Parental influences on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in children can be linked to their own earlier nutritional or socio-economic circumstances. We examined the association of parental height, a sensitive proxy marker of early life circumstances, with offspring cardiovascular disease risk in the Andhra Pradesh Children and Parents Study (APCAPS) in Southern India. We present data from subjects in 1129 households (N=4369) in 20 study villages where we examined the association of parental height (Mothers N=987, Fathers N=798) with CVD risk factors in children (N=2581, mean age=22.3yrs, Males=58.9%) using multiple regression analyses, adjusting for potential confounders and accounting for family-level clustering. Maternal and paternal height were positively associated with offspring height [β =0.302(0.274, 0.331) and 0.271(0.239, 0.302)], weight [β= 0.170(0.137, 0.203) and 0.167(0.128, 0.205)],body mass index[β=0.034(-0.003,O.070) and 0.042(- 0.001,0.0084)], waist [P=0.066(0.033,O.099) and 0.068(0.033,O.105)]and hip[β=0.140(0.105,O.176) and 0.152(0.109,O.194)]circumferences, total body fat [β =0.102(0.062,0.142) and 0.082(0.043,O.122)]and fat-free mass[β=0.152(0.122,O.181) and 0.173(0.140,0.206)]. Most of these effects were attenuated or lost on accounting for child's current socio-economic status and height. Maternal height showed a positive association, robust to adjustment, with HOMA and diastolic blood pressure only among female offspring, while paternal height was positively associated with offspring LDL-C and inversely with systolic and diastolic blood pressure. There was no association with other biochemical and vascular outcomes. Comparison of maternal versus paternal height influences showed differences for offspring fasting insulin, HOMA insulin resistance and diastolic blood pressure. Taller maternal height leading to improved offspring birth outcomes and later cardiovascular risk has been shown in Western populations. In our study, increasing parental height was associated with increases, rather than decreases in most offspring CVD risk factors, after accounting for potential confounders and mediators. This points to the potential role of lifestyle factors such as unhealthy diet and physical inactivity associated with increased urbanization as putative causative factors in this phenomenon.