Uttar Pradesh is the microcosm of
India, multicultural, multiracial, conglomeration of fabulous wealth of
nature-hills, valleys, rivers, forests, and vast plains.
Viewed as
the largest tourist destination in India, Uttar Pradesh boasts of 35 million
domestic tourists. Its tourism promotion budget is bigger than that
of government of India and half of the states of the Indian union combined.
Uttar Pradesh is studded with places of tourist attractions across a wide
spectrum of interest to people of diverse interests.
The
seventh most populated state of the world, Uttar Pradesh can lay
claim to be the oldest seat of India's culture and civilization. It has been
characterized as the cradle of Indian civilization and culture because it is
around the Ganga that the ancient cities and towns sprang up.
Uttar
Pradesh lies between latitude 24°-31°N and longitude 77°-84°E.
Area wise, it is the fourth largest state of India. In sheer magnitude, it
is half of the area of France, three times of Portugal, four times of
Ireland, seven times of Switzerland, ten times of Belgium and a little
bigger than England.
History of Uttar PradeshUttar
Pradesh has an enormous historical legacy. The renowned epics of
Hinduism-the Ramayana and the Mahabharata-were written in Uttar Pradesh.
Uttar Pradesh also had the glory of being home to Lord Buddha. It has now
been established that Gautama Buddha spent most of his life in eastern Uttar
Pradesh, wandering from place to place preaching his sermons.
The
empire of Chandra Gupta Maurya extended nearly over the whole of Uttar
Pradesh. Edicts of this period have been found at Allahabad, Varanasi, and
Dehradun. After the fall of the Mauryas, the present state of Uttar Pradesh
was divided into four parts: Surseva, North Panchal, Kosal, and Kaushambi.
The western part of Uttar Pradesh saw the advent of the Shaks in the second
century BC. Not much is known of the history of the state during the times
of Kanishka and his successors.
The Gupta Empire ruled over nearly the whole of Uttar Pradesh,
and it was during this time that culture and architecture reached its peak.
The decline of the Guptas coincided with the attacks of Huns from Central
Asia who succeeded establishing their influence right up to Gwalior in
Madhya Pradesh. The seventh century witnessed the taking over of Kannauj by
Harshavardhan.
In 1526, Babur laid the foundation of the
Mughal dynasty. He defeated Ibrahim Lodi in the battle of Panipat.
Babar carried out extensive campaign in various parts of Uttar Pradesh. He
defeated the Rajputs near Fatehpur Sikri while his son Humayun conquered
Jaunpur and Ghazipur, after having brought the whole of Awadh under his
control. After Babur's death (1530), his son Humayun forfeited the empire
after being defeated at the hands of Sher Shah Suri at Kannauj.
After
the death of Sher Shah Suri in 1545, Humayun once again regained his empire
but died soon after. His son Akbar proved to be the greatest of Mughals. His
established a unified empire over nearly the whole of the India. During his
period, Agra became the capital of India and became heartland of culture and
arts. Akbar laid the foundation of modern Indian administration in many
respects. His reign saw peace, tranquility, and progress. He constructed
huge forts in Agra and Allahabad. He shifted his capital to a city called
Fatehpur Sikri close to Agra that for some years became the hub of
administration.
In 1605, Akbar died and was succeeded by
his son Jahangir. The period of Jahangir saw arts and culture reach a new
high. However, politically and administratively, the real power
during this time rested with the queen Nurjahan. In 1627, after the death of
Jahangir, his son Shahjahan ascended the throne. The period of Shahjahan is
known as the golden period of India in art, culture, and architecture. It
was during his reign that the classical wonder Taj Mahal was built in memory
of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. He also constructed the famous Red Fort in Delhi
as well as the Jama Masjid and Moti Mahal.
During his later life,
Shahjahan was deposed by his son Aurangzeb. Aurangzeb shifted his capital to
Delhi, where he kept his father Shahjahan imprisoned until his death. The régime
of Aurangzeb saw innumerable revolts and riots; the whole of Rajputana and
the Deccan became restive. However, it was during his reign that the Mughal
Empire reached its peak in terms of geographic expansion. But with the death
of Aurangzeb in 1707, the Mughal Empire declined at an amazing pace.
Modern
day Uttar Pradesh saw the rise of important freedom fighters on the national
scenario. Lal Bahadur Shastri, Jawaharlal Nehru, Smt. Indira Gandhi, and
Charan Singh were only a few of the important names who played a significant
role in India's freedom movement and also rose to become the prime ministers
of this great nation.
| » Fairs & Festivals of Uttar Pradesh |
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Uttar Pradesh has a long list of fairs and festivals.
More than 2,230 festivals are held annually. Some are organized at
several places simultaneously while others have only local importance.
Festivals and feasts are linked with the golden harvest-the sensuous spring,
the reverence for mythology, religion or in honor of the past great men.
These are zestfully celebrated with song, dance, and merriment; others with
solemnity, fervor, fast, or feast. These fairs and festivals help the people
keep the culture vibrant and promote artistic activities.
One
important festival of Uttar Pradesh is Navratri-a-nine-day festival
dedicated to the Primordial Energy, known as Durga, the consort of Shiva,
which begins on the first day of the bright half of the month of Ashvina.
Diwali is another prominent festival devoted to Lakshmi, the Goddess of
Wealth.
The largest festival fair held in India, drawing
millions of people, is the Kumbha Mela. It is held every 12 years
at Prayag in Allahabad. In between, the Ardh Kumbha Mela is held every six
years at Allahabad and Haridwar.
Holi is another gay and colorful
occasion that marks the onset of the gathering of the harvest. The most
interesting celebrations are held at Barsana, when the women of the village
go out to Nandgaon, the home of Lord Krishna, and challenge the men to throw
color on them. This festival is also known as Lathmar Holi.
| » How to Get there |
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Air : There are four domestic airports in
Uttar Pradesh, i.e., in Agra, Kanpur, Lucknow, and Varanasi. However, there
is no international airport. Major cities in Uttar Pradesh are connected by
air to Delhi and other large cities of India.
Rail
: The state is connected with the major cities of India by trains.
Lucknow, Kanpur, Allahabad and Mughalsarai are some of the major railheads
that are linked to the rest of the country by express, super-fast and
passenger trains.
Road : Uttar Pradesh is
connected to the rest of the country by a good network of roads. Some of the
important national highways that connect that state are NH 2, 25, 26, 27,
29, and 45.
North
India Tour Packages | Hotels
in Uttar Pradesh
