1 Novembet-7 States of India share Foundation Day together

Seven states — Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Andra Pradesh and Karnataka share their foundation day celebration on 1 November, every year.

Historical events which led to the formation of these states are also very interesting. Let us know about the history and the circumstances that led to the formation of these states.

Foundation of Madhya Pradesh – Heart of India

After India’s independence, Madhya Pradesh state was created in 1950 from the former British Central Provinces and Berar and the princely states of Makrai and Chhattisgarh, with Nagpur as the capital of the state.

So, the foundation date for Madhya Pradesh is 1 November, 1956.

Later, in 1956, the states of Madhya Bharat, Vindhya Pradesh and Bhopal were merged into Madhya Pradesh by State Reorganization Act, and the Marathi-speaking southern region Vidarbha, which included Nagpur, was merged to the then Bombay state. Bhopal became the new capital of the state.

Madhya Pradesh held the record of being the largest state in India having the greatest area until 2000, till its southeastern Chhattisgarh region was made a separate state. Now, Madhya Pradesh is the second-largest state in the country by area after Rajasthan.

Also Read: How much you Know your Tricolor Flag-“Tiranga”

Foundation Date of Kerala – God’s own Country

Kerala  is famous for coconuts, backwaters, lagoons, hill station etc. and for its natural beauty. Kerala is India’s southern most and highly literate state of  India. It has got its name after the first ruler, Keralian Thamboran.

Kerala Piravi marks the birth of the state of Kerala in India. The state of Kerala was created on November 1, 1956 by coalescing three independent provinces named Malabar, Cochin and Travancore.

According to the puranas, Kerala is also known as Parasurama Kshetram, i.e., ‘The Land of Parasurama‘, as the land was reclaimed from sea by him. Parashuram was sixth incarnation of lord Vishnu.

Foundation Day of Haryana – The Home of Gods

Haryana is a northern state of India, and became a separate administrative entity in 1966 on the recommendation of the Sardar Hukam Singh Parliamentary Committee. So, the foundation date of Haryana is 1 November, 1966.

After the famous 1965 India-Pakistan war, the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi agreed to grant the demand of a separate Sikh state. Punjab was divided into 3 states; Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. The Hindu-majority areas were divided into the states of Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.

We are bound to share historical events associated with Haryana, just to refresh history we used to read in our text books. This state has witnessed the biggest human slaughter battle ever according to Hindu scripture, Mahabharata. The war was fought in Kurukshetra region during Vedic times and the Bhagavad Gita was preached by Lord Krishna to Arjun here during the battle.

Panipat in Haryana is famous for Reminiscent of three Epic Battles which have their own historical significance and consequences.

First Battle of Panipat

The first battle took place in 1526 between Babur and  the ruler of Kabul, Ibrahim Lodi in which the Lodi got defeated which laid the foundation of Mughal empire in India.

Second Battle of Panipat

The second battle of Panipat happened in November 5, 1556, and was fought between Akbar’s general Bairam Khan and a local Haryanvi, Hemu who lost his life in the battle.

Third Battle of Panipat

Third Battle of Panipat was fought in year 1761 between the Afghan king Ahmad Shah Abdali and the Marathas under Sadashivrao Bhau of Pune. Around seventy thousand Marathas lost their lives in the battle. Ahmad Shah Abdali claimed victory over Marathas. This battle marked the decline of Maratha dynasty.

Foundation Day of Punjab

Punjab in its present form came into existence on November 1, 1966, when most of its predominantly Hindi-speaking areas were separated to form the new state of Haryana.

The word Punjab is a compound of two Persian words, panj (“five”) and āb (“water”), thus signifying the land of five waters, or rivers (the Beas,  Chenab,  Jhelum, Ravi, and Sutlej).

The city of Chandigarh, within the Chandigarh union territory, is the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana.

Foundation of Karnataka – Land of the Sun Rising Industry

Foundation of Karnataka (Karnataka Rajyotsava) was laid in 1st November, 1956 with the passage of State Reorganization Act, on linguistic  ground. All the Kannada language-speaking regions of South India were merged to form the state of Karnataka.

Originally known as the State of Mysore, it was renamed Karnataka in 1973. The capital and largest city is Bangalore/ Bengaluru is known as the silicon valley of India.

Foundation of Chattisgarh- The bowl of Minerals

Chattisgarh is famous for mines, forests, steel plant. In November 2000, as part of the Madhya Pradesh Reorganization Act, the 16 Chhattisgarhi speaking southeastern portion of the state split off to form the new state of  Chhattisgarh. The capital city is Raipur and the foundation date is 1 November, 2000.

Formation of Andhra Pradesh

In 1956, Andhra Pradesh was the first state to be formed on linguistic basis. 

Andhra Pradesh Cabinet has decided to celebrate the formation day of the State on June 2, the appointed day on which the erstwhile state was bifurcated instead of November 1 as was followed in the unified State.

After five years since 2014, Andhra Pradesh  celebrated formation day on 1 November 2019