The species of cobra inhabiting India are reviewed. All Asiatic cobras used to be considered part of a single species, Naja naja. In fact, four species are found in India alone: Naja naja (more or less throughout the country), Naja kaouthia (east and north-east), Naja oxiana (extreme north-west) and Naja sagittifera (the Andaman Islands). The systematics of the four species is reviewed, and all four species are described, and the literature on their natural history and medical importance summarised.