India has come a long way since
Independence and so have its stock markets. Stock market trading in India
started in 1855. The Bombay Stock Exchange, now known as the BSE, the first
ever stock exchange in Asia was established in 1875. The Government of India
officially recognized BSE under the Securities Contract Regulation Act in 1957.

Notably India’s most valuable
company, in terms of market capitalisation, went public in 1977. Market cap
refers to the total market value of a company’s outstanding shares of stock. It
is calculated by multiplying the total number of a company’s outstanding shares
by the present market price of one share. Market cap is an important number to
determine a company’s size.

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Here is a list of the top 15
Indian companies by market capitalisation:

Reliance Industries

With a market cap of Rs 1,781,193
crore Reliance Industries leads the Indian companies. The Mukesh Ambani-led
conglomerate is headquartered in Mumbai. It engages in a range of businesses in
the textiles, telecommunications, retail, natural resources, and petrochemical
sectors.

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Tata Consultancy Services

With a market cap of Rs 1,244,005
crore, Tata Consultancy Services is the second largest Indian company in terms
of market cap. Tata Group subsidiary TCS is an information technology (IT)
services, business solutions, and consulting firm headquartered in Mumbai. TCS
ranks among the global leaders in the IT segment.

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HDFC Bank

In the third position with a
market cap of Rs 825,207 crore, HDFC Bank is among the leaders in the Indian
financial and banking services companies. Incorporated in 1994, HDFC Bank was the
first bank in India approved by the RBI to offer financial services in the
private sector.

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Infosys

Currently, Infosys has a market
cap of Rs 670,920 crore, placing it in the fourth position among the top 15
Indian companies. Established in 1981, Infosys is a global leader in the IT
services segment.

Hindustan Unilever Limited

Hindustan Unilever has a market
cap of Rs 609,765.92 crore and is ranked fifth among the top 15 Indian firms in
terms of market capitalisation. With a rich history of more than 80 years, HUL
is a leader in India’s fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) segment. According to
the company’s website, on any given day, nine out of 10 houses use the
company’s products.

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ICICI Bank

ICICI Bank has a market cap of Rs
608,729 crore, and hence the firm is placed in the sixth position among the
largest Indian firms. ICICI Bank offers a wide range of banking products and
financial services to retail and corporate customers through its group
customers and a variety of channels.

State Bank of India

SBI is in the seventh position
with a market cap of Rs 473,584 crore. Headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra,
SBI is an Indian multinational, public sector banking and financial services
statutory body.

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Housing Development Financial
Corporation

The market cap of HDFC is Rs
445,398 crore and hence the company is placed in the eighth position among the
15 largest Indian companies. Based in Mumbai, HDFC is an Indian financial
services company with its presence in banking, general insurance, asset
management, realty, education, deposits, venture capital, and others.

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Bajaj Finance

At present, the Indian financial
services company has a market cap of Rs 442,496 crore and is ranked ninth on
the list. Bajaj Finance is focused on lending, asset management, wealth
management, and insurance. Its headquarters is in Pune, Maharashtra.

Life Insurance Corporation

The market capital of LIC is Rs
431,459 crore at present and is ranked at the 10th position among the top 15
Indian companies in terms of market cap. Headquartered in Mumbai, it is India’s
largest life insurance company offering a variety of life insurance plans
including a range of ULIPs, pension plans, child plans, term insurance, and
others.

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Bharti Airtel

The market capital of Bharti
Airtel is Rs 401,386 crore and is ranked at 11th position among the top 15
Indian companies. Headquartered in New Delhi, the company is amongst the top
three mobile services providers in terms of subscribers, globally.

Adani Transmission

The Adani Group subsidiary has a
market cap of Rs 394,884 crore. Currently, it is one of the largest private
sector power transmission companies operating in India.

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ITC

The Kolkata-based conglomerate has a
market cap of Rs 381,940 crore. It has a diversified presence in cigarettes,
hotels, paperboards & specialty papers, packaging agri-Business, packaged
foods & confectionery, information technology, branded apparel personal care,
stationery, safety matches, and other FMCG products.  

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Adani Total Gas

Adani Total Gas is in 14th position
with a market cap of Rs 376,481 crore. The wholly-owned subsidiary is engaged
in the business of natural gas. It is focused on developing City Gas
Distribution (CGD) Networks to supply Piped Natural Gas (PNG) to the
Industrial, Commercial, Domestic, and CNG to the transport sector.

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Kotak Mahindra

The private lender has a market cap
of Rs 365,576 crore at present. Headquartered in Mumbai, it offers banking and
financial services in the areas of personal finance, investment banking, life
insurance, and wealth management.