500 ft).
Mount Saramati, on the India–Myanmar border, standing as the highest point at 3,840 m.
Nagaland is home to
sixteen major tribes and several smaller groups, collectively known as the Nagas. Each tribe maintains its own language, customs, and traditional dress, contributing to the state's cultural richness.
The population is around 2.2 million people (2025).
Kohima is the capital, and
Dimapur is the largest city. Locatecd there is the state's only airport.
Multiple languages and dialects are spoken across Nagaland, all belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. Traditionally animist, the Nagas began converting to Christianity in large numbers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, influenced by Western missionaries active in both Northeast India and nearby Myanmar. Today, Christianity is the dominant religion in the state.
Nagaland official State Portal
Official website of the Nagaland government.
Nagaland Department of Tourism
Official website of Nagaland Tourism.
Odisha
Odisha, known as Orissa until 2011, is a state on India's central-eastern coast along the
Bay of Bengal. It lies in the tropical zone and covers and area of 155,707 km², about half the size of
Poland or slightly larger than the U.S. state of
Georgia.
Odisha is geographically quite diverse and features several distinct regions. The
Northern Plateau consists of forested highlands with steep ridges and valleys. The mountain ranges of the
Eastern Ghats run roughly parallel to the coast, separating the interior from the sea. Central Odisha is defined by two eroded upland plateaus known as the
Central Table Land, with elevations ranging between 500 and 1,000 meters. The
Coastal Plains, also called the Utkal Plains, are known as the "Gift of Six Rivers." These fertile alluvial lowlands are formed by the Subarnarekha, Budhabalanga, Baitarani, Brahmani, Mahanadi, and Rushikulya Rivers. Within these plains lies
Chilika Lake, a vast brackish lagoon at the mouth of the
Daya River. The lake and its surroundings are a vital wetland for migratory birds.
About one-third of Odisha is covered by forests, and the state is rich in natural resources, including iron ore, coal, zinc, and forest products.
Odisha has a population of more than 46 million people (2025). Scheduled Tribes account for more than 20% of the population, contributing to the state's cultural and linguistic diversity. The capital and largest city is
Bhubaneswar. The official language is Odia (Oriya), spoken in several regional dialects. The main religion is Hinduism (94%).
Government of Odisha
Official website of the Odisha government.
Odisha Department of Tourism
Official Odisha tourism website.
Punjab (India)
Punjab, the "land of five rivers," is a state in northwestern India, lying on the fertile plains southwest of the Himalayas. It shares its western border with Pakistan's Punjab province. The modern Indian state of Punjab was established in 1947, following the partition of
British India, which divided the historic Punjab region between India and Pakistan.
The state covers an area of 50,362 km²—about the size of
Slovakia or roughly twice the size of the U.S. state of
Vermont.
Punjab is largely flat, composed of rich alluvial plains. Today, only three of the original five rivers—the Sutlej, Beas, and Ravi—flow through Indian Punjab.
In India's Punjab, only three of the original five rivers remain: the
Sutlej,
Ravi, and
Beas. The
Jhelum and
Chenab lie entirely within Pakistan's Punjab, following the 1947 partition. All five rivers are tributaries of the Indus and have supported an extensive irrigation canal system, vital to agriculture in the region.
The northeastern part of the state near the Himalayan foothills receives sufficient rainfall, while the southwest transitions into the semiarid edge of the
Thar Desert.
Punjab has a population of over 32 million (2025). The capital is
Chandigarh, a planned city that also serves as the capital of neighboring Haryana. The largest city is
Ludhiana, a major industrial hub and the largest city north of Delhi. Other significant urban centers include
Amritsar—home to the Golden Temple,
Jalandhar—known for its sports goods industry, (supply to global brands like Webb Ellis, Reebok, and Puma), and
Patiala—an important center of education and culture. Punjabi is spoken by 92% of the population, while Hindi is spoken by about 8%. The major religions are Sikhism (58%) and Hinduism (38%).
Government of Punjab
Website of the Indian Punjab government.
Punjab Tourism Department
Official website of the Punjab Tourism Department.
View of the massive Mehrangarh Fort in Jodhpur, Rajasthan.In the foreground is Jaswant Thada, a royal memorial from the 19th century, made of white marble.
Image: Nagaland Tourism
Rajasthan
Rajasthan, known as Rajputana until 1949, is a landlocked state in northwestern India. It shares a long western border with Pakistan. Covering an area of 342,239 km², it is the largest state in India—slightly smaller than
Germany or the U.S. state of
Montana.
The landscape of Rajasthan is defined by two major geographical features: the
Aravalli Range and the
Thar Desert.
The Aravalli Hills are an ancient, eroded mountain chain. The "line of peaks" run from the northeast to the southwest diagonally through Rajasthan. These mountains are among the oldest in the world. They formed while the Indian subcontinent was still drifting as an island in the prehistoric ocean.
To the northwest of the Aravalli lies the
Thar Desert, also known as the
Great Indian Desert or the Rajasthan Desert. The desert covers an area roughly the size of the
United Kingdom. The Thar extends into Pakistan and parts of Gujarat, Punjab, and Haryana. Although arid and harsh, it is surprisingly well-populated and supports agriculture and animal husbandry. The region is India's largest wool-producing area and is home to the country's largest, though declining, camel population.
Rajasthan is renowned for its forts, palaces, art, and cultural heritage, making it one of India's most popular tourist destinations. The state has an estimated population of 81 million people (2025).
Jaipur, known as the
Pink City, is the state's capital and largest city. Other major cities include Jodhpur, Kota, Bikaner, Ajmer, and Udaipur. The main spoken languages are Hindi and Rajasthani. Rajasthan's main religion is Hinduism, accounting for about 88.5% of the population. Islam, Sikhism, and Jainism are also practiced in the state.
Government of Rajasthan
Official website of the Rajasthan government.
Rajasthan Department of Tourism
Official Rajasthan tourism website.
Kangchenjunga seen from Tiger Hill, Darjeeling. The third highest mountain in the world (8,586 m) lies about 125 km (78 mi) east-south-east of Mount Everest on the border between Nepal and Sikkim, one of the states of India.
Image: Shankar S.
Sikkim
Sikkim, known as Dejong in Tibetan ("the rice country"), is a small, mountainous state located on the southern slopes of the Himalayas in northeastern India. It shares borders with
Nepal to the west, China's
Tibet Autonomous Region to the north and northeast,
Bhutan to the southeast, and
West Bengal to the south.
Once a Buddhist kingdom, Sikkim became a princely state under British India in 1890. After India's independence in 1947, it retained its status as a protectorate. In 1975, the Indian military intervened to depose the Sikkimese monarchy. A referendum held shortly afterward led to Sikkim's formal integration into India as its 22nd state.
With an area of 7,096 km², Sikkim is India's second smallest state, after Goa. Its landscape is steep and rugged, with the
Sivalik Hills in the south and the towering peaks of the Great Himalayas in the north.
Among its highest mountains are
Chomo Yummo (6,829 m),
Khangchengyao (6,889 m),
Kirat Chuli (7,362 m), and
Jongsong Peak (7,462 m), which lies near the tri-junction of India, China, and Nepal. Sikkim is also home to
Kangchenjunga (8,586 m), India's highest mountain, straddling the border with Nepal.
Sikkim is India's least populous state, with fewer than 700,000 residents (2025). The population is multiethnic and multilingual, with
11 official languages. Major spoken languages include Nepali (63%), Sikkimese (Bhutia) (7.6%), Hindi (6.6%), Lepcha (6.5%), and Limbu (6.3%). The capital and largest city is
Gangtok, once the seat of the
Chogyal, the monarchs of Sikkim. The state's religious composition is equally diverse: Hinduism (57.8%), Buddhism (27.3%), and Christianity (9.9%).
Sikkim State Portal
Official website of the Sikkim government.
Official Sikkim Tourism portal
Official Sikkim tourism website.
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is located at the southeastern tip of the Indian subcontinent. Its coastline, known as the
Coromandel Coast, stretches along the
Bay of Bengal. To the southeast, the
Palk Strait,
Palk Bay, and
Gulf of Mannar separate the state from
Sri Lanka. The Laccadive Sea lies to the south.
The state covers an area of 130,060 km², making it slightly smaller than
Greece or somewhat larger than the U.S. state of
Mississippi. Its terrain is mostly flat. However, the northern border is marked by the southern section of the
Eastern Ghats, with the
Servarayan and
Javadi Hills forming distinct ranges. On its western edge, the
Western Ghats rise along the border with Kerala. Among them are the Palani Hills, which extend eastward into the state. Further northwest stand the
Nilgiri Mountains, with several peaks exceeding 2,000 meters (6,600 feet). Major rivers include the Kaveri (Cauvery), Palar, and Ponnaiyar.
Tamil Nadu is home to the
Tamil people, descendants of the ancient
Dravidian civilization, a culture that has existed for over 3,000 years. It is one of India's last surviving classical traditions.
Tamil Nadu has a population of about 77 million (2025 estimate).
Chennai (formerly Madras) is the capital and largest city. Other major cities include Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli (Trichinopoly), and Tiruppur. The main spoken language is Tamil (90%), with English also in use. The majority religion is Hinduism (87%), followed by Christianity (6%) and Islam (6%).
Tamil Nadu Government
Official website of the Tamil Nadu government.
Tamil Nadu Tourism
Official Tamil Nadu tourism website.
Telangana is home to the Telugu-speaking people. It became India's 29th state on 2 June 2014, when ten districts separated from Andhra Pradesh. The state lies on the eastern Deccan Plateau, a tableland also known as the
Telangana Plateau. The terrain averages between 200 and 600 meters in elevation, with
Doli Gutta (965 m or 3,166 ft) as its highest point. Telangana covers an area of 112,077 km², making it slightly larger than
Bulgaria or somewhat bigger than the U.S. state of
Virginia. The region is drained by two major rivers: the
Godavari and the
Krishna.
Telangana's economy is largely based on agriculture, with rice as the principal food crop. Industry and services are concentrated around
Hyderabad, the capital and largest city. Other major urban centers include Secunderabad (Hyderabad's twin city), Warangal, Nizamabad, Khammam, and Karimnagar.
Telangana has a population of almost 40 million people (est. 2025). The official language is Telugu, spoken by about 77% of the people. Urdu is spoken by around 12%. The major religions are Hinduism (85%) and Islam (13%).
Telangana is a semi-arid area and has a predominantly hot and dry climate.
Telangana State Portal
Official website of the Telangana government.
Telangana Department of Tourism
Official Telangana tourism website.
Unakoti, a historical and religious site in Tripura, is an ancient Shaivite place of worship with huge rock reliefs celebrating Shiva.
Image: Atudu
Tripura
Tripura is a small, landlocked state in northeast India, bordered by
Bangladesh on three sides. After Indian independence in 1947, the former princely kingdom acceded to India and became a full-fledged state in 1972.
With an area of 10,491 km², Tripura is India's third-smallest state. It is about four times the size of
Luxembourg or roughly half the size of the U.S. state of
New Jersey. The terrain features a plain in the west, while the rest of the state is defined by five north–south hill ranges separated by narrow valleys.
Tripura's undulating landscape is largely forested. Several rivers rise in its hills and flow westward into Bangladesh.
Agriculture and animal husbandry form the backbone of the economy. Rice is the main crop, while rubber and tea are important cash crops.
National Highway 8 links Tripura to the rest of India. Tripura has a population of about 4 million people (in 2925).
Agartala is the capital and largest city. Other urban centers include Dharmanagar in the northeast, Udaipur, the former state capital, and Kailashahar, once the capital of the ancient Tripuri kingdom. Spoken languages include Bengali (67%), Kokborok (Tripuri, 25%), Mizo, and English. The main religions are Hinduism (83%), Islam (9%), and Christianity (4%).
Tripura has a warm and humid tropical climate with distinct seasons, including spring, summer, monsoon, autumn, and winter.
Tripura State Portal
Official website of the Tripura government.
Tripura Tourism Department
Official Tripura tourism website.
Gomukh, the mouth of the Gangotri glacier is the source of the Ganges River. The Bhagirathi peaks rise in background.
Image: Pranab basak
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand, known as Uttaranchal until 2006, is a Himalayan state in northern India. It shares borders with the
Tibet Autonomous Region of
China to the northeast and
Nepal to the southeast.
The state was created in 2000 from the northern part of Uttar Pradesh. It spans an area of 53,483 km² — about half the size of
Bulgaria or roughly twice the size of the U.S. state of
Massachusetts.
Uttarakhand's landscape is dominated by the Himalayas in the north.
Nanda Devi, rising to 7,816 meters, is the highest mountain located entirely within India. It stands in the Chamoli District and forms part of the Garhwal Himalayas.
Uttarakhand is the source of two of Hinduism's
most sacred rivers. The
Gangotri Glacier is the source of the Ganges, while the
Champasar Glacier is the origin of the
Yamuna River.
The state is home to the
Chota Char Dham, a Hindu pilgrimage circuit of four of Hinduism's most revered sites:
Badrinath, a Vishnu temple;
Kedarnath, a Shiva temple said to be built by the legendary
Pandava brothers;
Gangotri, the origin of the Ganges River; and
Yamunotri, the source of the Yamuna River. These sites attract thousands of pilgrims each year.
Uttarakhand has a population of about 11.6 million (2025 estimate). The capital and largest city is
Dehradun. Other major urban settlements include Haridwar, Roorkee, and Haldwani. Uttarakhand has the highest percentage of Hindi speakers in India (88.26%), followed by Urdu (5.88%), Punjabi (2.92%), Bengali (1.46%), and Nepali (1.46%).
The main religion is Hinduism (about 83%), followed by Islam, Christianity, and Sikhism.
The climate varies widely — subtropical in the lowlands and alpine in the high mountains.
Uttarakhand Government
Official website of the Uttarakhand government.
Uttarakhand Tourism
Official Uttarakhand tourism website.
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (UP) is a state in central-northern India, located in the fertile Gangetic Plain. It borders the Himalayan foothills in the north and shares an international boundary with Nepal to the northeast. The state covers an area of 243,290 km² — about the same size as the
United Kingdom or roughly the size of the U.S. state of
Minnesota.
Uttar Pradesh features a variety of landscapes. In the north, the terrain includes the east–west running
Shivalik Hills, part of the outer Himalayas, and the
Terai, a lowland belt of grasslands, sal forests, marshes, and swamps. The Shivaliks form a natural barrier between the sparsely populated hill regions and the densely settled plains to the south.
Most of the state lies on the Gangetic Plain — a vast, flat region of fertile alluvial soil crisscrossed by rivers. The principal rivers are the
Ganges, the
Yamuna, and the
Ghaghara.
Uttar Pradesh has a tropical monsoon climate with distinct seasons: hot summers, a rainy monsoon season, and cool winters.
With an estimated population of 241 million (2025), UP is India's most populous state. If it were a country, it would rank as the fifth most populous in the world — just after
Indonesia. The capital and largest city is
Lucknow (pop. ~4 million). The second largest is
Kanpur, the most populous metropolitan area in the state. Other major cities include
Ghaziabad, a planned industrial hub near Delhi;
Agra, home to the
Taj Mahal;
Varanasi (Benares), a sacred Hindu city on the Ganges;
Meerut, one of India's oldest cities; and
Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad), the judicial capital of the state.
Spoken languages include Hindi (in various dialects) and Urdu. The main religions are Hinduism (80%) and Islam (19%).
Government of Uttar Pradesh
Official website of the Uttar Pradesh government.
Uttar Pradesh Tourism
Official Uttar Pradesh tourism website.
West Bengal
West Bengal is a long, narrow state in eastern India, wedged between Bangladesh and several Indian states. In 1947, Bengal was partitioned along religious lines: the eastern part became East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), while the western part remained in India as West Bengal. In the north, the state borders Nepal and Bhutan in the Himalayan foothills; in the southeast, it meets the Bay of Bengal. In August 2016 the West Bengal Assembly passed a resolution to change the name of West Bengal to "
Bengal" in English and "
Bangla" in Bengali.
Bengal covers an area of 88,752 km², it is slightly smaller than
Portugal or the U.S. state of
Maine. The terrain of West Bengal falls into two main regions. The
northern section includes the sub-Himalayan and Himalayan zones. The region is known for hill stations such as
Darjeeling, internationally famous for its tea and scenic mountain landscapes.
In the south of West Bengal lies the fertile
Gangetic Plain, formed by the
Ganges River and its network of tributaries and distributaries.
Major rivers include the
Damodar, the
Hooghly, and the
Ajay. The Ganges itself cuts through the narrow middle section of the state and briefly forms part of the border with Bangladesh. The state's climate varies from tropical savanna in the south to humid subtropical in the north.
West Bengal has a population of around 95 million people (2025 estimate). The capital,
Kolkata (population approximately 6.58 million within the city proper), is a major river port and industrial center. The city, formerly known as
Calcutta, is India's fourth-largest city. Other important cities include
Asansol, Siliguri, Durgapur, and Bardhaman.
The primary spoken language is Bengali (85%), followed by Hindi (7%). Nepali holds official status in three hill subdivisions of Darjeeling District. The main religions are Hinduism (71%) and Islam (27%).
Government of West Bengal
Official website of the West Bengal government.
West Bengal Tourism
Official West Bengal tourism website.
Administrative Map of India with its 29 states and 8 union territories, major cities, and disputed areas.
You are free to use the above map for educational and similar purposes; if you publish it online or in print, you need to credit Nations Online Project as the source.
Delhi
