India is renowned for its huge population, with maximum people residing in the cities of India. There are 23 cities in India, having a population of over million residents. Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkatta, and Chennai are the four main cities of India. The capital city of India Delhi is actually comprised of two cities, Old Delhi and New Delhi. It is most likely the city with the biggest number of historical monuments in the world, mostly belonging to the Mughal era.

Kolkata was considered in the past as the center of Indian culture and intellectuals. Some of the famous modern India philosophers, like Swami Vivekananda, were centered in Calcutta. Today Calcutta is seen as the most polluted and culturally superior city of India. In the early 1990s Mumbai became the most populated city of India and is in many fields the center of India.

Among the other cities of India, Mumbai is the hub of the commercial, financial and entertainment activities of India. Out of the total number of twenty-three stock exchanges in India, Mumbai stock exchanges are the most significant. India produces the largest number of movies in the world. And here Mumbai contributes with a huge number of films, thus making India, one of the largest industries in the sphere of the world.

Hyderabad is also gaining recognition as one of the important cities of India in the contemporary period. In the last few years Hyderabad, capital of Andhra Pradesh, is competing with Chennai as the movie center of India. Bangalore is considered today as the technology center of India, popularly known as silicon city of India. Most of the high technology companies that operate in India are centered in Bangalore. Bangalore is also called `garden city`. It is very clean compared to other Indian cities. It is also seen as the most westernized city in India because of the pubs and western style shopping centers.

There are several other cities of India, which are also important. Ahmedabad and Bhopal are renowned for the industrial development. Madurai and Varanasi are important pilgrimage centers for Hindus. The city of Agra is home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World, namely the Taj Mahal and is one of the favourite destinations for tourists. The city is also famous for its carpets, jewellery and leather shoes. The main languages spoken in Agra are Hindi, Urdu and English is frequently used, as well.

Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan state is also significant among other cities of India. It has a population of more than 2,5 million. It is also called the `Pink City` and is remarkable for its spectacular architecture and city planning. It is the only town in the world, which is segregated into nine rectangular sectors. According to `shilpa shastra`-epochal treatise of Hindu architecture, it symbolizes nine segments of world.

Cuttack is one of the oldest cities of India and became the capital of Orissa for almost nine centuries, before Bhubaneswar was made the capital city. It is also the hub of commercial activities of the state. Its actual pronunciation is `Katak`. With its world famous unique filigree works in silver, ivory and brass works and textiles of woven silk and cotton, Cuttack is perhaps the grandest showroom of Orissa.

Among the other important cities of India, Kanpur is situated in the northern part of Uttar Pradesh, on the banks of Ganga River. It is the most populated town in the state of Uttar Pradesh, with over 2.5 million inhabitants. Kanpur is also the leading and most industrialized city in Uttar Pradesh. Various industrial items like chemicals, textiles, leather goods and food products are being supplied to several parts of India. Kanpur is the home of IIT Kanpur, one of the reputed institutes not only in India and also through out the world.

Gangtok is the capital and largest town of the Indian state of Sikkim. It is situated in the lower Himalayas. Being renowned for its scenic beauty and temperate climate, this hill station is the main center of India`s tourism industry of the state. Gangtok is also the hub of Buddhist culture and learning with numerous monasteries and religious educational institutions.

Cities of India are numerous and diverse, each deserves mentioning for their unique heritage of socio- cultural and political scenario.