Famous State of Uttar Pradesh in india

  By Dhananjai | September 4, 2012 | INDIAN CULTURE

History The region now called Uttar Pradesh played a pivotal role in the history of India. Ancient cities and archaeological sites abound as evidence that this area was central to the conquest and control of the entire subcontinent. Varanasi is one of the oldest inhabited cities of the world and lies at the very core of Hindu religious beliefs. Close to Varanasi is Sarnath, where the Buddha preached his first sermon to his very first disciples. Derogatorily called the ‘cow belt’ of India, philosophers, thinkers, jurists, writers, artistes and poets were nurtured on its soil. Successive rulers of the subcontinent realised early on that they could administer an entire country from this heartland. Over 2000 years ago, the state was part of Ashoka’s great Buddhist Empire. Following the Muslim invasions of India, this region became one of the most important and powerful provinces of the country. It became an integral part of the enormous Mughal Empire, even more so when Akbar the Great shifted his capital to Agra. The British East India Company, too, realised its importance and entered into strategic alliances with the different rulers of the region. The state came to be known as United Province when Agra was merged with Awadh after the British slowly but steadily made inroads into the existing status quo before wresting total control over it. The stranglehold of the British caused great offence to the local rajahs, the nawabs and their subjects sparking off the first war of Indian Independence. This first uprising against the British, the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857 began with the revolt of soldiers in the barracks of Meerut and quickly spread to Kanpur, Lucknow, Jhansi and Allahabad. Uttar Pradesh continued to wield its influence in pre and post independence India. It was at the centre of the struggle for independence and many a momentous decision was taken here and many crucial battles fought here. In modern India, because of its vast population, the state sends the largest number of members to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament making it a critical player in the democracy’s game of numbers.

Economy The per capita income of the state of Uttar Pradesh was Rs 4787 in 1993-94. It is one of the lowest in the country, with only Orissa and Bihar having lower levels of per capita income. Income from the agricultural sector is now at 41%, though over 70% of total workforce is sustained by this sector. Growth of the economy in the past few decades has been skewed towards the urban sector. The major industries of Uttar Pradesh are cement, vegetable oils, textiles, cotton yarn, sugar, jute and glassware.

Language Uttar Pradesh is a microcosm of the entire Indian nation in its diversity. Multi ethnic, multi religious and multi cultural, Uttar Pradesh has absorbed many an immigrant culture and race within its borders and created a unique cultural heritage found nowhere else in the country. Its people belong to many religions and come from distant parts of the country but have had the latitude to recreate their own native cultures. Afghans, Kashmiris, Bengalis, Parsis and Punjabi immigrants settled here. Christians, Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists all found the freedom to practise their religions and pass it on to successive generations. The state is a curious mix of the traditional and the modern. One of the least developed states in the country; it has some highly industrialised pockets. While it is secular, liberal and progressive, at the same time it is deeply rooted in social and religious traditions and taboos. While its diversity is its strength, it is often equally divisive although rarely parochial. Inherently secular in character, it is also the place where religious buildings are torn down by rampaging fundamentalists. The urban centres have grown into modern, chaotic sprawling cities and towns but the rural areas of the state are trapped in a time warp. Old rituals, traditional practices and archaic agricultural methods are still followed and little by way of progress and development has trickled down to the hinterland. That, in a nutshell, is Uttar Pradesh, a state that defies definition. The people of Uttar Pradesh speak Hindi, Urdu, English and a host of Hindi dialects. Hindi and English are universally spoken and understood, while Urdu is mostly spoken in the Muslim strongholds of Lucknow, Faizabad, Allahabad, Aligarh and Agra.

Religion The majority of the people are Hindus while a large percentage of the minority practice Islam. There are also a fair number of Christians in Uttar Pradesh.

Food The cuisine of Uttar Pradesh is just as diverse as its geography. Ranging from simple every day fare to rich, elaborate banquets, the cuisine of Uttar Pradesh has absorbed and adapted a variety of cuisines to create an entire smorgasbord of wonderful dishes. The people of Uttar Pradesh love to cook, to eat and to feed! Difference in communities notwithstanding, as a people, they are very warm and hospitable. For most of them, the ultimate in hospitality means you feed your guests till they beg for mercy. Many of the Hindu communities are staunch vegetarians and they have created a vast variety of vegetarian dishes ranging from the all time favourite ‘puri-aloo’ or potatoes and fried wheat bread to savouries and divine desserts and sweetmeats. The Muslims, Kashmiris, Kayasthas and Christian communities cook up a storm of non-vegetarian dishes including a delectable selection of breads, kababs, curries and biryanis. The Muslim cuisine, of northern Uttar Pradesh is very different from the Mughlai food of Delhi. The Nawabs of Oudh were great gourmets and encouraged their master chefs to create new styles of cooking like the famous ‘Dum Pukht’ of Lucknow where the food is sealed in large pots called ‘handis’, placed over a slow fire and left to cook in its own juices. When opened, these dishes release the most fragrant and delicious aromas. Lucknow and its neighbouring towns were put on the culinary map of India thanks to these rich curries, melt in the mouth kababs, fragrant rice biryanis and pulaos and an eclectic variety of leavened and unleavened breads.

Culture and Crafts A cultured, genteel lifestyle was the essence of the rule of the Muslim Nawabs of Awadh. Music, dance, literature, poetry, arts and crafts flourished under royal patronage. Women were encouraged to learn the fine arts and to read and write, albeit within the ‘purdah’. Literateurs, painters, dancers and musicians created masterpieces in their respective genres. Writers like Munshi Premchand, Mahadevi Verma, Srikant Verma, poets like Suryakant Tripathi ‘Nirala’, Harivanshrai Bacchan, Sumitra Nandan Pant, Mahavir Prasad Dwiwedi, and Upendranath ‘Ashk’; artistes of the stature of the shehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan, Kathak wizard Birju Maharaj, tabla maestro Kishan Maharaj, the legendary Baba Allaudin Khan and his disciples Pt. Ravi Shankar and Ustad Vilayat Khan; ghazal singers Begum Akhtar, Rasoolan Bai, Girija Devi and many more have lived and practised their art and craft here. Uttar Pradesh is the birthplace of Kathak, a classical dance genre that was traditionally performed in temple precincts, relating mythological tales to common people but was given patronage and adapted by the rulers of Awadh,(modern day Lucknow) into its present form of artistic expression. Uttar Pradesh has a rich tradition of craftsmanship. Ranging from exquisitely woven carpets, to gold embroidery or zardozi, priceless hand woven Banarasi silk sarees and chikankari or shadow embroidery on fine cotton voiles and muslins. The state is also famous for its glassware, brass inlay, marble ware inlaid with semi-precious stones and ivory carving (now replaced by camel-bone and sandalwood carving).

Tourist info centres

1. Directorate of U.P. Tourism, 3, Vipin Khand, Gomti Nagar Lucknow Tel#: 0522-2308017, 2308916
2. UP Tourism: 64, Taj Road, Agra Tel#: 0562-2226431
3. UP Tourism Bureau, Parade Kothi, Varanasi Cantt. Tel # 0542- 2208413/2206638/2506670
4. UP Tourism Bureau, Railway Station, Varanasi. Tel # 0542-2506670

How to get there by Air The state has four domestic airports at Lucknow, Agra, Kanpur and Varanasi. As the capital of Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow is well connected to the major cities of India like Kolkata, Patna, Delhi and Mumbai by domestic carriers as well as to the important tourist destinations of Khajuraho and Varanasi.

How to get there by Rail Lucknow is an important junction in the Northern and North-Eastern Railway Zones. Superfast, express and mail trains provide many excellent connections to Calcutta, Mumbai, Chennai and Delhi as well as all the other main places in India. Agra, the one stop that no traveller to India misses out on, is connected to all major cities in the country. All the cities, towns and almost all the villages of Uttar Pradesh are connected by rail though the trains may vary from superfast to mail trains that halt at every little station on the line.

How to get there by Road The state roadways buses aren’t all that great and the roads vary in quality and maintenance from good to very poor. But all parts of the state are technically connected to each other and to other important cities in the north of India. You can rent a car and drive into the state from all directions – while roads aren’t so great and neither is the general road sense, if you plan well the infrastructure enroute in terms of food and stay caters fairly well to the road traveller.

Getting around Trains, flights, state and private roadways buses, rental cars, MUVs and mini buses are available to travel from one to another place within the state. The train service is the most convenient with comfortable superfast, express and mail trains linking all the important destinations in Uttar Pradesh. The road network links even the smallest of villages but the roads are usually in a poor state of repair and the State Roadways buses in ramshackle condition but the major centres lie along the national highways and are easy to access by road – by bus or private vehicle. Flights are available to and from Lucknow, Agra, and Varanasi and to Kanpur.

Where to Stay in Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh offers a wide variety of hotels ranging from heritage and luxury hotels to deluxe, mid-rung and budget hotels. Agra witnesses a continuous tourist influx due to Taj Mahal therefore the city has fine array of accommodation options to suit all budget types. Other places like Lucknow, Allahabad, Kanpur and Varanasi have deluxe, mid-rung and budget hotels. You will find limited places to stay in Vrindavan, Mathura and Sarnath.

Best Time to Visit Uttar Pradesh

The winter months from October to March are the very best for a visit to the plains of Uttar Pradesh as the summers are too hot and dry for comfort. For those interested in travelling up to the hills in Uttaranchal, April, May, June and October and November are the best months for a cool getaway from the heat and dust of the plains.

Climate The climate in Uttar Pradesh varies substantially. Where the Himalayan range rises over 7700 metres, the upper reaches remain perennially snow-bound. The Gangetic plain, which covers three-quarters of the state, is dry and dusty in summer. But during the monsoons between June and September, it is transformed into carpets of lush green fields. The monsoons also spell disaster for some regions, when the Ganga and its tributaries overflow their banks and flood large tracts of land. Winter is severe in the foothills of the Himalayas in Kumaon and Garhwal. The Gangetic plains are fairly cold with temperatures coming down as low as 3°C though average temperatures remain around a pleasant 18°C. Summers are extremely hot in the plains with maximum temperatures reaching as high as 45° C. The intensity of the summer months is magnified by the hot winds called ‘loo’ that blows across the plains in May and June, the two hottest months of the year.

Things to do in Uttar Pradesh

The state of Uttar Pradesh has some of the most popular tourist destinations in India because of which the state has a fair list of things to do. Uttar Pradesh is well-known for heritage cities like Agra and Lucknow that makes it all the more interesting. Explore the state by visiting the marble wonder, the Taj Mahal, in Agra or go for a boat ride on the mesmerizing ghats at sunrise or sunset in Varanasi.
Try the sumptuous and mouthwatering kababs and biryanis in Lucknow or treat your sweet tooth with well-known sweets like petha and peda in Agra and Mathura. Connect with your soul and acquire a life time spiritual experience while taking a dip in Sangam at Allahabad. Visit beautiful temples in Vrindavan or Sarnath and be a part of a unique culture, tradition and rituals.
Shop for some great leather stuff in Kanpur and take home a variety of handloom and handicraft products which are available all over the state.