Languages with official status in India
List of scheduled languages of India
Table:
Language[b]

Family

Speakers
(in millions, 2011)[7]

Official recognition in State(s)

Assamese
Indo-Aryan, Eastern
15.3
Assam, Arunachal Pradesh

Bengali
Indo-Aryan, Eastern
97.2
West Bengal, Tripura, Assam, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Jharkhand[8]

Bodo
Tibeto-Burman
1.48
Assam

Dogri
Indo-Aryan, Northwestern
2.6
Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh,

Gujarati
Indo-Aryan, Western
55.5
Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Gujarat

Hindi
Indo-Aryan
528
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Bihar, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Mizoram, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal[9][10]

Kannada
Dravidian
43.7
Karnataka

Kashmiri
Indo-Aryan, Dardic
6.8
Jammu and Kashmir

Konkani
Indo-Aryan, Southern
2.25
Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala (The Konkan Coast)[11][12]

Maithili
Indo-Aryan, Eastern
13.6
Bihar, Jharkhand[13]

Malayalam
Dravidian
34.8
Kerala, Lakshadweep, Puducherry

Manipuri
Tibeto-Burman
1.8
Manipur

Marathi
Indo-Aryan, Southern
83
Maharashtra, Goa, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu

Nepali
Indo-Aryan, Northern
2.9
Sikkim and West Bengal

Odia
Indo-Aryan, Eastern
37.5
Odisha, Jharkhand,[14][15][16] West Bengal[9][10]

Punjabi
Indo-Aryan, Northwestern
33.1
Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, West Bengal[9][10]

Sanskrit
Indo-Aryan
0.02
Uttarakhand

Santali
Austroasiatic
7.3
Spoken by Santhal people mainly in the state of Jharkhand as well as in the states of Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Odisha, Tripura, West Bengal[17]

Sindhi
Indo-Aryan, Northwestern
2.7
Gujarat and Maharashtra, especially Ulhasnagar

Tamil
Dravidian
69
Tamil Nadu, Puducherry

Looking at the given table and the article excerpts listed below.

Provide an answer to this question: What are the Speakers ( in millions , 2011 ) of the language whose family is spoken by more than 215 million people ? Provide just your answer in a JSON object {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}. Do not introduce information beyond the provided sources.

The Indo-Aryan languages , or Indic languages , are a major language family native to northern Indian subcontinent , and presently found all across South Asia . They constitute a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages , itself a branch of the Indo-European language family . In the early 21st century , Indo-Aryan languages were spoken by more than 800 million people , primarily in India , Bangladesh , Nepal , Pakistan and Sri Lanka . Moreover , there are large immigrant and expatriate Indo-Aryan speaking communities in Northwestern Europe , Western Asia , North America and Australia . There are about 219 known Indo-Aryan languages in the world . Modern Indo-Aryan languages are descended from Sanskrit through Prakrit . The largest in terms of L1 speakers are Hindustani ( Hindi-Urdu , about 329 million ) , Bengali ( 242 million ) , Punjabi ( about 120 million ) , Marathi , ( 112 million ) , Gujarati ( 60 million ) , Bhojpuri ( 51 million ) , Odia ( 34 million ) , Maithili ( about 34 million ) , Sindhi ( 25 million ) and other languages , with a 2005 estimate placing the total number of native speakers at nearly 900 million .
Assamese ( /ˌæsəˈmiːz/ ) , also Asamiya ( /ɔxomia/ অসমীয়া ) , is an Eastern Indo-Aryan language spoken mainly in the Indian state of Assam , where it is an official language . It is the easternmost Indo-European language , spoken by over 15 million speakers , and serves as a lingua franca in the region . Nefamese is an Assamese-based pidgin used in Arunachal Pradesh and Nagamese , an Assamese-based Creole language is widely used in Nagaland . The Kamtapuri language of Rangpur division of Bangladesh and Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri districts of India are linguistically closer to Assamese , though the speakers identify with the Bengali culture and the literary language . In the past , it was the court language of the Ahom kingdom from the 17th century . Along with other Eastern Indo-Aryan languages , Assamese evolved at least before 7th century CE from the middle Indo-Aryan Magadhi Prakrit , which developed from dialects similar to , but in some ways more archaic than Vedic Sanskrit . Its sister languages include Angika , Bengali , Bishnupriya Manipuri , Chakma , Chittagonian , Hajong , Rajbangsi , Maithili , Rohingya and Sylheti . It is written in the Assamese alphabet , an abugida system , from left to right , with many typographic ligatures .
Assam ( /ˈæsæm/ , Assamese : [ ɔxɔm ] ( listen ) ) is a state in northeastern India , situated south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys . Assam covers an area of 78,438 km2 ( 30,285 sq mi ) . The state is bordered by Bhutan and Arunachal Pradesh to the north ; Nagaland and Manipur to the east ; Meghalaya , Tripura , Mizoram and Bangladesh to the south ; and West Bengal to the west via the Siliguri Corridor , a 22 kilometres ( 14 mi ) strip of land that connects the state to the rest of India . Assam is known for Assam tea and Assam silk . The state was the first site for oil drilling in Asia . Assam is home to the one-horned Indian rhinoceros , along with the wild water buffalo , pygmy hog , tiger and various species of Asiatic birds , and provides one of the last wild habitats for the Asian elephant . The Assamese economy is aided by wildlife tourism to Kaziranga National Park and Manas National Park , which are World Heritage Sites . Sal tree forests are found in the state which , as a result of abundant rainfall , look green all year round . Assam receives more rainfall than most parts of India ; this rain feeds the Brahmaputra River , whose tributaries and oxbow lakes provide the region with a hydro-geomorphic environment .
Arunachal Pradesh ( /ˌɑːrəˌnɑːtʃəl prəˈdɛʃ/ , literally land of dawn-lit mountains ) is the northeasternmost state of India . It borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south . It shares international borders with Bhutan in the west , Myanmar in the east , and China in the north , with which the border is the McMahon Line . Itanagar is the state capital . A major part of the state is claimed by both China and Taiwan , both referring to it as South Tibet . During the 1962 Sino-Indian war , Chinese forces temporarily crossed the McMahon line . Land of the Dawn-Lit Mountains is the sobriquet for the state in Sanskrit ; it is also known as the Orchid State of India or the Paradise of the Botanists . Geographically , it is the largest of the Seven Sister States of Northeast India .
Bengali ( /bɛŋˈɡɔːli/ ) , also known by its endonym Bangla ( বাংলা [ ˈbaŋla ] ) , is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken by the Bengalis in South Asia , specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent , presently divided between Bangladesh and the Indian states of West Bengal , Tripura , Assam 's Barak Valley . It is the official and most widely spoken language of Bangladesh and second most widely spoken of the 22 scheduled languages of India , behind Hindi . With approximately 228 million native speakers and another 37 million as second language speakers , Bengali is the fifth most-spoken native language and the seventh most spoken language by total number of speakers in the world . The official and de facto national language of Bangladesh is Modern Standard Bengali ( Literary Bengali ) . It serves as the lingua franca of the nation , with 98% of Bangladeshis being fluent in Bengali as their first language . Within India , Bengali is the official language of the states of West Bengal , Tripura and the Barak Valley region of the state of Assam . It is the most widely spoken language in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal , and is spoken by significant populations in other states including in Arunachal Pradesh , Delhi , Chhattisgarh , Jharkhand , Meghalaya , Mizoram , Nagaland and Uttarakhand . Bengali is also spoken by the significant global Bengali diaspora ( Bangladeshi diaspora and Indian Bengalis ) communities in Pakistan , the United Kingdom , the United States , and the Middle East . Bengali has developed over the course of more than 1,300 years . Bengali literature , with its millennium-old literary history , has extensively developed since the Bengali Renaissance and is one of the most prolific and diverse literary traditions in Asia . The Bengali language movement from 1948 to 1956 demanding Bengali to be an official language of Pakistan fostered Bengali nationalism in East Bengal leading to the emergence of Bangladesh in 1971 . In 1999 , UNESCO recognised 21 February as International Mother Language Day in recognition of the language movement .
West Bengal ( /bɛnˈɡɔːl/ ; Bengali : Paschim Banga ) is a state in the eastern region of India along the Bay of Bengal . With over 91 million inhabitants ( as of 2011 ) , it is India 's fourth-most populous state . West Bengal is the thirteenth-largest Indian state , with an area of 88,752 km2 ( 34,267 sq mi ) . Part of the ethno-linguistic Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent , it borders Bangladesh in the east , and Nepal and Bhutan in the north . It also borders the Indian states of Odisha , Jharkhand , Bihar , Sikkim , and Assam . The state capital is Kolkata ( Calcutta ) the seventh-largest city in India , and center of the third-largest metropolitan area in the country . West Bengal includes the Darjeeling Himalayan hill region , the Ganges delta , the Rarh region , and the coastal Sundarbans . The main ethnic group is the Bengalis , with Bengali Hindus forming the demographic majority . The area 's early history featured a succession of Indian empires , internal squabbling , and a tussle between Hinduism and Buddhism for dominance . Ancient Bengal was the site of several major Janapadas ( kingdoms ) , while the earliest cities date back to the Vedic period . The region was part of several ancient pan−Indian empires , including the Mauryans and Guptas . It was also a bastion of regional kingdoms .
Tripura ( /ˈtrɪpʊrə , -ərə/ ) is a state in northeastern India . The third-smallest state in the country , it covers 10,491 km2 ( 4,051 sq mi ) and is bordered by Bangladesh to the north , south , and west , and the Indian states of Assam and Mizoram to the east . In 2011 the state had 3,671,032 residents , constituting 0.3% of the country 's population . The area of modern Tripura - ruled for several centuries by the Manikya dynasty - was part of an independent princely state under the protectorate of the British Empire . The independent Tripuri Kingdom ( also known as Hill Tippera ) joined the newly independent India in 1949 . Tripura lies in a geographically disadvantageous location in India , as only one major highway , the National Highway 8 , connects it with the rest of the country . Five mountain ranges - Boromura , Atharamura , Longtharai , Shakhan and Jampui Hills - run north to south , with intervening valleys ; Agartala , the capital , is located on a plain to the west . The state has a tropical savanna climate , and receives seasonal heavy rains from the south west monsoon . Forests cover more than half of the area , in which bamboo and cane tracts are common . Tripura has the highest number of primate species found in any Indian state . Due to its geographical isolation , economic progress in the state is hindered . Poverty and unemployment continue to plague Tripura , which has a limited infrastructure .
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands , a Union territory of India comprising 572 islands of which 37 are inhabited , are a group of islands at the juncture of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea . The territory is about 150 km ( 93 mi ) north of Aceh in Indonesia and separated from Thailand and Myanmar by the Andaman Sea . It comprises two island groups , the Andaman Islands ( partly ) and the Nicobar Islands , separated by the 150 km wide Ten Degree Channel ( on the 10°N parallel ) , with the Andamans to the north of this latitude , and the Nicobars to the south ( or by 179 km ) . The Andaman Sea lies to the east and the Bay of Bengal to the west . The territory 's capital is the city of Port Blair . The total land area of the islands is approximately 8,249 km2 ( 3,185 sq mi ) . The islands host the Andaman and Nicobar Command , the only tri-service geographical command of the Indian Armed Forces . The territory is divided into three districts : Nicobar District with Car Nicobar as capital , South Andaman district with Port Blair as capital and North and Middle Andaman district with Mayabunder as capital . The Andaman Islands are home to the Sentinelese people , an uncontacted people . The Sentinelese are the only people currently known to not have reached further than a Paleolithic level of technology .
Jharkhand ( lit . Bushland or The land of forest ) is a state in eastern India . The state shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north , Uttar Pradesh to the northwest , Chhattisgarh to the west , Odisha to the south and West Bengal to the east . It has an area of 79,710 km2 ( 30,778 sq mi ) . It is the 15th largest state by area , and the 14th largest by population . Hindi is the official language of the state . The city of Ranchi is its capital and Dumka its sub capital . The state is known for its waterfalls , hills and holy places ; Baidyanath Dham , Parasnath and Rajrappa are major religious sites . The region has been inhabited since the Mesolithic-Chalcolithic period , as shown by several ancient cave paintings . Even evidence of use of iron started in this region as early as 1400 BCE . The region was under the rule of many sovereign and autonomous ruling dynasties including Maurya , Gupta , Gauda , Pala , Nagvanshi , Khayaravala , Ramgarh Raj , Raksel , Chero and Kharagdiha Zamindari estates . In the 16th century Mughal influence reached the region , and it finally came under the East India Company in the 18th century .
Bodo ( बर'/बड़ [ bɔɽo ] ) , Boro or Mech , is the Sino-Tibetan language spoken primarily by the Bodo people of Northeast India , Nepal and Bengal . It is official language of the Bodoland Autonomous region and co-official language of the state of Assam in India It is also one of the 22 scheduled languages that is given a special constitutional status in India . Since 1963 , the language has been written using the Devanagari script . It was formerly written using Latin and Assamese script . Some scholars have suggested that the language used to have its own now lost script known as Deodhai .
The Tibeto-Burman languages are the non-Sinitic members of the Sino-Tibetan language family , over 400 of which are spoken throughout the highlands of Southeast Asia as well as certain parts of East Asia and South Asia . Around 60 million people speak Tibeto-Burman languages , around half of whom speak Burmese , and 13% of whom speak Tibetic languages . The name derives from the most widely spoken of these languages , namely Burmese ( over 32 million speakers ) and the Tibetic languages ( over 8 million ) . These languages also have extensive literary traditions , dating from the 12th and 7th centuries respectively . Most of the other languages are spoken by much smaller communities , and many of them have not been described in detail . Some taxonomies divide Sino-Tibetan into Sinitic and Tibeto-Burman branches ( e.g . Benedict , Matisoff ) , but other scholars deny that Tibeto-Burman comprises a monophyletic group .
Dogri ( डोगरी or ڈوگری ) , is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by about five million people in India and Pakistan , chiefly in the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh , but also in northern Punjab , other parts of Jammu and Kashmir , and elsewhere . Dogri speakers are called Dogras , and the Dogri-speaking region is called Duggar . Although formerly treated as a Punjabi dialect , Dogri is now considered to be a member of the Western Pahari group of languages . Unusually for an Indo-European language , Dogri is tonal , a trait it shares with other Western Pahari languages and Punjabi . Dogri has several varieties , all with greater than 80% lexical similarity ( within Jammu and Kashmir ) .
Jammu and Kashmir [ a ] was a region formerly administered by India as a state from 1954 to 2019 , constituting the southern and southeastern portion of the larger Kashmir region , which has been the subject of a dispute between India , Pakistan and China since the mid-20th century . The underlying region of this state were parts of the former princely state of Jammu and Kashmir , whose western districts , now known as Azad Kashmir , and northern territories , now known as Gilgit-Baltistan , are administered by Pakistan . The Aksai Chin region in the east , bordering Tibet , has been under Chinese control since 1962 . After the Government of India repealed the special status accorded to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Indian constitution in 2019 , the Parliament of India passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act , which contained provisions that dissolved the state and reorganised it into two union territories - Jammu and Kashmir in the west and Ladakh in the east , with effect from 31 October 2019 . At the time of its dissolution , Jammu and Kashmir was the only state in India with a Muslim-majority population .
Himachal Pradesh ( Hindi : [ ɦɪˈmaːtʃəl pɾəˈdeːʃ ] ( listen ) ; lit . snow-laden province ) is a state in the northern part of India . Situated in the Western Himalayas , it is bordered by union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on the north , Punjab state on the west , Haryana state on the southwest , Uttarakhand state on the southeast , and Tibet region on the east . At its southernmost point , it also touches the state of Uttar Pradesh . The predominantly mountainous region comprising the present day Himachal Pradesh has been inhabited since pre-historic times having witnessed multiple waves of human migration from other areas . Through its history , the region was mostly ruled by local kingdoms some of which accepted suzerainty of larger empires . Prior to India 's independence from the British , Himachal comprised the hilly regions of Punjab Province of British India . After independence , many of the hilly territories were organised as the Chief Commissioner 's province of Himachal Pradesh which later became a union territory . In 1966 , hilly areas of neighbouring Punjab state were merged into Himachal and it was ultimately granted full statehood in 1971 . Himachal Pradesh is spread across valleys with many perennial rivers flowing through them . Almost 90% of the state 's population lives in rural areas . Agriculture , horticulture , hydropower and tourism are important constituents of the state 's economy .
Gujarati ( /ˌɡʊdʒəˈrɑːti/ ; ગુજરાતી gujarātī [ ɡudʒəˈɾɑtiː ] ) is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Indian state of Gujarat and spoken predominantly by the Gujarati people . Gujarati is part of the greater Indo-European language family . Gujarati is descended from Old Gujarati ( circa 1100-1500 AD ) . In India , it is the official language in the state of Gujarat , as well as an official language in the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu . As of 2011 , Gujarati is the 6th most widely spoken language in India by number of native speakers , spoken by 55.5 million speakers which amounts to about 4.5% of the total Indian population . It is the 26th most widely spoken language in the world by number of native speakers as of 2007 . The Gujarati language is more than 700 years old and is spoken by more than 55 million people worldwide . Outside of Gujarat , Gujarati is spoken in many other parts of South Asia by Gujarati migrants , especially in Mumbai and Pakistan ( mainly in Karachi ) . Gujarati is also widely spoken in many countries outside South Asia by the Gujarati diaspora . In North America , Gujarati is one of the fastest growing and most widely spoken Indian languages in the United States and Canada . In Europe , Gujaratis form the second largest of the British South Asian speech communities , and Gujarati is the fourth most commonly spoken language in the U.K. 's capital London . Gujarati is also spoken in Southeast Africa , particularly in Kenya , Uganda , Tanzania , Zambia , and South Africa .
Dadra and Nagar Haveli District ( /ˈdɑːdrɑː . ˌnʌɡər həˈvɛli/ ; Portuguese : Dadrá e Nagar-Aveli ) is one of the three districts in union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu , western India . It is composed of two separate geographical entities : Nagar Haveli , wedged between Maharashtra and Gujarat , and , 1 km to the northwest , the smaller enclave of Dadra , which is surrounded by Gujarat . Silvassa is the capital of Dadra and Nagar Haveli . Unlike the surrounding areas , this was ruled by the Portuguese from 1783 until the mid-20th century . The area was captured by India in 1954 and administered as Free Dadra and Nagar Haveli before being annexed to India as a union territory , the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli in 1961 . The union territory was merged with , Daman and Diu to form new union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu on 26 January 2020 .
Daman and Diu /dəˈmɑːn . ˈdiːuː/ ( locally ( help·info ) ) was a union territory in western India . With an area of 112 km2 ( 43 sq mi ) , it was the smallest federal division of India on the mainland . The territory comprised two distinct regions - Daman and Diu - that are geographically separated by the Gulf of Khambhat . The state of Gujarat and the Arabian Sea border the territory . A Portuguese colony since the 1500s , the territories were annexed by India in 1961 . Daman and Diu were administered as part of the union territory of Goa , Daman and Diu between 1961 and 1987 , when they became a separate union territory . In 2019 , legislation was passed to merge the union territory of Daman and Diu with its neighbouring union territory , Dadra and Nagar Haveli , to form the new union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu with effect from 26 January 2020 . It has also been ruled by Kolis .
Gujarat ( /ˌɡʊdʒəˈrɑːt/ , Gujarati : [ ˈɡudʒəɾɑt ] ( listen ) ) is a state on the western coast of India with a coastline of 1,600 km ( 990 mi ) - most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula - and a population in excess of 60 million . It is the fifth largest Indian state by area and the ninth largest state by population . Gujarat is bordered by Rajasthan to the northeast , Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu to the south , Maharashtra to the southeast , Madhya Pradesh to the east , and the Arabian Sea and the Pakistani province of Sindh to the west . Its capital city is Gandhinagar , while its largest city is Ahmedabad . The Gujarati-speaking people of India are indigenous to the state . The economy of Gujarat is the fifth-largest state economy in India with ₹13.14 lakh crore ( US $ 180 billion ) in GDP and a per capita GDP of ₹174,000 ( US $ 2,400 ) . Gujarat ranks fifteenth among Indian states in human development index . The state encompasses some sites of the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation , such as Lothal , Dholavira and Gola Dhoro . Lothal is believed to be one of the world 's first seaports . Gujarat 's coastal cities , chiefly Bharuch and Khambhat , served as ports and trading centres in the Maurya and Gupta empires , and during the succession of royal Saka dynasties from the Western Satraps era . Along with Bihar and Nagaland , Gujarat is one of the three Indian states to prohibit the sale of alcohol . Gir Forest National Park in Gujarat is home of the only wild population of the Asiatic lion in the world .
Hindi ( Devanagari : हिन्दी , IAST/ISO 15919 : Hindī ) or Modern Standard Hindi ( Devanagari : मानक हिन्दी , IAST/ISO 15919 : Mānak Hindī ) , is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in India and across the Indian subcontinent . Modern Hindi is the standardised and Sanskritised register of the Hindustani language , which itself is based primarily on the Khariboli dialect of Delhi and other nearby areas of Northern India . Hindi , written in the Devanagari script , is one of the two official languages of the Government of India , along with the English language . It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of the Republic of India . Hindi is the lingua franca of the Hindi belt and to a lesser extent other parts of India ( usually in a simplified or pidginised variety such as Bazaar Hindustani or Haflong Hindi ) . Outside India , several other languages are recognised officially as Hindi but do not refer to the Standard Hindi language described here and instead descend from other dialects , such as Awadhi and Bhojpuri . Such languages include Fiji Hindi , which is official in Fiji , and Caribbean Hindustani , which is spoken in Trinidad and Tobago , Guyana , and Suriname . Apart from the script and formal vocabulary , spoken Hindi is mutually intelligible with standard Urdu , another recognised register of Hindustani as both share a common colloquial base . As a linguistic variety , Hindi is the fourth most-spoken first language in the world , after Mandarin , Spanish and English . Hindi alongside Urdu as Hindustani is the third most-spoken language in the world , after Mandarin and English .
The Andaman and Nicobar Islands , a Union territory of India comprising 572 islands of which 37 are inhabited , are a group of islands at the juncture of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea . The territory is about 150 km ( 93 mi ) north of Aceh in Indonesia and separated from Thailand and Myanmar by the Andaman Sea . It comprises two island groups , the Andaman Islands ( partly ) and the Nicobar Islands , separated by the 150 km wide Ten Degree Channel ( on the 10°N parallel ) , with the Andamans to the north of this latitude , and the Nicobars to the south ( or by 179 km ) . The Andaman Sea lies to the east and the Bay of Bengal to the west . The territory 's capital is the city of Port Blair . The total land area of the islands is approximately 8,249 km2 ( 3,185 sq mi ) . The islands host the Andaman and Nicobar Command , the only tri-service geographical command of the Indian Armed Forces . The territory is divided into three districts : Nicobar District with Car Nicobar as capital , South Andaman district with Port Blair as capital and North and Middle Andaman district with Mayabunder as capital . The Andaman Islands are home to the Sentinelese people , an uncontacted people . The Sentinelese are the only people currently known to not have reached further than a Paleolithic level of technology .
Bihar ( /bɪˈhɑːr/ ; Hindi pronunciation : [ bɪˈɦaːr ] ( listen ) ) is a state in eastern India . It is the third-largest state by population and twelfth-largest by territory , with an area of 94,163 km2 ( 36,357 sq mi ) . It is contiguous with Uttar Pradesh to its west , Nepal to the north , the northern part of West Bengal to the east , and with Jharkhand to the south . The Bihar plain is split by the river Ganges , which flows from west to east . Three main cultural regions converge in the state : Magadh , Mithila , and Bhojpur . On 15 November 2000 , southern Bihar was ceded to form the new state of Jharkhand . Only 11.3% of the population of Bihar lives in urban areas , which is the lowest in India after Himachal Pradesh . Additionally , almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25 , giving Bihar the highest proportion of young people of any Indian state . In ancient and classical India , the area that is now Bihar was considered a centre of power , learning , and culture . From Magadha arose India 's first empire , the Maurya empire , as well as one of the world 's most widely adhered-to religions : Buddhism . Magadha empires , notably under the Maurya and Gupta dynasties , unified large parts of South Asia under a central rule . Another region of Bihar is Mithila which was an early centre of learning and the centre of the Videha kingdom .
Chhattisgarh ( Chhattīsgaṛh , Hindi pronunciation : [ /ˈtʃʰət̪ːisgəɽʱ/ ] , translation : Thirty-Six Forts ) is one of the 28 states of India , located in the centre-east of the country . It is the ninth-largest state in India , with an area of 135,192 km2 ( 52,198 sq mi ) . With a 2011 population of 25.5 million , Chhattisgarh is the 16th-most populated state in the country . A resource-rich state , it is a source of electricity and steel for the country , accounting for 15% of the total steel produced as well as large contributor of coal . Chhattisgarh is one of the fastest-developing states in India . The state was formed on 1 November 2000 by partitioning ten Chhattisgarhi and six Gondi-speaking southeastern districts of Madhya Pradesh . The capital city is Raipur . Chhattisgarh borders the states of Madhya Pradesh in the northwest , Uttar Pradesh in the north , Jharkhand in northeast , Maharashtra in the southwest , Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in the south , and Odisha in the southeast . Currently the state comprises 30 districts . The Gross State Domestic Product ( GSDP ) of Chhattisgarh is ₹3.63 lakh crore ( US $ 51 billion ) and the per capita GSDP ₹102,762 ( US $ 1,400 )
Delhi ( English : /ˈdɛli/ ; Hindi : [ ˈdɪlːi ] Dillī ; Punjabi : [ ˈdɪlːi ] Dillī ; Urdu : [ ˈdeɦli ] Dēhlī ) , officially the National Capital Territory of Delhi ( NCT ) , is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi , the capital of India . It is bordered by the state of Haryana on three sides and by Uttar Pradesh to the east . The NCT covers an area of 1,484 square kilometres ( 573 sq mi ) . According to the 2011 census , Delhi 's city proper population was over 11 million , the second-highest in India after Mumbai , while the whole NCT 's population was about 16.8 million . Delhi 's urban area is now considered to extend beyond the NCT boundaries , and include the neighbouring satellite cities of Ghaziabad , Faridabad , Gurgaon and Noida in an area now called National Capital Region ( NCR ) and had an estimated 2016 population of over 26 million people , making it the world 's second-largest urban area according to the United Nations . As of 2016 [ update ] , recent estimates of the metro economy of its urban area have ranked Delhi either the most or second-most productive metro area of India . Delhi is the second-wealthiest city in India after Mumbai and is home to 18 billionaires and 23,000 millionaires . Delhi ranks fifth among the Indian states and union territories in human development index . Delhi has the second-highest GDP per capita in India . Furthermore , it is considered one of the world 's most polluted cities by particulate matter concentration . Delhi has been continuously inhabited since the 6th century BCE . Through most of its history , Delhi has served as a capital of various kingdoms and empires , most notably the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire .
Haryana ( Hindi pronunciation : [ ɦərɪˈjaːɳaː ] ) is one of the 28 states in India , located in northern part of the country . It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 November 1966 on linguistic as well as on cultural basis . It is ranked 22nd in terms of area with less than 1.4% ( 44,212 km2 ( 17,070 sq mi ) ) of India 's land area . Chandigarh is the state capital , Faridabad in National Capital Region is the most populous city of the state and Gurugram is a leading financial hub of NCR with major Fortune 500 companies located in it . Haryana has 6 administrative divisions , 22 districts , 72 sub-divisions , 93 revenue tehsils , 50 sub-tehsils , 140 community development blocks , 154 cities and towns , 6,848 villages and 6222 villages panchayats . As the largest recipient of investment per capita since 2000 in India , and among one of the wealthiest and most economically developed regions in South Asia , Haryana has the fifth highest per capita income among Indian states and UTs at ₹226,644 ( US $ 3,200 ) against the national average of ₹125,397 ( US $ 1,800 ) for year 2018-19 . Haryana 's 2019-20 estimated state GSDP of US $ 110 billion ( 52% services , 34% industries and 14% agriculture ) is growing at 12.96% 2012-17 CAGR and placed on the 13th position behind only much bigger states , is also boosted by 30 SEZs ( mainly along DMIC , ADKIC and DWPE in NCR ) , 7% national agricultural exports , 65% of national Basmati rice export , 67% cars , 60% motorbikes , 50% tractors and 50% refrigerators produced in India . Faridabad has been described as eighth fastest growing city in the world and third most in India by City Mayors Foundation survey . In services , Gurugram ranks number 1 in India in IT growth rate and existing technology infrastructure , and number 2 in startup ecosystem , innovation and livability ( Nov 2016 ) . Haryana has the seventh highest ranking among Indian states in human development index . Among the world 's oldest and largest ancient civilisations , the Indus Valley Civilization sites at Rakhigarhi village in Hisar district and Bhirrana in Fatehabad district are 9,000 years old . Rich in history , monuments , heritage , flora and fauna , human resources and tourism with well developed economy , national highways and state roads , it is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the north-east , by river Yamuna along its eastern border with Uttar Pradesh , by Rajasthan to the west and south , and Ghaggar-Hakra River flows along its northern border with Punjab .
Madhya Pradesh ( MP ; /ˌmʌdjə prəˈdɛʃ/ , Hindi : [ ˈmədʱjə pɾəˈdeːʃ ] ( listen ) ; meaning Central Province ) is a state in central India . Its capital is Bhopal , and the largest city is Indore , with Jabalpur , Gwalior , and Ujjain being the other major cities . Madhya Pradesh is the second largest Indian state by area and the fifth largest state by population with over 75 million residents . It borders the states of Uttar Pradesh to the northeast , Chhattisgarh to the southeast , Maharashtra to the south , Gujarat to the west , and Rajasthan to the northwest . Before 2000 , when Chhattisgarh was a part of Madhya Pradesh , Madhya Pradesh was the largest state in India and the distance between the two furthest points inside the state , Singoli and Konta , was 1500 km . The area covered by the present-day Madhya Pradesh includes the area of the ancient Avanti Mahajanapada , whose capital Ujjain ( also known as Avantika ) arose as a major city during the second wave of Indian urbanisation in the sixth century BCE . Subsequently , the region was ruled by the major dynasties of India . By the early 18th century , the region was divided into several small kingdoms which were captured by the British and incorporated into Central Provinces and Berar and the Central India Agency . After India 's independence , Madhya Pradesh state was created with Nagpur as its capital : this state included the southern parts of the present-day Madhya Pradesh and northeastern portion of today 's Maharashtra . In 1956 , this state was reorganised and its parts were combined with the states of Madhya Bharat , Vindhya Pradesh and Bhopal to form the new Madhya Pradesh state , the Marathi-speaking Vidarbha region was removed and merged with the then Bombay State . This state was the largest in India by area until 2000 , when its southeastern Chhattisgarh region was made as a separate state . The economy of Madhya Pradesh is the tenth-largest state economy in India with ₹8.09 lakh crore ( US $ 110 billion ) in gross domestic product and a per capita GDP of ₹90,000 ( US $ 1,300 ) .
Mizoram ( English : /mɪˈzɔːrəm/ ( listen ) ) is a state in northeastern India , with Aizawl as its capital city . The name is derived from Mizo , the name of the native inhabitants , and Ram , which means land , and thus Mizoram means land of the Mizos . Within the northeast region , it is the southernmost landlocked state , sharing borders with three of the Seven Sister States , namely Tripura , Assam and Manipur . The state also shares a 722-kilometre border with the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh and Myanmar . Like several other northeastern states of India , Mizoram was previously part of Assam until 1972 , when it was carved out as a Union Territory . It became the 23rd state of India , a step above Union Territory , on 20 February 1987 , with the Fifty-Third Amendment of the Indian Constitution , 1986 . Mizoram 's population was 1,091,014 , according to a 2011 census . It is the 2nd least populous state in the country . Mizoram covers an area of approximately 21,087 square kilometres . About 91% of the state is forested . About 95% of the current population is of diverse tribal origins who settled in the state , mostly from Southeast Asia , over waves of migration starting about the 16th century but mainly in the 18th century . This is the highest concentration of tribal people among all states of India , and they are currently protected under Indian constitution as a Scheduled Tribe .
Rajasthan ( /ˈrɑːdʒəstæn/ Hindustani pronunciation : [ raːdʒəsˈtʰaːn ] ( listen ) ; literally , Land of Kings ) is a state in northern India . The state covers an area of 342,239 square kilometres ( 132,139 sq mi ) or 10.4 percent of the total geographical area of India . It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population . Rajasthan is located on the northwestern side of India , where it comprises most of the wide and inhospitable Thar Desert ( also known as the Great Indian Desert ) and shares a border with the Pakistani provinces of Punjab to the northwest and Sindh to the west , along the Sutlej-Indus river valley . Elsewhere it is bordered by five other Indian states : Punjab to the north ; Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to the northeast ; Madhya Pradesh to the southeast ; and Gujarat to the southwest . Major features include the ruins of the Indus Valley Civilisation at Kalibanga and Balathal , the Dilwara Temples , a Jain pilgrimage site at Rajasthan 's only hill station , Mount Abu , in the ancient Aravalli mountain range and in eastern Rajasthan , the Keoladeo National Park near Bharatpur , a World Heritage Site known for its bird life . Rajasthan is also home to three national tiger reserves , the Ranthambore National Park in Sawai Madhopur , Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar and Mukundra Hill Tiger Reserve in Kota . The state was formed on 30 March 1949 when Rajputana - the name adopted by the British Raj for its dependencies in the region - was merged into the Dominion of India . Its capital and largest city is Jaipur . Other important cities are Jodhpur , Kota , Bikaner , Ajmer and Udaipur . The economy of Rajasthan is the ninth-largest state economy in India with ₹9.24 lakh crore ( US $ 130 billion ) in gross domestic product and a per capita GDP of ₹108,000 ( US $ 1,500 ) . Rajasthan ranks 22nd among Indian states in human development index .
Uttar Pradesh ( /ˌʊtər prəˈdɛʃ/ ; IAST : Uttar Pradeś [ ˈʊtːəɾ pɾəˈdeːʃ ] ( listen ) ) is a state in northern India . With roughly 200 million inhabitants , it is the most populous state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world . It was created on 1 April 1937 as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh during British rule , and was renamed Uttar Pradesh in 1950 . The state is divided into 18 divisions and 75 districts with the capital being Lucknow . On 9 November 2000 , a new state , Uttarakhand , was carved out from the state 's Himalayan hill region . The two major rivers of the state , the Ganga and Yamuna , join at Allahabad ( Prayagraj ) and then flow as the Ganga further east . Hindi is the most widely spoken language and is also the official language of the state , along with Urdu . The state is bordered by Rajasthan to the west , Haryana , Himachal Pradesh and Delhi to the northwest , Uttarakhand and Nepal to the north , Bihar to the east , Madhya Pradesh to the south , and touches the states of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh to the southeast . It covers 243,290 square kilometres ( 93,933 sq mi ) , equal to 7.34% of the total area of India , and is the fourth-largest Indian state by area . Agriculture and service industries are the largest parts of the state 's economy . The service sector comprises travel and tourism , hotel industry , real estate , insurance and financial consultancies . The economy of Uttar Pradesh is the fifth-largest state economy in India with ₹15.42 lakh crore ( US $ 220 billion ) in gross domestic product and a per capita GDP of ₹61,000 ( US $ 860 ) .
Uttarakhand ( /ˌʊtəˈrɑːkʌnd/ ) , formerly known as Uttaranchal ( /ˌʊtəˈrɑːntʃəl/ ) , is a state in the northern part of India . It is often referred to as the Devabhumi ( literally Land of the Gods ) due to numerous Hindu temples and pilgrimage centres found throughout the state . Uttarakhand is known for the natural environment of the Himalayas , the Bhabar and the Terai . On 9 November 2000 , Uttarakhand became the 27th state of the Republic of India , being carved from the Himalayan districts of Uttar Pradesh . It borders Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north ; the Sudurpashchim Pradesh of Nepal to the east ; the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh to the south and Himachal Pradesh to the west and north-west . The state is divided into two divisions , Garhwal and Kumaon , with a total of 13 districts . The capital of Uttarakhand is Dehradun , the largest city of the state , which is a railhead . The High Court of the state is located in Nainital . Archaeological evidence supports the existence of humans in the region since prehistoric times . The region formed a part of the Uttarakuru Kingdom during the Vedic age of Ancient India . Among the first major dynasties of Kumaon were the Kunindas in the 2nd century BCE who practised an early form of Shaivism . Ashokan edicts at Kalsi show the early presence of Buddhism in this region .
Kannada ( /ˈkɑːnədə , ˈkæn-/ ; ಕನ್ನಡ , [ ˈkɐnnɐɖaː ] ) , also known as Kanarese , is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by people of Karnataka in southwestern India , and by significant linguistic minorities in the states of Maharashtra , Andhra Pradesh , Tamil Nadu , Telangana , Kerala and abroad . The language has roughly 44 million native speakers , who are called Kannadigas . Kannada is also spoken as a second and third language by over 12.9 million non-Kannada speakers in Karnataka , which adds up to 56 million speakers . It is one of the scheduled languages of India and the official and administrative language of the state of Karnataka . The Kannada language is written using the Kannada script , which evolved from the 5th-century Kadamba script . Kannada is attested epigraphically for about one and a half millennia , and literary Old Kannada flourished in the 6th-century Ganga dynasty and during the 9th-century Rashtrakuta Dynasty . Kannada has an unbroken literary history of over a thousand years . Kannada literature has been presented with 8 Jnanapith awards , the most for any Dravidian language and the second highest for any Indian language . Based on the recommendations of the Committee of Linguistic Experts , appointed by the ministry of culture , the government of India designated Kannada a classical language of India . In July 2011 , a center for the study of classical Kannada was established as part of the Central Institute of Indian Languages at Mysore to facilitate research related to the language .
The Dravidian languages are a language family spoken by more than 215 million people , mainly in southern India and northern Sri Lanka , with pockets elsewhere in South Asia . Since the colonial era , there have been small but significant immigrant communities outside South Asia in countries such as Mauritius , Hong Kong , Pakistan , Singapore , Malaysia , Indonesia , Philippines , Britain , Australia , and the United States . The Dravidian languages are first attested in the 2nd century BCE as Tamil-Brahmi script inscribed on the cave walls in the Madurai and Tirunelveli districts of Tamil Nadu . [ a ] The Dravidian languages with the most speakers are ( in descending order of number of speakers ) Telugu , Tamil , Kannada and Malayalam , all of which have long literary traditions . Smaller literary languages are Tulu and Kodava . There are also small groups of Dravidian-speaking scheduled tribes , who live outside Dravidian-speaking areas , such as the Kurukh in Eastern India and Gondi in Central India . Only two Dravidian languages are spoken exclusively outside the post-1947 state of India : Brahui in the Balochistan region of Pakistan and Afghanistan ; and Dhangar , a dialect of Kurukh , in parts of Nepal and Bhutan . [ better source needed ] Dravidian place names along the Arabian Sea coasts and Dravidian grammatical influence such as clusivity in the Indo-Aryan languages , namely Marathi , Konkani , Gujarati , Marwari , and Sindhi , suggest that Dravidian languages were once spoken more widely across the Indian subcontinent . Though some scholars have argued that the Dravidian languages may have been brought to India by migrations from the Iranian plateau in the fourth or third millennium BCE or even earlier , the Dravidian languages can not easily be connected to any other language family and they could well be indigenous to India . [ b ]
Karnataka ( Karnāṭaka , Kannada pronunciation : [ kɐnaːʈɐka ] ) is a state in the south western region of India . It was formed on 1 November 1956 , with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act . Originally known as the State of Mysore , it was renamed Karnataka in 1973 . The state corresponds to the Carnatic region . The capital and largest city is Bangalore . Karnataka is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west , Goa to the northwest , Maharashtra to the north , Telangana to the northeast , Andhra Pradesh to the east , Tamil Nadu to the southeast , and Kerala to the south . The state covers an area of 191,976 square kilometres ( 74,122 sq mi ) , or 5.83 percent of the total geographical area of India . It is the sixth largest Indian state by area . With 61,130,704 inhabitants at the 2011 census , Karnataka is the eighth largest state by population , comprising 30 districts . Kannada , one of the classical languages of India , is the most widely spoken and official language of the state . Other languages spoken include Urdu , Konkani , Marathi , Tulu , Tamil , Telugu , Malayalam , Kodava and Beary . Karnataka also contains some of the only villages in India where Sanskrit is primarily spoken .
Kashmiri ( English : /kæʃˈmɪəri/ ) or Koshur ( English : /kɜːʃur/ ; कॉशुर , كٲشُر ) , is a language from the Dardic subgroup of Indo-Aryan languages , spoken by around 7 million Kashmiris , primarily in the Indian territory of Jammu and Kashmir . There are also speakers in parts of the neighbouring Pakistani territory of Azad Kashmir . Although the official language of Jammu and Kashmir is Urdu , Kashmiri is recognised as a regional language in the state and is also among the 22 scheduled languages of India . Kashmiri has split ergativity and the unusual verb-second word order .
Konkani [ note 4 ] ( Kōṅkaṇī ) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by Konkani people ( Maharashtra & Goa ) along the western coast of India . It is one of the 22 scheduled languages mentioned in the 8th schedule of the Indian Constitution and the official language of the Indian state of Goa . The first Konkani inscription is dated 1187 A.D . It is a minority language in Karnataka , Maharashtra , Kerala , Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu . Konkani is a member of the southern Indo-Aryan language group . It retains elements of Vedic structures and shows similarities with both western and eastern Indo-Aryan languages . There are many fractured Konkani dialects , most of which are not mutually intelligible with one another .
Maharashtra ( /mɑːhəˈrɑːʃtrə/ ; Marathi : [ məharaːʂʈrə ] ( listen ) , abbr . MH ) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau . It is the second-most populous state and third-largest state by area . Spread over 307,713 km2 ( 118,809 sq mi ) , it is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west , the Indian states of Karnataka and Goa to the south , Telangana to the southeast and Chhattisgarh to the east , Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh to the north , and the Indian union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu to the north west . It is also the world 's third-most populous subnational entity . Maharashtra was formed by merging the western and south-western parts of the Bombay State , Berar and Vidarbha , and the north-western parts of the Hyderabad State and splitting Saurashtra ( in present-day Gujarat ) by the States Reorganisation Act . It has over 112 million inhabitants and its capital , Mumbai , has a population around 18 million making it the most populous urban area in India . Nagpur hosts the winter session of the state legislature . Pune is known as the 'Oxford of the East ' due to the presence of several well-known educational institutions . Nashik is known as the 'Wine Capital of India ' as it has the largest number of wineries and vineyards in the country . The Godavari and the Krishna are the two major rivers in the state . The Narmada and Tapi Rivers flow near the border between Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat .
Goa ( /ˈɡoʊə/ ( listen ) ) is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the region known as the Konkan , and geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats . It is surrounded by the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the east and south , with the Arabian Sea forming its western coast . It is India 's smallest state by area and the fourth-smallest by population . Goa has the highest GDP per capita among all Indian states , two and a half times that of the country . It was ranked the best-placed state by the Eleventh Finance Commission for its infrastructure and ranked on top for the best quality of life in India by the National Commission on Population based on the 12 Indicators . Panaji is the state 's capital , while Vasco da Gama is its largest city . The historic city of Margao still exhibits the cultural influence of the Portuguese , who first landed in the early 16th century as merchants and conquered it soon thereafter . Goa was a former state of the Portuguese Empire . The Portuguese overseas territory of Portuguese India existed for about 450 years until it was annexed by India in 1961 . Goa is visited by large numbers of international and domestic tourists each year for its white sand beaches , nightlife , places of worship and World Heritage-listed architecture . It has rich flora and fauna , owing to its location on the Western Ghats range , a biodiversity hotspot .
Kerala ( /ˈkɛrələ/ ( listen ) ) is a state on the southwestern Malabar Coast of India . It was formed on 1 November 1956 , following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act , by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile states of Travancore-Cochin and Madras . Spread over 38,863 km2 ( 15,005 sq mi ) , Kerala is the twenty-third largest Indian state by area . It is bordered by Karnataka to the north and northeast , Tamil Nadu to the east and south , and the Lakshadweep Sea to the west . With 33,387,677 inhabitants as per the 2011 Census , Kerala is the thirteenth-largest Indian state by population . It is divided into 14 districts with the capital being Thiruvananthapuram . Malayalam is the most widely spoken language and is also the official language of the state . The Chera Dynasty was the first prominent kingdom based in Kerala . The Ay kingdom in the deep south and the Ezhimala kingdom in the north formed the other kingdoms in the early years of the Common Era ( CE or AD ) . The region had been a prominent spice exporter since 3000 BCE . The region 's prominence in trade was noted in the works of Pliny as well as the Periplus around 100 CE . In the 15th century , the spice trade attracted Portuguese traders to Kerala , and paved the way for European colonisation of India .
Konkan , also known as the Konkan Coast , is a rugged section of the western coastline of India . In Marathi it is called as kōkan ( कोकण ) , in Konkani as kōñkan ( कोंकण ) , and the Kannada word karāvalli ( ಕರಾವಳಿ/करावळी ) , literally meaning 'coast ' , is generally applied to the Kanara subregion .
Maithili ( /ˈmaɪtɪli/ ; Maithilī ) is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Indian subcontinent , mainly spoken in India and Nepal . In India , it is spoken in the states of Bihar and Jharkhand and is one of the 22 recognised Indian languages . In Nepal , it is spoken in the eastern Terai and is the second most prevalent language of Nepal . It is also one of the 122 recognized Nepalese languages . Tirhuta was formerly the primary script for written Maithili . Less commonly , it was also written in the local variant of Kaithi . Today it is written in the Devanagari script .
Malayalam ( /ˌmələˈjɑːləm/ ; Malayalam : മലയാളം , Malayāḷam ? [ mələjaːɭəm ] ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district ) by the Malayali people . It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India spoken by nearly 2.88% of Indians . Malayalam has official language status in the state of Kerala and in the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé ) and is spoken by 37 million people worldwide . Malayalam is also spoken by linguistic minorities in the neighbouring states ; with significant number of speakers in the Nilgiris , Kanyakumari , and Coimbatore districts of Tamil Nadu , and Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada districts of Karnataka . Due to Malayali expatriates in the Persian Gulf , the language is also widely spoken in Gulf countries . The origin of Malayalam remains a matter of dispute among scholars . One view holds that Malayalam and modern Tamil are offshoots of Middle Tamil and separated from it sometime after the c. 7th century AD . A second view argues for the development of the two languages out of Proto-Dravidian or Proto-Tamil-Malayalam in the prehistoric era . Designated a Classical Language in India in 2013 , it developed into the current form mainly by the influence of the poet Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan in the 16th century . The oldest documents written purely in Malayalam and still surviving are the Vazhappalli Copper plates from 832 AD and Tharisapalli Copper plates from 849 AD . The earliest script used to write Malayalam was the Vatteluttu alphabet , and later the Kolezhuttu , which derived from it .
Lakshadweep ( /ləkˈʃɑːdwiːp/ ; ISO : Lakṣadvīp ( help·info ) , formerly known as the Laccadive , Minicoy and Aminidivi Islands ( /ˌlækədaɪv ˌmɪnɪkɔɪ . ˌæmɪnˈdiːvi/ ) , is a group of islands in the Laccadive Sea , 200 to 440 km ( 120 to 270 mi ) off the southwestern coast of India . The archipelago is administered as a union territory and district of India . They were also known as Laccadive Islands , although geographically this is only the name of the central subgroup of the group . Lakshadweep means one hundred thousand islands in Sanskrit and Malayalam . The islands form the smallest Union Territory of India and their total surface area is just 32 km2 ( 12 sq mi ) . The lagoon area covers about 4,200 km2 ( 1,600 sq mi ) , the territorial waters area 20,000 km2 ( 7,700 sq mi ) and the exclusive economic zone area 400,000 km2 ( 150,000 sq mi ) . The region forms a single Indian district with 10 subdivisions . Kavaratti serves as the capital of the Union Territory and the region comes under the jurisdiction of Kerala High Court . The islands are the northernmost of the Lakshadweep-Maldives-Chagos group of islands , which are the tops of a vast undersea mountain range , the Chagos-Laccadive Ridge . As the islands have no aboriginal inhabitants , scholars have suggested different histories for the settlement of these islands . Archaeological evidence supports the existence of human settlement in the region around 1500 BC .
Puducherry ( /pʊdʊˈtʃɛri/ ) , formerly known as Pondicherry ( /pɒndɪˈtʃɛri/ ) , is one of the 8 union territories of India . It was formed out of four territories of former French India , namely Pondichéry ( Pondicherry ; now Puducherry ) , Karikal ( Karaikal ) , Mahé and Yanaon ( Yanam ) , excluding Chandernagore . It is named after the largest district , Puducherry . Historically known as Pondicherry ( Pāṇṭiccēri ) , the territory changed its official name to Puducherry on 20 September 2006 . The Union Territory of Puducherry lies in the southern part of the Indian Peninsula . The areas of Puducherry district and Karaikal district are bound by the state of Tamil Nadu , while Yanam district and Mahé district are enclosed by the states of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala respectively . Puducherry is the 29th most populous and the third most densely populated of the states and union territories of India . It has a gross domestic product ( GDP ) of ₹210 billion ( US $ 2.9 billion ) and ranks 25th in India .
Meitei , or Meetei ( also Manipuri /mənɪˈpʊri/ ; Meitheilon , Meeteilon , Meeʁteilon , from Meithei + -lon 'language ' ; Kathe ) is a Sino-Tibetan language and the predominant language and lingua franca in the southeastern Himalayan state of Manipur , in northeastern India . It is the one of the official languages of the Government of India . Meitei is the most spoken Sino-Tibetan language of India and the most spoken language in Northeast India after Bengali and Assamese . In the 2011 census of India , there were 1.8 million native speakers of Meitei . However , there are around 200,000 native speakers of Meitei abroad . Meiteilon is also spoken in the Northeast Indian states of Assam and Tripura and in Bangladesh and Burma ( now Myanmar ) . It is currently classified as a vulnerable language by UNESCO . Meiteilon is a tonal language whose exact classification within Sino-Tibetan remains unclear . It has lexical resemblances to Kuki and Tangkhul Naga . It has been recognised ( under the name Manipuri ) by the Indian Union and has been included in the list of scheduled languages ( included in the 8th schedule by the 71st amendment of the constitution in 1992 ) . Meiteilon is taught as a subject up to the post-graduate level ( Ph.D. ) in some universities of India , apart from being a medium of instruction up to the undergraduate level in Manipur . Education in government schools is provided in Meiteilon through the eighth standard .
Manipur ( /ˈmʌnɪpʊər/ ( listen ) ) is a state in northeastern India , with the city of Imphal as its capital . It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north , Mizoram to the south , and Assam to the west ; Myanmar ( Sagaing Region and Chin State ) lies to its east . The state covers an area of 22,327 square kilometres ( 8,621 sq mi ) and has a population of almost 3 million , including the Meitei , who are the majority group in the state , the Pangals or the Pangans ( Manipuri Muslims ) , Naga tribes , Kuki/Zo tribes and other communities , who speak a variety of Sino-Tibetan languages . Manipur has been at the crossroads of Asian economic and cultural exchange for more than 2,500 years . It has long connected the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia to Southeast Asia , China ( or East Asia ) , Siberia ( Russia ) , Micronesia and Polynesia , enabling migration of people , cultures , and religions . During the days of the British Indian Empire , the Kingdom of Manipur was one of the princely states . Between 1917 and 1939 , some people of Manipur pressed the princely rulers for democracy . By the late 1930s , the princely state of Manipur negotiated with the British administration its preference to continue to be part of the Indian Empire , rather than part of Burma , which was being separated from India . These negotiations were cut short with the outbreak of World War II in 1939 . On 11 August 1947 , Maharaja Budhachandra signed an Instrument of Accession , joining India . Later , on 21 September 1949 , he signed a Merger Agreement , merging the kingdom into India , which led to its becoming a Part C State . This merger was later disputed by groups in Manipur , as having been completed without consensus and under duress .
Marathi ( English : /məˈrɑːti/ ; मराठी Marāṭhī ; Marathi : [ məˈɾaʈʰi ] ( listen ) ) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken predominantly by around 83.1 million Marathi people of Maharashtra , India . It is the official language and co-official language in the Maharashtra and Goa states of Western India , respectively , and is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India . With 83.1 million speakers in 2019 , Marathi ranks 10th in the list of most spoken languages in the world . Marathi has the third largest number of native speakers in India , after Hindi and Bengali . The language has some of the oldest literature of all modern Indian languages , dating back to around 600 AD . The major dialects of Marathi are Standard Marathi and the Varhadi dialect . Koli and Malvani Konkani have been heavily influenced by Marathi varieties . Marathi distinguishes inclusive and exclusive forms of 'we ' and possesses a three-way gender system that features the neuter in addition to the masculine and the feminine . In its phonology , it contrasts apico-alveolar with alveopalatal affricates and alveolar with retroflex laterals ( [ l ] and [ ɭ ] ( Marathi letters ल and ळ respectively ) .
Dadra and Nagar Haveli District ( /ˈdɑːdrɑː . ˌnʌɡər həˈvɛli/ ; Portuguese : Dadrá e Nagar-Aveli ) is one of the three districts in union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu , western India . It is composed of two separate geographical entities : Nagar Haveli , wedged between Maharashtra and Gujarat , and , 1 km to the northwest , the smaller enclave of Dadra , which is surrounded by Gujarat . Silvassa is the capital of Dadra and Nagar Haveli . Unlike the surrounding areas , this was ruled by the Portuguese from 1783 until the mid-20th century . The area was captured by India in 1954 and administered as Free Dadra and Nagar Haveli before being annexed to India as a union territory , the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli in 1961 . The union territory was merged with , Daman and Diu to form new union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu on 26 January 2020 .
Nepali ( Devanagari : नेपाली Nepali pronunciation : [ /nɛˈpɑːli/ ] ) is an Indo-Aryan language of the sub-branch of Eastern Pahari . It is the official language of Nepal and one of the 22 scheduled languages of India . Also known by the endonym Khas kura ( Devanagari : खस कुरा ) , the language is also called Gorkhali or Parbatiya in some contexts . It is spoken mainly in Nepal and by about a quarter of the population in Bhutan . In India , Nepali has official status in the state of Sikkim , and significant number of speakers in the states of Arunachal Pradesh , Assam , Himachal Pradesh , Manipur , Mizoram , Uttarakhand and West Bengal 's Darjeeling district and Kalimpong . It is also spoken in Myanmar and by the Nepali diaspora worldwide . Nepali developed in proximity to a number of Indo-Aryan languages , most notably the other Pahari languages and Maithili , and shows Sanskrit influence . However , owing to Nepal 's location , it has also been influenced by Tibeto-Burman languages . Nepali is mainly differentiated from Central Pahari , both in grammar and vocabulary , by Tibeto-Burman idioms owing to close contact with this language group . Historically , the language was called Khas Speech ( Khas Kurā ) , spoken by the Khas people of Karnali Region and Gorkhali ( language of the Gorkha Kingdom ) before the term Nepali was adopted . The origin of modern Nepali language is believed to be from Sinja valley of Jumla . Therefore , the Nepali dialect Khas Bhasa is still spoken among the people of the region .
Sikkim ( /ˈsɪkɪm/ ) is a state in northeastern India . It borders Tibet in the north and northeast , Bhutan in the east , Nepal in the west , and West Bengal in the south . Sikkim is also located close to India 's Siliguri Corridor near Bangladesh . Sikkim is the least populous and second smallest among the Indian states . A part of the Eastern Himalaya , Sikkim is notable for its biodiversity , including alpine and subtropical climates , as well as being a host to Kangchenjunga , the highest peak in India and third highest on Earth . Sikkim 's capital and largest city is Gangtok . Almost 35% of the state is covered by the Khangchendzonga National Park . The Kingdom of Sikkim was founded by the Namgyal dynasty in the 17th century . It was ruled by a Buddhist priest-king known as the Chogyal . It became a princely state of British India in 1890 . After 1947 , Sikkim continued its protectorate status with the Republic of India . It enjoyed the highest literacy rate and per capita income among Himalayan states .
Odia ( ଓଡ଼ିଆ Oṛiā ( help·info ) ; formerly romanized as Oriya ) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the Indian state of Odisha . It is the official language in Odisha ( formerly known as Orissa ) where native speakers make up 82% of the population , also spoken in parts of West Bengal , Jharkhand , Chhattisgarh , and Andhra Pradesh . Odia is one of the many official languages of India ; it is the official language of Odisha and the second official language of Jharkhand . The language is also spoken by a sizeable population of at least 1 million people in Chhattisgarh . Odia is the sixth Indian language to be designated a Classical Language in India , on the basis of having a long literary history and not having borrowed extensively from other languages . The earliest known inscription in Odia dates back to the 10th century AD .
Odisha ( /əˈdɪsə/ , /ɒˈrɪsə , ɔː- , oʊ-/ ; , pronounced [ oɽɪˈsaː ] ( listen ) ; is an Indian state located on the eastern coast of India . It neighbors the states of West Bengal and Jharkhand to the north , Chhattisgarh to the west and Andhra Pradesh to the south . Odisha has a coastline of 485 kilometres ( 301 mi ) along the Bay of Bengal . It is the 8th largest state by area , and the 11th largest by population . The state has the third largest population of Scheduled Tribes in India . The ancient kingdom of Kalinga , which was invaded by the Mauryan emperor Ashoka in 261 BCE resulting in the Kalinga War , coincides with the borders of modern-day Odisha . The modern state of Odisha was established on 1 April 1936 , as a province in British India , and consisted of Odia-speaking regions . 1 April is celebrated as Utkala Dibasa . The region is also known as Utkala and is mentioned in India 's national anthem , Jana Gana Mana . Cuttack was made the capital of the region by Anantavarman Chodaganga in c. 1135 , after which the city was used as the capital by many rulers , through the British era until 1948 . Thereafter , Bhubaneswar became the capital of Odisha . The economy of Odisha is the 16th-largest state economy in India with ₹4.16 lakh crore ( US $ 58 billion ) in gross domestic product and a per capita GDP of ₹93,000 ( US $ 1,300 ) .
Punjabi ( English : /pʌnˈdʒɑːbi/ ; Punjabi : [ pənˈdʒaːbːi ] , ਪੰਜਾਬੀ , پن٘جابی ) is an Indo-Aryan language with more than 125 million native speakers in the Indian subcontinent and around the world . It is the native language of the Punjabi people , an ethnolinguistic group of the cultural region of Punjab , which encompasses northwest India and eastern Pakistan . Punjabi is the most widely spoken language in Pakistan , the 11th most widely spoken language in India and the third most-spoken native language in the Indian subcontinent . It is also the fifth most-spoken native language in Canada after English , French , Mandarin and Cantonese . Punjabi is unusual among Indo-European languages in its use of lexical tone ; see § Tone below for examples . Gurmukhi is the official script for the language in Punjab , India while Shahmukhi is used in Punjab , Pakistan ; other national and local scripts have also been in use historically and currently , as discussed in § Writing systems .
Chandigarh ( local pronunciation : [ tʃə̃ˈɖiːɡəɽʱ ] ( listen ) ) is a city , district and union territory in India that serves as the capital of the two neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana . The city is unique as it is not a part of either of the two states but is governed directly by the Union Government , which administers all such territories in the country . Chandigarh is bordered by the state of Punjab to the north , the west and the south , and by the state of Haryana to the east . It is considered to be a part of the Chandigarh capital region or Greater Chandigarh , which includes Chandigarh , and the city of Panchkula ( in Haryana ) and cities of Kharar , Kurali , Mohali , Zirakpur ( in Punjab ) . It is located 260 km ( 162 miles ) north of New Delhi and 229 km ( 143 miles ) southeast of Amritsar . It was one of the early planned cities in post-independence India and is internationally known for its architecture and urban design . The master plan of the city was prepared by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier , which transformed from earlier plans created by the Polish architect Maciej Nowicki and the American planner Albert Mayer . Most of the government buildings and housing in the city were designed by the Chandigarh Capital Project Team headed by Le Corbusier , Jane Drew and Maxwell Fry . In 2015 , an article published by BBC named Chandigarh as one of the few master-planned cities in the world to have succeeded in terms of combining monumental architecture , cultural growth and modernisation . Chandigarh 's Capitol Complex was in July 2016 declared by UNESCO as World Heritage at the 40th session of World Heritage Conference held in Istanbul . UNESCO inscription was under The Architectural Work of Le Corbusier an outstanding contribution to the Modern Movement . The Capitol Complex buildings include the Punjab and Haryana High Court , Punjab and Haryana Secretariat and Punjab and Haryana Assembly along with monuments Open hand , Martyrs Memorial , Geometric Hill and Tower of Shadow and the Rock Garden .
Haryana ( Hindi pronunciation : [ ɦərɪˈjaːɳaː ] ) is one of the 28 states in India , located in northern part of the country . It was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on 1 November 1966 on linguistic as well as on cultural basis . It is ranked 22nd in terms of area with less than 1.4% ( 44,212 km2 ( 17,070 sq mi ) ) of India 's land area . Chandigarh is the state capital , Faridabad in National Capital Region is the most populous city of the state and Gurugram is a leading financial hub of NCR with major Fortune 500 companies located in it . Haryana has 6 administrative divisions , 22 districts , 72 sub-divisions , 93 revenue tehsils , 50 sub-tehsils , 140 community development blocks , 154 cities and towns , 6,848 villages and 6222 villages panchayats . As the largest recipient of investment per capita since 2000 in India , and among one of the wealthiest and most economically developed regions in South Asia , Haryana has the fifth highest per capita income among Indian states and UTs at ₹226,644 ( US $ 3,200 ) against the national average of ₹125,397 ( US $ 1,800 ) for year 2018-19 . Haryana 's 2019-20 estimated state GSDP of US $ 110 billion ( 52% services , 34% industries and 14% agriculture ) is growing at 12.96% 2012-17 CAGR and placed on the 13th position behind only much bigger states , is also boosted by 30 SEZs ( mainly along DMIC , ADKIC and DWPE in NCR ) , 7% national agricultural exports , 65% of national Basmati rice export , 67% cars , 60% motorbikes , 50% tractors and 50% refrigerators produced in India . Faridabad has been described as eighth fastest growing city in the world and third most in India by City Mayors Foundation survey . In services , Gurugram ranks number 1 in India in IT growth rate and existing technology infrastructure , and number 2 in startup ecosystem , innovation and livability ( Nov 2016 ) . Haryana has the seventh highest ranking among Indian states in human development index . Among the world 's oldest and largest ancient civilisations , the Indus Valley Civilization sites at Rakhigarhi village in Hisar district and Bhirrana in Fatehabad district are 9,000 years old . Rich in history , monuments , heritage , flora and fauna , human resources and tourism with well developed economy , national highways and state roads , it is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the north-east , by river Yamuna along its eastern border with Uttar Pradesh , by Rajasthan to the west and south , and Ghaggar-Hakra River flows along its northern border with Punjab .
Punjab ( /pʌnˈdʒɑːb/ ( listen ) , Punjabi : [ pənˈdʒaːb ] ) is a state in northern India . Forming part of the larger Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent , the state is bordered by the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir to the north , and the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east , Haryana to the south and southeast , and Rajasthan to the southwest . It is bordered by the Pakistani province of Punjab to the west . The state covers an area of 50,362 square kilometres , 1.53% of India 's total geographical area . It is the 20th-largest Indian state by area . With 27,704,236 inhabitants at the 2011 census , Punjab is the 16th-largest state by population , comprising 22 districts . Punjabi is the most widely spoken and official language of the state . The main ethnic group are the Punjabis , with Sikhs ( 58% ) and Hindus ( 38% ) . The state capital is Chandigarh , a Union Territory and also the capital of the neighbouring state of Haryana . The five tributary rivers of the Indus River from which the region took its name are Sutlej , Ravi , Beas , Chenab and Jhelum Rivers ; Sutlej , Ravi and Beas are part of the Indian Punjab . The history of Punjab has witnessed the migration and settlement of innumerable races , forming a melting pot of Punjabi civilisation . The first traces of human habitation in India were found in the Punjab region .
Sanskrit ( English : /ˈsænskrɪt/ ; Sanskrit : संस्कृत , romanized : saṃskṛta , IPA : [ ˈsɐ̃skr̩tɐ ] ( listen ) ) is a language of ancient India with a 3,500-year history . It is the primary liturgical language of Hinduism and the predominant language of most works of Hindu philosophy as well as some of the principal texts of Buddhism and Jainism . Sanskrit , in its variants and numerous dialects , was the lingua franca of ancient and medieval India . In the early 1st millennium CE , along with Buddhism and Hinduism , Sanskrit migrated to Southeast Asia , parts of East Asia and Central Asia , emerging as a language of high culture and of local ruling elites in these regions . Sanskrit is an Old Indo-Aryan language . As one of the oldest documented members of the Indo-European family of languages , [ note 1 ] [ note 2 ] Sanskrit holds a prominent position in Indo-European studies . It is related to Greek and Latin , as well as Hittite , Luwian , Old Avestan and many other living and extinct languages with historical significance to Europe , West Asia , Central Asia and South Asia . It traces its linguistic ancestry to the Proto-Indo-Aryan language , Proto-Indo-Iranian and the Proto-Indo-European languages . Sanskrit is traceable to the 2nd millennium BCE in a form known as Vedic Sanskrit , with the Rigveda as the earliest-known composition . A more refined and standardized grammatical form called Classical Sanskrit emerged in the mid-1st millennium BCE with the Aṣṭādhyāyī treatise of Pāṇini . Sanskrit , though not necessarily Classical Sanskrit , is the root language of many Prakrit languages . Examples include numerous , modern , North Indian , subcontinental daughter languages such as Hindi , Marathi , Bengali , Punjabi , Gujarati , Sindhi , Kashmiri , Kumaoni , Garhwali , Urdu , Dogri , Maithili , Konkani , Assamese , Odia , and Nepali .
Santali ( Ol Chiki : ᱥᱟᱱᱛᱟᱲᱤ ) , also known as Santhali , is the most widely spoken language of the Munda subfamily of the Austroasiatic languages , related to Ho and Mundari , spoken mainly in the Indian states of Assam , Bihar , Jharkhand , Mizoram , Odisha , Tripura and West Bengal . It is a recognised regional language of India per the Eighth Schedule of the Indian Constitution . It is spoken by around 7.6 million people in India , Bangladesh , Bhutan and Nepal , making it the third most-spoken Austroasiatic language after Vietnamese and Khmer . Santali was a mainly oral language until the development of Ol Chiki by Pandit Raghunath Murmu in 1925 . Ol Chiki is alphabetic , sharing none of the syllabic properties of the other Indic scripts , and is now widely used to write Santali in India .
The Austroasiatic languages [ note 1 ] /ˌɔːstroʊ.eɪʒiˈætɪk/ , also known as Mon-Khmer /ˌmoʊnkəˈmɛər/ , are a large language family of Mainland Southeast Asia , also scattered throughout parts of India , Bangladesh , Nepal , and southern China . There are around 117 million speakers of Austroasiatic languages . Of these languages , only Vietnamese , Khmer and Mon have a long-established recorded history and only Vietnamese and Khmer have official status as modern national languages ( in Vietnam and Cambodia , respectively ) . The Mon language is a recognised indigenous language in Myanmar and Thailand . In Myanmar , the Wa language is the de facto official language of Wa State . Santali is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India . The rest of the languages are spoken by minority groups and have no official status . Ethnologue identifies 168 Austroasiatic languages . These form thirteen established families ( plus perhaps Shompen , which is poorly attested , as a fourteenth ) , which have traditionally been grouped into two , as Mon-Khmer and Munda . However , one recent classification posits three groups ( Munda , Nuclear Mon-Khmer and Khasi-Khmuic ) , while another has abandoned Mon-Khmer as a taxon altogether , making it synonymous with the larger family . Austroasiatic languages have a disjunct distribution across Southeast Asia and parts of India , Bangladesh , Nepal and East Asia , separated by regions where other languages are spoken . They appear to be the extant autochthonous languages of Southeast Asia ( excluding the Andaman Islands ) , with the neighboring Indo-Aryan , Kra-Dai , Hmong-Mien , Dravidian , Austronesian , and Sino-Tibetan languages being the result of later migrations .
The Santal , or Santhal , are an ethnic group native to India and Bangladesh in South Asia . Santals are the largest tribe in the Jharkhand state of India in terms of population and are also found in the states of Assam , Bihar , Odisha and West Bengal . They are the largest ethnic minority in northern Bangladesh 's Rajshahi Division and Rangpur Division . They have a sizeable population in Nepal and Bhutan . The Santals mostly speak Santali , an Austroasiatic language and that is the most widely spoken of the Munda languages .
Sindhi ( /ˈsɪndi/ ; سنڌي , सिन्धी , , ਸਿੰਧੀ ) is an Indo-Aryan language of the historical Sindh region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent , spoken by the Sindhi people . It is the official language of the Pakistani province of Sindh . In India , Sindhi is one of the scheduled languages officially recognized by the central government , though Sindhi is not an official language of any of the states in India .
The Indo-Aryan languages , or Indic languages , are a major language family native to northern Indian subcontinent , and presently found all across South Asia . They constitute a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages , itself a branch of the Indo-European language family . In the early 21st century , Indo-Aryan languages were spoken by more than 800 million people , primarily in India , Bangladesh , Nepal , Pakistan and Sri Lanka . Moreover , there are large immigrant and expatriate Indo-Aryan speaking communities in Northwestern Europe , Western Asia , North America and Australia . There are about 219 known Indo-Aryan languages in the world . Modern Indo-Aryan languages are descended from Sanskrit through Prakrit . The largest in terms of L1 speakers are Hindustani ( Hindi-Urdu , about 329 million ) , Bengali ( 242 million ) , Punjabi ( about 120 million ) , Marathi , ( 112 million ) , Gujarati ( 60 million ) , Bhojpuri ( 51 million ) , Odia ( 34 million ) , Maithili ( about 34 million ) , Sindhi ( 25 million ) and other languages , with a 2005 estimate placing the total number of native speakers at nearly 900 million .
Ulhasnagar is a city located in the Mumbai of Maharashtra state in Konkan division , located about 55 km from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus railway station . This city is part of Mumbai Metropolitan Region managed by MMRDA . It had an estimated population of 506,098 at the 2011 Census . Ulhasnagar is a municipal town and the headquarters of the Tahsil bearing the same name . It has a railway station on the Mumbai-Pune route of the Central Railway zone .
Tamil ( /ˈtæmɪl/ ; தமிழ் Tamiḻ [ t̪amiɻ ] , pronunciation ( help·info ) ) is a Dravidian language predominantly spoken by the Tamil people of India and Sri Lanka , and by the Tamil diaspora , Sri Lankan Moors , Chindians , and Douglas . Tamil is an official language in three countries : India , Sri Lanka and Singapore . In India , it is the official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry . Furthermore , Tamil is used as one of the languages of education in Malaysia , along with English , Malay and Mandarin . Tamil is spoken by significant minorities in the four other South Indian states of Kerala , Karnataka , Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands . It is one of the 22 scheduled languages of India . Tamil is one of the longest-surviving classical languages in the world . A. K. Ramanujan described it as the only language of contemporary India which is recognizably continuous with a classical past . The variety and quality of classical Tamil literature has led to it being described as one of the great classical traditions and literatures of the world . A recorded Tamil literature has been documented for over 2000 years . The earliest period of Tamil literature , Sangam literature , is dated from ca . 300 BC - AD 300 .
Tamil Nadu ( Tamil : [ ˈt̪amiɻ ˈn̪aːɽɯ ] ( listen ) ) , is one of the 28 states of India . Its capital and largest city is Chennai . Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian subcontinent and is bordered by the union territory of Puducherry and the South Indian states of Kerala , Karnataka , and Andhra Pradesh . It is bounded by the Eastern Ghats on the north , by the Nilgiri Mountains , the Meghamalai Hills , and Kerala on the west , by the Bay of Bengal in the east , by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait on the southeast , and by the Indian Ocean on the south . The state shares a maritime border with the nation of Sri Lanka . The region was ruled by several empires , including the three great empires - Chera , Chola and Pandyan empires , which shape the region 's cuisine , culture , and architecture . The British Colonial rule during the modern period led to the emergence of Chennai , then known as Madras , as a world-class city . Modern-day Tamil Nadu was formed in 1956 after the reorganisation of states on linguistic lines . The state is home to a number of historic buildings , multi-religious pilgrimage sites , hill stations and three World Heritage sites . Tamil Nadu is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population . The economy of Tamil Nadu is the second-largest state economy in India with ₹16.64 lakh crore ( US $ 230 billion ) in gross domestic product with a per capita GDP of ₹194,000 ( US $ 2,700 ) . Tamil Nadu has the sixth highest ranking among Indian states in human development index .