Uttar Pradesh
is the land of diversity. In 1935,
British Indian government formed united province by merging Agra and Awadh
regions. the capital of Uttar Pradesh is Lucknow. United Province became today’s UP in January, 1950- after
independence. UP faced further problems in 1994, when demands were raised for a
separate Uttaranchal with the Garhwal and Kumaon regions. UP has Uttaranchal to
its North; Haryana at west; Rajasthan at South and Bihar in the East. Area wise
UP is the fourth largest state but has the population. Geographically it has
two distinctive features the Southern Plateau and the Plains along the Gangetic
basin.
With the
Himalayas at its north and the Shivalik ranges at its south, UP is a paradise
for pilgrims and travelers. Agra with
her Taj is a wonder of the world. The four major pilgrims of the world as
mentioned in the Purana are- Badri, Kedar, Gangotri and Yamunotri are in UP and
draws a huge crowd of pilgrims. Three of the seven holy places of the Hindus –
Varanasi, Ajodhya and Mathura- are all here. UP has it all Vrindhavan, Prayag
(Allahabad) at the confluence of three rivers- Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati
which are considered to be the holy rivers. It doesn’t have mountain or sea around.
The dearth of sea and mountain is compensated by two holy rivers- Ganges and
Yamuna which come down from Gangotri and Yamunotri and keep flowing through the
plains. Four more rivers- Ghaghara, Gomti, Koshi and Ramganga come all the way
from north and meet with the Ganges here. Places of mythological importance and
scenic splendor have been attracting millions of people through ages. UP has
always been known as place or pilgrimages and gateway to Deva bhoomi in Himalayas.
But equally known are the practices or fleecing the pilgrims at Kashi, Prayag
and Vrindavan.
Travelling in
India is incomplete without visiting UP which is topper in tourism map. Lucknow fondly called the Golden city of the
east or the city of Adab. Lucknow is the heart of UP and unique by itself.
Gomti the tributary of Ganges cuts through the city. The evening in Lucknow is as
famous as the morning of Varanasi. All the tourists those who visited Lucknow
fell in love with the place and expressed in beautiful words the trance it led
them into. The cultural heritage of Lucknow was simultaneously shared by the Hindus
and Muslims. The acculturation is still now evident in every facet of life. The
age old cultural continuum has stood through time even in the face of an all
pervasive globalization. Bada Imambara, the 4 storey marvel was constructed by
Khifayatulla, an Iranian architect and has a strange labyrinth Bhulbhulaiya on
top of it. It is the world’s biggest dome shaped hall. One may lose way inside
it without a guide. There are 84 steps to take the tourists to a height that
offers a panoramic view of the city. Juma Masjid, another glorious deed of the
Nawab is at its west. It has three onion shaped minarets. It has a zoo, which
has a wide collection of snakes. There are elephant rides and toy train services
to the Botanical garden. The collection of Dolls at Motilal Nehru Childrens
Museum is worth seeing. Akbar’s Fort in
Allahabad is another foremost attraction of this state. It is surrounded by strong
ramparts and 7m high walls of red stone, the fort has three entrances.
Demography-
People of this
place is involved in different professions such as painters, dancers, doctors,
engineers, dramatists, IT-Professionals, business etc. the literacy rate in
this state is 57%. Hindi, Urdu and English are the main languages of this
state. People of different religions are also found here.
Climate-
Autumn is the best time to visit this state. Flowers add to
the beauty of this state during May-July. The tropical climate varies between 27C
in winter and 48C in summer. Again there are places where mercury drops dips
down to 10C during monsoon in June-September.
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