Uttar Pradesh, being the abode to every mythological and historical events, has now become the mannequin of India's culture and traditions. It is considered to be the Teerth Sthal of every Hindu and is also the home to one of the seven wonders of the world: Taj Mahal.
Geography
Uttar Pradesh, which is the abode of the Hindu mythology is situated on the northern part of India. It lies between 24 degrees to 31 degrees latitude and 77 degrees to 84 degrees East longitude. It has a magnificent population of 190 million and is thus, India's most populous state and is also the world's most populous sub-division, Maharashtra, being the second populous state in the world. This multifarious province covers an area of 93, 933 square kilometres. It faces Nepal in its northern side. It is bouded by Uttarakhand in its north-western frontier, Himachal Pradesh lies in its north-western side, Delhi and Rajasthan lie in its western profile, Madhya Pradesh lies to its southern side, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand lie in its south-eastern and eastern side. While Lucknow is its legislative and administrative capital, Kanpur is its industrial capital. This state is situated on the Gangetic plains and is devoured with two most sacred rivers of India: Ganga and Yamuna. This state can be hypothetically categorised into three regions: The Himalayan region, which comprises of Chamoli, Almora, Uttarakshi, Pithoragarh, Dehradun, Nainital and Terhri Garwhal. These regions have now been embracd under the Uttarakhand state. The most prominent mountain ranges of this zone include the Shivalik ranges, Nanda Devi, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Mount Kamet, Banarpunch, Dunagiri and Trishul. The second category, which comprises of the Indo-Gangestic plains is the most fertile and prosperous zone. The major part of the economy is dependent on these plains. The last category comprises of the Vindhya ranges. These rocky plateaus comprise of Jalaun, Hamirpur, Jhansi, Bundelkand, Banda, Meja, Mirzapur, Karchhana and Chakia tehsils. Most of these regions are now in Himachal Pradesh.
History
If Delhi has been the silent witness of India's every historical era, then Uttar Pradesh is the amphitheatre, where all the mythological and historical sagas have been played. The Hindu mythology including the great epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata have their origins in this soil. However, the history of this state can be divided into five eras, which are as follows: the early Vedic period, which extends upto 600B.C, the Hindu-Buddhist period, which extends from 600 B.C to 1200 A.D. The Muslim era, which extends from 1200 A.D to 1857. The British aeon, which extends from 1857 to 1947. The last and the prevailing period is of the post independence epoch. The prehistoric epoch comprises of the paleolithic, mesolithic, neolithic periods, ochre coloured pottery, copper hoard, painted grey ware and cemetery cultures. The Vedic period comprises of the early period, when Vedas, Upanishads, Brahmans and Aranyakas were composed on this soil. The Buddhist era witnesses the rise of Mahajanapadas, the Mauryan, the Nanda, the Sunga, the Indo-Scythians, the Satraps rule, Kushans, Guptas, Vardhan, Harsha, Pratihara, Pala, Sena dynasties. The Muslim period constitutes the Khilji, Tughlak and the Mughal dynasties. Soon after this aeon and with the advent of the British rule, the great Indian revolt took place in 1857 and soon the prominent places such as Kanpur, Lucknow and Jhansi led their great contribution in eradicating British.
Culture and Tourism
Being mesmerised by the diverse ethnicity and folklore of Uttar Pradesh, Ruskin Bond had once stated that, he had been to many countries of Asia, Europe and Australia, but none could provide even a half of the variety, that he experienced in this state. This state is undoubtedly a world itself. The multi hued ethnology of this soil makes this state a living ipseity of India. Some of the notable tourist spots include Mathura, Vrindaban, Taj Mahal and Fatehpur Sikri of Agra, Hastinapur of Meerut, Kampil, Soron, Deva Sharif, Lucknow, Gorakhnath temple, Banaras, Allahabad, Ayodhya etc.
