🗺 1956 → Today

How India’s states were formed

From the States Reorganisation Act of 1956 to the new Union Territories of 2019 — slide through every change, and click any state for its family tree. Every step links to its source.

India’s outline follows the Government of India’s official depiction; the areas of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are shown as defined by the Government of India in 2019. Earlier maps are built by joining today’s states, so a boundary is drawn only where it still exists today.

Every change, year by year

Family tree of every state and Union Territory

Andhra Pradesh State 2014

1956 Andhra gains the Telugu-speaking areas of Hyderabad State and is renamed Andhra Pradesh. ✓ States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (Ministry of Home Affairs) ↗
2014 Telangana is separated; the rest continues as Andhra Pradesh. ✓ Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 ↗

Arunachal Pradesh State 1987

1956 The North-East Frontier Agency, part of Assam. ✓ North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971 ↗
1972 Becomes the Union Territory of Arunachal Pradesh. ✓ North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971 ↗
1987 Becomes a state. 📘 NCERT Class 12, Politics in India since Independence, Ch. 1 ↗

Assam State 1972

1956 Assam, then including the North-East Frontier Agency and the Mizo District. ✓ North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971 ↗
1963 Nagaland is formed from its Naga Hills–Tuensang Area. ✓ State of Nagaland Act, 1962 ↗
1972 Meghalaya, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh are carved out. ✓ North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971 ↗

Bihar State 2000

1956 Bihar. ✓ States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (Ministry of Home Affairs) ↗
2000 Jharkhand is carved out. ✓ Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000 (DoPT) ↗

Chhattisgarh State 2000

1956 Part of Madhya Pradesh. ✓ Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000 (Govt of Chhattisgarh) ↗
2000 Becomes a new state. 📘 NCERT Class 12, Politics in India since Independence, Ch. 1 ↗

Goa State 1987

1961 Liberated; part of the Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu. ✓ South Goa district — History ↗
1987 Becomes a state on 30 May 1987. ✓ South Goa district — History ↗

Gujarat State 1960

1956 Part of the new, bilingual Bombay State. ✓ States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (Ministry of Home Affairs) ↗
1960 Becomes a state. 📘 NCERT Class 12, Politics in India since Independence, Ch. 1 ↗

Haryana State 1966

1956 Part of Punjab. 📘 NCERT Class 12, Politics in India since Independence, Ch. 1 ↗
1966 Becomes a state. 📘 NCERT Class 12, Politics in India since Independence, Ch. 1 ↗

Himachal Pradesh State 1971

1948 A Chief Commissioner's province, 15 April 1948. ✓ Government of Himachal Pradesh — Post Independence Period ↗
1956 Becomes a Union Territory. ✓ Government of Himachal Pradesh — Post Independence Period ↗
1966 Kangra and most other hill areas of Punjab are merged into it. ✓ Government of Himachal Pradesh — Post Independence Period ↗
1971 Becomes the 18th state on 25 January 1971. ✓ Government of Himachal Pradesh — Post Independence Period ↗

Jharkhand State 2000

1956 Part of Bihar. ✓ Bihar Reorganisation Act, 2000 (DoPT) ↗
2000 Becomes a new state. 📘 NCERT Class 12, Politics in India since Independence, Ch. 1 ↗

Karnataka State 1956

1956 A new Mysore State is formed (today's Karnataka). ✓ States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (Ministry of Home Affairs) ↗

Kerala State 1956

1956 Kerala State is formed. ✓ States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (Ministry of Home Affairs) ↗

Madhya Pradesh State 2000

1956 A new Madhya Pradesh is formed. ✓ States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (Ministry of Home Affairs) ↗
2000 Chhattisgarh is carved out. ✓ Madhya Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2000 (Govt of Chhattisgarh) ↗

Maharashtra State 1960

1956 Part of the new, bilingual Bombay State. ✓ States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (Ministry of Home Affairs) ↗
1960 Gujarat is separated; the rest of Bombay State is named Maharashtra. ✓ Bombay Reorganisation Act, 1960 (Ministry of Home Affairs) ↗

Manipur State 1972

1956 A Part C state, becoming a Union Territory. ✓ States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (Ministry of Home Affairs) ↗
1972 Becomes a state. 📘 NCERT Class 12, Politics in India since Independence, Ch. 1 ↗

Meghalaya State 1972

1956 Part of Assam. ✓ North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971 ↗
1972 Carved out of Assam as a state. 📘 NCERT Class 12, Politics in India since Independence, Ch. 1 ↗

Mizoram State 1987

1956 The Mizo District of Assam. ✓ North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971 ↗
1972 Becomes a Union Territory. ✓ North-Eastern Areas (Reorganisation) Act, 1971 ↗
1987 Becomes a state. 📘 NCERT Class 12, Politics in India since Independence, Ch. 1 ↗

Nagaland State 1963

1956 Part of Assam. ✓ State of Nagaland Act, 1962 ↗
1963 Becomes a state. 📘 NCERT Class 12, Politics in India since Independence, Ch. 1 ↗

Odisha State 1956

1956 Orissa (today's Odisha) is one of the 14 states. ✓ States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (Ministry of Home Affairs) ↗

Punjab State 1966

1956 A new, larger Punjab is formed. ✓ States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (Ministry of Home Affairs) ↗
1966 Haryana and the hill areas given to Himachal Pradesh are separated. 📘 NCERT Class 12, Politics in India since Independence, Ch. 1 ↗

Rajasthan State 1956

1956 A new Rajasthan is formed. ✓ States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (Ministry of Home Affairs) ↗

Sikkim State 1975

1975 Becomes the 22nd state of India. 📘 NCERT Class 12, Politics in India since Independence, Ch. 7 ↗

Tamil Nadu State 1956

1956 Madras State (today's Tamil Nadu) gains territory from Travancore-Cochin. ✓ States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (Ministry of Home Affairs) ↗

Telangana State 2014

1956 Part of Andhra Pradesh. ✓ States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (Ministry of Home Affairs) ↗
2014 Becomes a new state on 2 June 2014. 📘 NCERT Class 12, Politics in India since Independence, Ch. 1 ↗

Tripura State 1972

1956 A Part C state, becoming a Union Territory. ✓ States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (Ministry of Home Affairs) ↗
1972 Becomes a state. 📘 NCERT Class 12, Politics in India since Independence, Ch. 1 ↗

Uttar Pradesh State 2000

1956 Uttar Pradesh. ✓ States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (Ministry of Home Affairs) ↗
2000 Uttarakhand is carved out of its north. ✓ Government of Uttarakhand — At a Glance ↗

Uttarakhand State 2000

1956 Part of Uttar Pradesh. ✓ Government of Uttarakhand — At a Glance ↗
2000 Becomes the 27th state on 9 November 2000. ✓ Government of Uttarakhand — At a Glance ↗

West Bengal State 1956

1956 West Bengal is one of the 14 states. ✓ States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (Ministry of Home Affairs) ↗

Andaman and Nicobar Islands Union Territory

No change to record since 1956.

Chandigarh Union Territory 1966

1956 Part of Punjab. ✓ Chandigarh district — History ↗
1966 Declared a Union Territory; capital of both Punjab and Haryana. ✓ Chandigarh district — History ↗

Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Union Territory 2019

1954 Dadra and Nagar Haveli freed from Portuguese rule on 2 August 1954; part of India from 11 August 1961. ✓ UT Administration of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu ↗
1961 Daman and Diu liberated; part of the Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu. ✓ South Goa district — History ↗
1987 Daman and Diu become a separate Union Territory. ✓ South Goa district — History ↗
2019 Parliament passes the merger of the two Union Territories (3 December 2019). ✓ PIB — Merger of Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu passed (3 Dec 2019) ↗

Delhi Union Territory 1956

1956 A Part C state, becoming a Union Territory. ✓ States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (Ministry of Home Affairs) ↗

Jammu and Kashmir Union Territory 2019

1956 The state of Jammu and Kashmir. ✓ States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (Ministry of Home Affairs) ↗
2019 Reorganised into the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on 31 October 2019. ✓ PIB — Maps of the new UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh (2 Nov 2019) ↗

Ladakh Union Territory 2019

1956 Part of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. ✓ PIB — Maps of the new UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh (2 Nov 2019) ↗
2019 Becomes a Union Territory (Kargil and Leh districts) on 31 October 2019. ✓ PIB — Maps of the new UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh (2 Nov 2019) ↗

Lakshadweep Union Territory 1956

1956 The Laccadive, Minicoy and Amindivi Islands are made a separate unit. ✓ States Reorganisation Act, 1956 (Ministry of Home Affairs) ↗

Puducherry Union Territory 1954

1954 The French possessions are transferred to India on 1 November 1954 and become a Union Territory. ✓ Government of Puducherry — History ↗

How this is made: today’s states come from public-domain Natural Earth boundaries fitted to India’s official outline. Each earlier map joins today’s states; the one boundary that cannot be rebuilt this way — between Punjab and Himachal Pradesh before 1966 — is not drawn. Years and events are from NCERT, the Acts of Parliament and official government pages.