Top 10 Biggest Districts of India

India is the seventh largest country in the world in terms of area and is the second populous country around the globe. For convenience in the administration, the 29 states in India are divided into districts. According to 2018 records, there are 718 districts in India. According to demographics, there are 690 districts in India in 2011. The district collectors will handle the administration of districts. A district collector acts as the first class magistrate of the district to tackle law and order issues also. Here is the account of largest districts in India according to the territorial area.

Rajasthan and Andhra Pradesh have the largest number of biggest districts in India. Rajasthan has five biggest districts, and Andhra Pradesh has two most prominent districts in the country.

List of Biggest Districts in India

10. Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh

This is the tenth biggest district in India with an area of around 17,658 km. This district is known for pilgrimage centers like SriSailam, one of the famous Saivite temples. This region shares a border with Telangana and Karnataka. One of the renowned irrigation projects in India, Srisailam is located in this district. The city of Kurnool is often called as the gateway of Rayalaseema. Ketavaram and Yaganti are known for rock paintings. This region is known for Buddhist relics. Later, these religious relics were preserved in Anantapur museum. The rock paintings are said to be dated back to 35,000 to 40,000 years. There were utensils and things dated back to pre-Buddhist era found in excavations a few decades ago. This was a Mughal princely state and later was under the control of Nizams before independence. The city of Kurnool served as the capital of Andhra Pradesh between the years 1953-56. Mantralayam is the famous pilgrimage center in this district that is located on the banks of the Tungabhadra river. Orvakal rock gardens and Kondareddy Burj are the essential places of attraction in this district. The city of Kurnool lies on the banks of river Tungabhadra.

Orvakal rock gardens are the sculptural garden situated in the southeastern part of the city. This place is famous for the cultivation of rice. This is one of the hottest places in the state.

9. Nagaur district, Rajasthan

Nagaur district is the ninth largest district in India. The city of Nagaur lies between Bikaner and Jodhpur. This is one of the places where earlier Sufi Shrines were founded. One is Moinuddin Chisti shrine at Ajmer and Hamiduddin shrine at Nagaur. This place is known for fortresses and Hindu and Sufi shrines. Hamiduddin is known for adopting Hindu styles of worship and for rearing a cow. He is a famous Sufi saint. This is the fifth largest district in Rajasthan. Sandstorms are common in this district. This is one of the hottest places in the morning and coldest places at night. This district experiences the most extended winter season in the country from mid-November to the end of March. This is a part of the vast Indian Thar desert. This district won the honor of the place where democratic decentralization started under the leadership of the first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru. Nagaur fort and Ladnan are some of the significant areas of this district.

8. Mahbubnagar, Telangana

This is the eighth biggest district in India seated in the Telangana state. This district came into Telangana after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh. The area of this district is around 18,432sq.kms. This district is formerly called as Palamuru district. This district was named after 6th Nizam ruler Mahbub Ali Khan. The city of Mahbubnagar was earlier called as Rukmampet.

7. Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh

Anantapur is the seventh biggest district in this country. It is a famous district in Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh with an area of 19,130 sq.kms. This region shares the border with Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Gooty Fort is the ancient fortress under the rule of Mysore kings later exchanged with Nizam rulers. This city is 354 km away from Hyderabad. Penna is the important river that flows through this district. Puttaparthi and Lepakshi are significant places of this region with religious importance.

Gooty is the place known for monuments of national significance.

6. Jodhpur, Rajasthan

This is one of the districts known for Fortresses. This district is the sixth largest district in India with an area of 22,901 sq.kms.  This is the second highest populated district in Rajasthan. The important place in this district is Mandore, the ancient capital of Pratiharas and is the abode of Pratiharas temple, Osiyan. It was under the rule of Rathore dynasty before Independence, as a part of Marwar kingdom. Jodhpur is called as Sun City or Blue City. Mehrangarh fort and Maharaja Gaj Singh’s palace or Umaid Bhawan are the important places of interest in this district. A portion of Umaid Bhavan serves as the Taj Group Hotel. Om Thanvi and Barkatullah Khan are the notable persons of this district.

5. Barmer, Rajasthan

This is the fifth largest district with 28,393 km. This district is situated in Rajasthan. It is located in the western part of Rajasthan which covers a part of Thar desert. It passes through part of Jalore that merges with Rann of Kutch in Gujarat. This district shares a border with Pakistan. The present city of Barmer came into existence since 1552 CE. This district is known for wooden furniture and wooden block printing industries. We can find traditional priest singers and Dholis, a drummer community in Muslims who sing stories of war heroes.

4. Bikaner, Rajasthan

Bikaner is the fourth biggest district in India with an area of 28,466 sq.kms. This district is known for Royal palaces and fortes.  It is 300km away from Jaipur. This is situated in the northwestern border of Rajasthan. Akshaya Tritiya is observed as the foundation day of this district. Bajre ka khichda and imli ka pani are the favorite snacks from this region. The kite festival conducted during the foundation day is the important festivity in this region. This is observed as Choti Aka Teej and Badi Aka Teej. People celebrate this festival by flying kites from early in the morning till late at night for two days. Junagarh Fort, Lakshmi Vilas Palace, Karni Mata temple, Lakshminath temple, and Bhandasar Jain temple are some of the famous tourist spots of this place.

3. Jaisalmer, Rajasthan

This is one of the coldest places in the country with less than zero degrees in almost all the seasons during nights, but it is one of the hottest places during days. This is the third largest districts in the nation. The area of this district is 39,313 sq.kms.  Jaisalmer is 289 km away from Jodhpur and 559 km away from Jaipur. It is situated in Thar desert, Rajasthan. This district shares a border with Pakistan. This is an abode of numerous sand hills. Jaisalmer Fort, Bada Bagh, Akal Wood Fossil Park, Patvali haveli, Salim Singh Haveli, and Thar desert are important places of attraction in this district. The desert festival is an important celebration in this region.

2. Leh, Jammu, and Kashmir

Leh is one of the two districts located in Ladakh. The important town in this place is Leh, located at the top of the Himalayas. This is the second largest district in India with an area of 45,110 sq.kms. Leh shares border with Xinjiang, China near the Karakoram pass. In 2017, Leh was declared as the tobacco-free zone. This is the second least populous district in Jammu and Kashmir. The Tsomoriri lake and Leh flower valley are the places of ecological diversity in this region. The administration of this district will be carried out by an autonomous board called Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council or LAHDC, which was established in 1995.

1. Kacch, Gujarat

This district shares the border with Pakistan. This is located in the state of Gujarat. This is one of the places of climatic diversities with hottest days and coldest nights. This is the nearest place to the famous pilgrimage center, Dwarka. Festival of Kacch during winter is the biggest celebration in this district. It is the festival that attracts thousands of tourists to this place every year. The area of this district is 45,662 sq.km. The Rann of Kacch is the popular wetland. When there were no dams across the rivers near this place, it remained as the solitary wetland for the area. Banni grasslands are the place of ecological significance where the belt of Rann of Kacch stood as the marshy wetlands for this region.

This district is surrounded by Gulf of Kacch and Arabian sea on their southern and western borders respectively. Majority of this area is the urban region. The famous artwork on fabrics, Kacch work, gained popularity for this region.

There are many popular districts in the country that are known for art forms and cultural heritage. The above record is given from territorial area and significance. There are many places of historical importance which made them the famous tourist spots and are worth a visit.  Though districts were divided for administrative convenience, each region depicts unique heritage and cultural values.