In Pics: 5 states celebrate their 'Formation Day' today

Karnataka, Kerala, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh are celebrating their formation days today, on Sunday, Nov 1.

In the morning, PM Narendra Modi extended his greetings to all five states on the micro-blogging site Twitter.

He appreciated Chhattisgarh natural beauty and progress, invoked the spirit of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan' for Haryana, called for Karnataka's progress, recalled Kerala's contribution in the development of nation and also greeted Madhya Pradesh.

Let's know more about the formation day or albeit the 'birthdays' of these 5 states in the following slideshow:

Kannada Rajyotsava

Karnataka was formed on Nov 1, 1956 and today it is celebrating its 59th formation day.During 1950s, when India became a republic nation and many states and provinces were formed on the basis of language spoken in a particular region, the state namely 'Mysore' was formed with the Kannada speaking people of South India.

However, the name 'Mysore' was not accepted by some regions and people demanded the change in the name of the state.

Finally, the state of all Kannada speaking people was renamed as Karnataka on Nov 1, 1973. From 1973, the day has been marked as a government holiday in Karnataka and Kannadigas take great pride in celebrating Rajyotsava with various festivities, cultural events and performances through out the state.

Every year the government of the state asserts Rajyotsava awards, which are awarded to people responsible for great contributions in the development of Karnataka in the field of art, literature, science, politics and more.

Kerala Piravi

Kerala was created on Nov 1, 1956 and every year, this day is celebrated as 'Kerala Piravi Dinam' in the state.

Before India acheived independence in 1947, Kerala existed in the form of three independent provinces- Malabar, Cochin and Travancore.

According to historians, Keralaword was derived from "kera", which means coconut tree, which is widely seen in the region.

As part of the celebrations, cultural programmes, seminars and honouring of writers and artists are organised.

Kerala has an area of 38,863 km square and is bordered by Karnataka to the north, Tamil Nadu to the south and the Lakshadweep Sea towards the west.

It is a popular tourist destination and famous for its backwaters, Ayurvedic treatments and tropical greenery.

Kerala is covered with intense tropical forest, beautiful beaches, sea cliffs, rocky coasts.Malayalees, generally, wear traditionally clothes on this day.

Chhattisgarh celebrates Formation Day

Chhattisgarh, the tenth largest state of India, was carved out of Madhya Pradesh on Nov 1, 2000. It has an area of 135,194 km square and a population of 25.5 million.

One of the fastest-developing states,Chhattisgarh comprises of 27 districts and 5 divisions-- Bastar, Bilaspur, Durg, Raipur and Surguja.

Chhattisgarhi, a dialect of Hindi language, is spoken and understood by the majority of people in the state.

'Jatland' Haryana celebrates Formation Day

Haryana was carved out of the former state of East Punjab on Nov 1, 1966 on the basis of language distribution.

Historically, Haryana holds great significance, as the epic battle of Mahabharata was fought at Kurukshetra and three battles were fought inPanipat.

One of the wealthier states of India, Haryana contributed a lot in the Green Revolution in 1960s. The 'Milliennium City' of Gurgaon has emerged as top IT hub since 2000.

Faridabad and Sonepat are among the major cities of Haryana. It comprisies of 21 districts and four divisions--Ambala, Gurgaon, Hisar and Rohtak.

The state that manifests the spirit of 'Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan', has given various sports personalities to the country.

Madhya Pradesh celebrates Formation Day

Madhya Pradesh, the second largest state in the country by area and sixth-largest in terms of population, was formed on Nov 1, 1956.

The BJP-ruled state comprises of 51 districts and 10 divisions.