Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh, often referred to as U.P., is the most populous and fifth largest state in the Republic of India. With a population approaching that of France, Germany, and the Benelux nations combined, it is the most populous sub-national division in the world. U.P. is also possibly the state with the largest number of million-plus cities (at least seven).Uttar Pradesh covers a large part of the highly fertile and densely populated upper Gangetic plain. It shares an international border with Nepal and is bounded by the Indian states of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar. The administrative and legislative capital of Uttar Pradesh is Lucknow & the financial & Industrial capital of Uttar Pradesh is Kanpur; its high court is based at Allahabad. Other notable cities in Uttar Pradesh include Bijnor, Jhansi, Lakhimpur Kheri, Kanpur, Agra, Varanasi (Banaras), Allahabad, Bareilly, Meerut, Moradabad, Ghaziabad, Aligarh, Gorakhpur, Saharanpur, Mathura and NOIDA (New Okhla Industrial Development Authority).

History

Ancient

Archaeological evidence of small settlements (a little bit away from the main rivers) exist from 2000BC, about the period when the Aryan civilization first spread eastwards into the Gangetic plains. Some centers from the Painted Grey Ware culture (approx. 1000 BC) are in Uttar Pradesh (e.g. near Mathura, and Varanasi). The Panchala region extending between the Yamuna and the Ganga rivers (the Doab), features prominently in Hindu and Buddhist histories. Much of the state was part of the Kuru-Pandava kingdom at the heart of the Mahabharata war. The Kosala kingdom in Ayodhya is associated with Rama of the Ramayana, and Krishna, revered as the eighth Avatara of Vishnu, is said to have been incarnated in the city of Mathura. The Chaukhandi Stupa marks the spot where Lord Buddha met his first disciples. The Dhamek Stupa in Sarnath commemorates Buddha's first sermon. United Provinces, 1909Control over this region was often vital to the power and stability of all of India's major empires, including the Mauryan (320-200BC), Kushan (100-250AD) Gupta (350-600AD) empires. After the Guptas, the region was the heart of Harshavardhana's empire, from Punjab to Bengal, with its capital at Kannauj. Many modern communities in different parts of India -- Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Bihar and Bengal -- often trace their lineage to Kannauj.

Medieval

Beyond 1000 AD, Uttar Pradesh became part of several Muslim Sultanates who ruled from Delhi. In Mughal times, U.P. became the heart land of what was called 'Hindustan' (a name referring to India), even today UP-ites often refer to themselves as 'Hindustani' rather than Uttar Pradeshi.Agra and Fatehpur Sikri were important as the capital city of Akbar, the great Mughal Emperor of India. After the decline of the Moghuls, a number of kingdoms arose: Oudh of the Nawabs, Rohilkhand by Afghans, Bundelkhand by the Marathas and Benaras by its own king, while Nepal controlled Kumaon-Garhwal. The city of Lucknow was established by the Muslim nawabs of Oudh in the 17th century.Starting from the latter half of the 18th century, a series of battles finally gave British accession to the last Mughal territory -- the Doab, as also Bundelkhand, Kumaon and Banaras divisions. Delhi, Ajmer and Jaipur were also included in this territory. They called it the North western provinces (of Agra). Its capital shifted twice between Agra and Allahabad. The area may seem big compared to today's mini states the size of earlier divisions, but at the time it was one of the smallest British province.After the failed freedom war of 1857, when things settled, the British made a major revamp and truncated the Delhi region and gave it to Punjab, and the Ajmer-Merwar region to Rajputana

Modern

At the same time it included Oudh into the state. The new state was called the North Western Provinces of Agra and Oudh, which in 1902 was renamed as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. It was commonly referred to as the United Provinces or its acronym UP. In 1920, the capital of the province was shifted from Allahabad to Lucknow.The high court continued to be at Allahabad, but a bench was established at Lucknow. Allahabad continues to be an administrative base of today's Uttar Pradesh and has several administrative headquarters.Uttar Pradesh continued to be central to Indian culture and politics and was especially important in modern Indian history as a hotbed of both the Indian Independence Movement and the Pakistan Movement. The city of Allahabad was home to prominent nationalists such as Motilal Nehru, Purushottam Das Tandon, and Lal Bahadur Shastri. Allahabad was also home to a record five Prime Ministers of India: Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Vishwanath Pratap Singh and Rajiv Gandhi.After independence, the state was renamed Uttar Pradesh ("northern province") by its first chief minister, Govind Ballabh Pant.Pant, who was well known to Jawaharlal Nehru, was popular in the local party and left his mark in Lucknow before December 27, 1954, when Nehru called him to Delhi to make him Home Minister. He was succeeded by Dr. Sampoornanand, a university professor and classicist. A Sanskrit scholar, he was in office till 1957 before becoming governor of RajasthanSucheta Kripalani was sworn in in October 1963, and became India's first woman chief minister, until a two-month long strike by state employees in March 1967 caused her to step down. The confusion and chaos ended only with the defection of Charan Singh from the Congress with a small set of legislators. He set up a party called the Jana Congress which formed the first non-Congress government in U.P. and ruled for over a year.Fellow socialist Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna of the Bharatiya Lok Dal was Chief Minister for part of the 1970s, and was dismissed, along with several other non-Congress chief ministers, shortly after the imposition of the Emergency, when Narain Dutt Tewari - later chief minister of Uttarakhand - became chief minister. The Congress Party lost heavily in 1977 following the lifting of the Emergency, but roared back to power in 1980, when Mrs. Gandhi handpicked the man who would become her son's principal opposition, V.P. Singh, to become Chief Minister.In 2000 the Himalyan portion of the state — the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions — were formed into a new state called Uttarakhand (meaning the northern part of the state).

Geography

Uttar Pradesh can be divided into two distinct hypsographical regions:

The Gangetic Plain in the centre — highly fertile alluvial soils; flat topography broken by numerous ponds, lakes and rivers; slope 2 m/km
The Vindhya Hills and plateau in the south — hard rock Strata; varied topography of hills, plains, valleys and plateau; limited water availability.
The climate is generally tropical monsoon, but variations exist due to difference in altitudes.

Constituent regions

The state comprises the Doab region (including the upper Doab and the lower doab with the Brij bhumi in its centre), which runs along its western border from north to south, the Rohilkhand in the north, Awadh (Oudh) (the historic country of Koshal) in the centre, the northern parts of Bagelkhand and Bundelkhand in the south, and the south-western part of the Bhojpur country, commonly called Purvanchal ("Eastern Province"), in the east.

Divisions and districts

Uttar Pradesh state consists of seventy districts, which are grouped into seventeen divisions: Agra, Azamgarh, Allahabad, Bijnor, Kanpur, Ghaziabad,Gorakhpur, Chitrakoot, Jhansi, Devipatan, Faizabad, Bahraich, Bareilly, Basti, Mirzapur, Moradabad, Meerut, Lucknow, Varanasi,Sultanpur, Farrukhabad and Saharanpur.It has 403 constituencies. The largest district in terms of area is Lakhimpur Kheri. The largest district in terms of population is Allahabad followed by Kanpur Nagar (Census 2001).With 175 million inhabitants, Uttar Pradesh the most populous state in India and is also the most populous country subdivision in the world. Only five countries (the People's Republic of China, India itself, the United States, Indonesia and Brazil) have a higher population (see List of countries by population). According to Indian Census 2001, 81% of the population follows Hinduism while second largest religious group is Muslim at about 18%[1]. [2]. Sikh populations are mainly concentrated in and around NOIDA.

Languages

The state language is standard Hindi and Urdu has the status of second official language. While standard Hindi (Khari boli) is the official language, several regional Hindi 'dialects' are spoken throughout the state. Among these are, Awadhi, Bagheli, Bhojpuri, Braj, Bundeli. Bhojpuri is the second most-spoken language in the state, according to the language data in the 1991 Census of India. Urdu is prominent in Uttar Pradesh as Lucknow was once the center of Persianate culture in north India. The language of Lucknow ("Lakhnavi Urdu") is a form of high literary Urdu.

Politics

In the Uttar Pradesh Elections, 2007, Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party achieved unexpected majority status leading to her emergence as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. This is the first time since 1993 that a single party has gained absolute majority, the last two decades having been dominated by various coalitions among the Samajwadi Party, Bharatiya Janata Party, and the Bahujan Samaj Party. One characteristic of the BSP win in 2007 was the amalgamation of Brahmin votes into the Dalit dominated party[3], as opposed to the decades-old trend of exploiting deep-rooted caste divisions in the state between Dalits, Upper Castes, Muslims and different OBC groups, which tend to vote in blocks. No party had received a majority in the state's Assembly since 1993.Mayawati took oath of secrecy for the post of UP's next CM on 13 May 2007. She became Chief Minister for fourth time. Along with her 19 cabinet rank ministers, 21 State Ministers Independent Charge were also sworn in by T.V. Rajeshwar the Governor. Some of the prominient names are: Taslimuddin Siddhique, Awadhpal Singh,Ratanlal Ahirwar, Badshah Singh, Sudhir Goyal, Babu Singh Kushwaha.Politics in Uttar Pradesh has been transformed in recent times by the extensive infiltration of , and the Election Commission of India was perceived as having effectively managed extremely strict security to prevent booth-capturing and other abuse.Eight of India's fourteen Prime Minister's hail from Uttar Pradesh. They are: Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Choudhary Charan Singh, Vishwanath Pratap Singh, Chandra Shekhar and Atal Behari Vajpayee.The heirs-apparent to the Nehru-Gandhi family have adopted U.P. as their home state. Congress President Sonia Gandhi represents Rae Bareli, and her son Rahul Gandhi Amethi. Indira Gandhi's estranged daughter-in-law Maneka Gandhi is a BJP Parliamentarian from Pilibhit, while her son Varun Gandhi is expected to make his debut soon. Other prominent politicians include BSP leader and three-time Chief Minister Mayawati, BJP President and ex-Chief Minister Rajnath Singh, former BJP Chief Minister Kalyan Singh, Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh, and ex-Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, Narayan Dutt Tiwari.The state has a large number of village councils known as Panchayats just like the other states of India. One of the most developed Panchayats is Shahabad in Maharajganj District of Uttar Pradesh.

Education

The State of U.P. has made investments over the years in all sectors of education and has achieved some success.The female literacy situation in Uttar Pradesh is dismal. Only one out of four in the 7+ age group was able to read and write in 1991. This figure goes down to 19% for rural areas, 11% for the scheduled castes, 8% for scheduled castes in rural areas, and 8% for the entire rural population in the most educationally backward districts. Possibly Bihar is the only state in India which fares worse than U.P. in education.In terms of more demanding educational attainment (the completion of primary or secondary education), in 1992-1993 only 50% of literate males and 40% of literate females could complete the cycle of eight years of schooling involved in the primary and middle stages. One other notable feature of the Uttar Pradesh education system is the persistence of high levels of illiteracy in the younger age group. Within that age group, illiteracy was endemic in the rural areas. In the late 1980s, the incidence of illiteracy in the 10-14 age group was as high as 32% for rural males and 61% for rural females, and more than two-thirds of all rural girls in the 12-14 age group never went to school.The problems of education system are exacting. Due to public apathy the schools are in disarray. While privately run schools (including those run by Christian missionaries) are functional, they are beyond the reach of ordinary people. The State government has taken steps to make the population totally literate. There are special programmes like the World Bank aided DPEP. Steps are being taken with the help of NGOs and other organizations to raise participation.As a result, some progress in adult education has been made and the census of 2001 indicates a male literacy rate of 70.23% and a female literacy rate of 42.98%.At the level of higher education and technical education Uttar Pradesh has 16 general universities and several other institutions, among which are Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, Lucknow University, Allahabad University, Banaras Hindu University, Aligarh Muslim University, www.jamiaashrafia.org Jamia Ashrafia Mubarakpur, Kanpur University, Agra University [1], M.J.P.Rohilkhand University (Bareilly),Ch Charan Singh University (Meerut), Uttar Pradesh Technical University (UPTU), Madan Mohan Malaviya Engineering College, the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (Kanpur), Indian Institute of Management Lucknow, Dayalbagh Educational Institute, Indian Institute of Information Technology (Allahabad), National Institute of Technology (Allahabad), H.B.T.I.,Kanpur, B.I.E.T. Jhansi, I.E.T. Lucknow, world famous Asian Academy Of Film & Television and a large number of polytechnics, engineering institutes and industrial training institutes.

Tourism

Uttar Pradesh attracts a large number of both national and international visitors. There are two regions in the state where a majority of the tourists go. These are the city of Agra and the holy cities: the cities of Varanasi, Ayodhya, Mathura, and Allahabad, by the sacred rivers — the Ganga and the Yamuna are all located in the state. The state hosts a Kumbha Mela every 12 years, where over 10 million Hindus congregate — the largest gathering of human beings in the world.A vast number of tourists visit the Taj Mahal in Agra. Another important tourist attraction in Agra is the Agra Fort. Also famous is a 16th century capital city built by the Mughal emperor Akbar known as Fatehpur Sikri near Agra. Dayal Bagh is a temple built in modern times that many visit. It is still under construction, and would take an estimated one century for completion. The life-like carving in marble is not seen anywhere else in India.Dudhwa National Park is one of the best Tiger reserves in the country. Lakhimpur Kheri is a must see location, and home to the Tiger reserve.Millions of tourists and pilgrims visit the cities of Allahabad, Varanasi and Ayodhya, as those are considered to be the holiest cities in India. Every year thousands gather at Allahabad to take part in the festival on the banks of the Ganges, the Magh Mela. The same festival is organised in a larger scale every 12th year and attracts millions of people and is called the Kumbha Mela.Varanasi is widely considered to be the second oldest city in the world after Jerusalem. It is famous for its ghats (steps along the river) which are populated year round with people who want to take a dip in the holy Ganges River.About 13 km from Varanasi is the historically important town of Sarnath. Gautama Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath after his enlightenment and hence is an important pilgrimage site for the Buddhists. Also at Sarnath are the Ashoka Pillar and the Lion Capital, both important archaeological artifacts with national significance.Some areas require a special permit for non-Indians to visit.

Arts and crafts

Uttar Pradesh is famous for its arts and crafts. Specific regions such as Varanasi for its saris and silk, Mirzapur and Bhadohi for its carpets, Agra and Kanpur for their leather craft, Moradabad for its metal ware, Lucknow for its cloth work and embroidery, and the entire state for its pottery are not only famous in India but around the world.

About UP Tourism

The Tourism Development Policy has been framed in Uttar Pradesh under which Tourist circuits are being developed in the following manner :-

Buddhist Circuit

Bundelkhand Circuit

Braj (Agra-Mathura) Circuit

Awadh Circuit

Vindhya Circuit

Water Cruise Circuit

Jain Shrines Circuit

Sikh Panth Circuit

Eco-Tourism Circuit

Efforts have been made to arrange high standard accommodation in hotels through the private sector, and for this a rational tax structure is in place. The Department is trying to provide accommodation at affordable rates to pilgrims at the religious places.
To encourage investments, tourism has been declared an industry.

Aims

Main aims of the Department of Tourism are as follows :-

To do proper publicity about such places which, because of their historical importance, may attract tourists.

To maintain the historical, religious and cultural traditions of Uttar Pradesh and to promote them.

To provide cheap, clean and satisfactory facilities to tourists in matters of transport, accommodation, food and recreation.

To get factual and informative literature printed which highlight tourist spots and monuments, their cultural importance and other details, and make such literature available to tourists which will serve as a guide and provide necessary information to them in order to help them to explore India.

To enhance and encourage the participation of the private sector in efforts of the state Government for providing necessary facilities to domestic and international tourists.

To organise cultural shows on occasion of different fairs festivals and seminars with a view to attracting more and more tourists.

Administrative Arrangement

In order to prepare schemes relating to the development of tourism and to execute them, the Directorate of Tourism was established in the year 1972 of which the Director General is an I.A.S. officer. In 1974 the Uttar Pradesh State Tourism Development Corporation was established to look after the commercial activities which are a part of development of tourism. Its Managing Director is also an I.A.S. office. In addition the Food Craft Institute, Aligarh, which was under the control of Government of India, and later transferred to the Department of Tourism on 1-7-198, providing training of subjects relating to tourism. In order to give training to students regarding the tourism and travel trade, a Tourism Management Institute has also been established in Lucknow.

Destinations:

Agra
Allahabad
Ayodhya
Bithoor

Braj-Bhoomi
Chitrakoot
Deogarh
Fatehpur Sikri

Jaunpur
Jhansi
Kalinjar
Kanpur

Kapilvastu
Kushinagar
Lucknow
Mahoba

Sarnath
Sravasti
Varanasi
Vrindavan

Dudhwa National Park

Religious Festivals

Holi Janmashtami Ramlila

Ramnavmi Mela, Ayodhya Kumbh Mela, MahaKumbh Kampil Fair, Kampil
Deva Mela, Barabanki Bateshwar Fair, Agra Kartik Poornima and Lolark Shasthi Varanasi
Kailash Fair, Agra Rambarat, Agra

Yoga

Yoga is practiced in different ways-namely:- Hatha-Yoga, Raja Yoga, Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga,Gyan yoga, Mantra Yoga, Laya Yoga, Kriya Yoga . These various manifestations of Yoga, provide a complete system of self transformation and self realization which are the ultimate goals of human existence, Yoga has been proven as a scientific method for curing and preventing common as well as rare and acute diseases. Asanas are not merely physical, contortionist exercises,. Rather, the specific asanas act as a bridge that unites the ephemeral and limited human body with the divine, eternal, infinite soul, Rishis, Sages and Saints in India practice Yoga and pray "O God, please release my soul from the eternal cycle of rebirths so as to attain MOKSHA
You can choose a single destination or two destination giving you the advantage of learning yoga on the banks of more than one holy river of India. The programme package consists of Asana practice, Pranayam Meditation discussion on yoga by revered spiritual leaders and scholars and personal consultation with Yogacharya. Special sessions may be held on curative aspects of Yoga for participants suffering from specific diseases. In addition to Yogic training and instruction, the participants can engage themselves in various cultural activities. From resting peacefully on the banks of the holy rivers, to boating to hiking to local sight seeing, there is a wide range of cultural activities available. Excursion trip to various nearby places shall be organized during and after the programme. This offer is limited and is only for those who book early. Additional payment has to be made for it over and above the normal package fees. The International Yoga Week, apart from teaching the participants an extremely exciting and transforming new way of life, also offers a major platform for exchanging and sharing ideas, understanding different cultures and promoting universal brotherhood.