The State is situated in Northern part of India and is surrounded by Tibet & Nepal in the North, Madhya Pradesh in the South, Haryana, Delhi & Rajasthan in the West and Bihar in the East. Often referred to as the cow belt or Hindi belt, Uttar Pradesh has been the most dominant state in Indian politics and culture since Independence, producing over half of India's prime ministers. This is partly because it's the nation's most populous - it has as many inhabitants as Brazil - and partly because of the central role the region plays in the religious landscape of Hindus. The Ganges River, which forms the backbone of Uttar Pradesh, is the sacred river of Hinduism, and four of the religion's seven holy towns are in the state, including Varanasi, the holiest of them all. Uttar Pradesh is also a places of major importance to Buddhists for it was at Sarnath, just outside Varanasi, that the Buddha first preached his message of the middle way. Most of Uttar Pradesh consists of the vast Ganges plain, an area of awesome flatness which often floods dramatically during the monsoon. The scenic north-western corner has hill stations sprinkled along the foothills of the Himalaya, boasts excellent trekking and rises to form some of the highest mountains in India.
History :
Over 2000 years ago the area that became Uttar Pradesh was part of Ashoka's great Buddhist empire. Muslim raids from the north-west began in the 11th century, and by the 16th century the region was part of the famed Mughal empire whose capital was for some time at Agra and Fatehpur Sikri. Following the decline of the Mughal empire, the nawabs of Avadh rose to prominence in the central part of the region and were responsible for turning Lucknow into a flourishing center for the arts. When the British East India Company deposed the last nawab, the Uprising of 1857 began at Meerut, and its most tragic events took place in Lucknow and Kanpur. Agra was later merged with Avadh and the state became known as United Provinence. It was renamed Uttar Pradesh (Northern State) after Independence, and is often known simply as U.P.
Cities of Rajasthan
Agra,
Lucknow,
Benaras,
Allahabad,
Kanpur,
Mathura,
Jhansi, Mahoba, Meerut, Muradabad, Gorakhpur.
Tourist Attraction of Uttar Pradesh :-
Taj Mahal
Described as the most extravagant monument ever built for love, it was constructed by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a memorial to his queen Mumtaz Mahal, made out of white marble took 22 years to complete (1630-1652 AD).
Agra Fort
Construction of the massive red sandstone Agra Fort on the bank of the Yamuna River was begun by Emperor Akbar in 1565, though additions were made up until the rule of his grandson, Shah Jahan.
Ram Janam Bhumi
On the right bank of the river Suryu as its called within sacred precints stands the holy city of the Ayodhya, believed to be the birth place of Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Vishnu. It is believed that Lord Rama spent much of his childhood here.
How to get there :
By Air : Major cities in Uttar Pradesh are connected by air to Delhi i.e. Agra, Kanpur, lucknow and varanasi. They all are four domestic airports in Uttar Pradesh.
By Rail : 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. This state is connected with the major cities of India by trains.
By Road : Uttar Pradesh is connected to the rest of the country by a good networks of roads. There are some important National Highway that connect that state are NH 2, 25, 26, 27, 29 and 45.
