Uttar Pradesh, "Northern Province"), [or UP] is considered a northern state of India. It is India's most populous state, with over 195 million people. Had it been an independent country, UP would be the world's fifth most populous. Its area is 243,290 km2. Most of UP takes up, to its advantage, the highly productive and naturally fertile upper Gangetic plain. It is no wonder then that this plain is the most thickly populated portion of the state.
Geography:
UP shares an international border with Nepal to the north along with the Indian state of Uttarakhand, which till 2000 was part of UP, Himachal Pradesh to the north-west, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan on the west, Madhya Pradesh on the south, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand on the south east and Bihar on the east. Lucknow is the capital of Uttar Pradesh, for administrative and legislative purposes, whereas the city of Kanpur is the de facto financial and industrial capital of UP.
How to Get There:
By Air: There are four major airports and 23 airstrips in The state. However, there is no international airport in the city. The cities of Lucknow, Agra, Kanpur and Varanasi have nationally well connected airports. Agra is the largest, but Lucknow is the most important airport of the state. Bareilly is scheduled to join the set up as a domestic airport. Though major rivers flow through the state, they are not in a position to support river transportation beyond short cross-river ferries.
By Rail and Road: The transportation system of UP is a huge maze of interconnected rail and roadways. The state has the second largest road network in the country, with as many as 31 national highways. But then, travelling by road in UP cannot be called easy by any stretch of imagination, simply because of the populace, their cattle and pets. Local highways are, however, reasonable, with only one obstacle to deal with, the three-wheeled auto-rickshaws. National highways are, on the other hand, fine. With just one expressway, plans are afoot to connect Agra city to as many expressways as convenient, considering that this city is the country and the state’s biggest tourist draw.
Demographics:
70% of Uttar Pradesh population is Hindu and 28% Muslim. The remaining population consists of devotees of the other religions practised in secular India, viz., Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians and Jains. The Hindus of UP are divided into the traditional four castes. A fifth entity has been added, which stands for Harijans-the Dalit community. Like Bihar, the state has many tribes, each tribe having its own traditions and peculiarities. Facilities in the state could do with some improvement, which is a gigantic task, considering the number of bodies involved.
Culture and Cities:
UP has a very rich history, with cities like Varanasi and Agra steeped in folklore as the playfields of the Gods. It is rich in Muslim culture too. Kanpur is its largest city; other big cities are Gorakhpur, Agra, Meerut, Bareilly, Allahabad, Aligarh, Ghaziabad and Noida. UP, taken to be where Hinduism was born, has thus been the earliest seat of the Hindu religion, with its concomitant learning and culture, and is an important state housing sites of Hindu pilgrimage. The State also has several sites important to Buddhism. But it is the heritage of the Mughal Empire that is dominant in UP, including the world famous mausoleum Taj Mahal, the resplendent tomb of Emperor Akbar in Agra and Akbar's capital-palace in Fatehpur Sikri. Cities to be visited are Ayodhya,Chitrakoot, Chunar, Deogarh, Dewa Sharif, Jhansi, Kalinjar, Lucknow, Mathura - Vrindavan, etc.
Climate:
UP has subtropical climate, but weather changes markedly with geographical location. The foothills in the north see low winter temperatures and snowfall. The plains have a blazing hot summer, from April to June, when the monsoons set in, with rainfall up to September. Floods are an annual problem and cause severe destruction to life, limb and crops.
Tourist Spots:
UP is the foremost tourist destination in India. Agra is thronged by visitors wanting to see the Taj Mahal, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri. Pilgrims visit the holiest Hindu cities on the sacred rivers Ganga and the Yamuna: Varanasi, considered to be the world's oldest city, famous for its ghats (bathing steps on the river banks); Ayodhya, the birth place of Lord Rama; Mathura, the birth place of Lord Krishna and Allahabad, the confluence of the sacred Ganga, Yamuna and the underground Saraswati rivers. Allahabad also witnesses the Kumbh Mela every twelfth year, when over ten million pilgrims bathe in the Ganges, the single largest gathering of people anywhere, globally. Buddhists worship at Bodh Gaya, where Lord Buddha gained enlightenment; Sarnath, where he gave his first sermon after enlightenment, and Kushinagar, where he died.
Arts and Craft:
Bareilly is famous for its Zari work; Firozabad for glass bangles; Kannauj for oriental perfumes; Kanpur for its leather craft; Khurja for its ceramics; Bhadohi for carpets and Varanasi for its Banarasi saris.
