2019 – Posted in: STATE SERIES

UTTAR PRADESH

Uttar Pradesh is a state in northern India. It is also the most populous state in India.

Introduction

Uttar Pradesh is one of the most ancient cradles of Indian culture.

While it is true that no Harappa and Mohan-Jodaro have been discovered in the State, the antiquities found in Banda (Bundelkhand), Mirzapur and Meerut link its History to early Stone Age and Harappan era.

Utensils of that age have also been discovered in Atranji-Khera, Kaushambi, Rajghat and Sonkh. Copper articles have been found in Kanpur, Unnao, Mirzapur, Mathura and advent of the Aryans in this State.

It is most probable that snapped links between the Indus Valley and Vedic civilizations lie buried under the ruins of ancient sites found in this State.

Post-Vedic Period

The cultural heritage of Uttar Pradesh was maintained in the period of the Ramayan and Mahabharat i.e. the epic period. The story of Ramayan revolves round the Ikshwaku dynasty of Kosal and of Mahabharat around the ‘Kuru’ dynasty of Hastinapur. Local people firmly believe that the Ashram of Valmiki, the author of Ramayan, was in Brahmavart (Bithoor in Kanpur District) and it was in the surroundings of Naimisharany (Nimsar-Misrikh in Sitapur district) that Suta narrated the story of Mahabharat as he had heard it from Vyasji. Some of the Smritis and Puranas were also written in this State.

The Age of Buddha

The founder of Buddhism, Gautam the Buddha, was born in Lumbini in Nepal. His father, King Shuddodhan, was the ruler of a small State, Kapilvastu (now in Siddharthnagar district). His mother, Maya, belonged to the ruling family of another small state, Deodah (now in Deoria district).

The Buddha attained Enlightenment at Bodh Gaya in Bihar but it was in Isipattan or Mrigdav in Sarnath in U.P. that he preached his first sermon and laid the foundation of his Order. From this point of view, Sarnath has the distinction of being the birth place of ‘Dhamma’ and ‘Sangha’, the two elements of the Holy Trinity of Buddism,the third being the Buddha himself. Other notable places in Uttar Pradesh followed by Buddha’s association are Kushinara of Kushinagar (in Deoria district) where he attained ‘Mahaparinirvana, Shravasti the capital of Kisal where he performed a great miracle, and Sankashyar Sankisa (in Etah district) where another miracle of his life occurred. The rulers of several states in the then Uttar Pradesh were greatly influenced by the teaching of Buddha.

Middle Age of Synthesis

In successive centuries after Buddha, Ayodhya, Prayag, Varanasi, Mathura and several other cities continued to play an important role in the making of religious and cultural history in India. Several kings who ruled the region became immortal because of Vedic rituals performed by them and patronage extended by them to learning. Scholars like Ashwaghosh, Kalidas, Ban, Mayur, Diwakar, Vakpati, Bhavbhuti, Rajshekhar, Laxmidhar, Sri Harsh and Krishna Misra adorned their courts. Yuan-chwang says that the people of Uttar Pradesh were full masters of the language and spoke it correctly, their pronunciation was like that of the Devas, elegant, beautiful, and their intonation clear and district, worthy of emulation by others, the rules framed be these people were accepted by all. Rajashekhar of Pratihar also payas homage in a similar vein to the people and poets of Panchal.

Middle Age

The liberal traditions continued to flourish in Uttar Pradesh in the middle age as well. Varanasi remained a prominent centre of Hindu learning and Jaunpur, under the Sharqi rulers, a prominent center of Islamic culture. Jaunpur was describing as the ‘Shiraz’ of India. The Sharqi rulers were patrons of music also and there were many famous musicians in their court. Brij region was an important center of devotional music in those days. It was in Uttar Pradesh that ‘Sufis’ took inspiration from Hindu thought and philosophy. Ramanand and his famous disciple Kabir and other saints like Ravidas, Darya Shah and Guru Gorakhnath were some of the great men of those times who gave a new direction to the life and culture of this State.

The Hindu teachers laid emphasis on monotheism (oneness of God) and focused attention on the meaninglessness of the caste system. The Muslim sufis were greatly influenced by mysticism. All these saint-poets contributed to the enrichment of both Hindi and Urdu literature. A notable contribution was made by Sultan Feroz Tughlaq who got Sankrit works translated into Presian among the authors of this age, Zia-ud-din Barni will always be held in high esteem.

Architecture, Art and Craft

Several styles of architecture can be seen in Uttar Pradesh. There are buildings built in the Hindu Buddhist styles and Royal memorials and monuments of Indo-Islamic architectuBuildings constructed in Avadh and Sharqi styles of architecture are also remarkable.

Capital	Lucknow
Date of Creation	01, April 1937 (United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, British Rule) It was renamed as Uttar Pradesh on 26, January 1950. In November 2000, a new state, Uttarakhand, was carved out.
No. of Districts	75
State Borders	Rajasthan, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh
International Borders	Nepal
Legislature	Bicameral
Language	Hindu, Urdu, Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Bundelkhandi, Braj Bhasa
Minerals	Limestone, Dolomite, Glass-sand, Marble, Bauxite, Non-Plastic fireclay, Uranium, Barytes, Edalusite
Vegetation	Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests, Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests, Tropical Thorny Forests
Fauna	Fish (Mahaser, Hilsa, Saul, Tengan, Parthan, Rasela, Vittal, Rohu, Mirgal,Kata, Labi, Mangur, Cuchia, Eel, Einghi, Mirror Carp, Trout) Amphibia (Frog and Toad) Reptiles (Bamania, Pit-viper, Lizard, Goh, Cobra,Tortoise, Krait, Dhaman and Crocodile) Aves (Cheel, Vulture, Peacock, Nightingale, Pigeon, Parrot, Owl, Nilkanth and Sparrow) Mammals (Shrew, Porcupine, Sqirrel, Hare,Mongoose, Cow, Buffalo and Mouse)
Other Common Species	Tiger, Panther, Snow Leopard, Sambhar, Cheetal, Kastura, Chinkara, Black Deer, Nilgai, Back-brown Bear, Mountain Goat, Hyena, Hill Dog, Elephant etc. Among the birds Fowl, Pheasant, Partridge, Florican, Duck, Goose and Wader are common.
Main crops	Paddy, Wheat, Barley, Millet, Maize, Moong, Urad, Arhar, Gram, Sugarcane
Major Industries	Cement, Vanaspati oil, Cotton textile, Cotton yarn, Bangle and glass industry, Sugar, Jute, etc.
Main Handicrafts	Chikan work, Zari work, Wooden toys and furniture, Clay toys, dari, carpet, silk, brassware
Main pilgrimages	Kashi, Prayag, Ayodhya, Mathura, Naimisharanya, Shaktipeeth,Vindhyawasine temple, Devi Patan, Deva sharif, Kaliyar
Folk Songs	Birha, Chaiti, Kajri, Phag, Rasia, Aalha, Puran, Bhagat, Bhartihari
Folk Dances	Charkula, Karma, Pandav, Paidanda, Tharu, Dhobia, Raee and Shaira
Rivers	Ganga, Yamuna, Ramganga, Gomti, Ghagra, Betwa, Ken
Fair & Festivals	Sheetla Ashtami, Raksha Bandhan, Vaishakhi Purnima, Ganga Dashahara, Naag Panchami, Krishna Janmashtami, Ram Navami, Ganesha Chaturthi, Vijaya Dashmi, Deepawali, Kartik Purnima, Makar Sankranti, Vasant Panchami, Shivaratri, Holi, Eid, Moharram, Bakr-I’d, Barawafat, Shab-e-Barat, New Years Day, Good-Friday, Easter, Christmas, Buddha Purnima, Mahavir Jayanti, the birthday of Guru Nanak, Martyr’s day of Guru Teg Bahadur and Vaishakhi.
State Animal	Swamp deer
State Bird	Sarus Crane
State Tree	Ashoka
State Flower	Palash
State Dance	Kathak
State Sport	Field hockey
Tourist attraction	Taj Mahal, Sangam, Varanasi
Art & crafts	Chikankari or shadow-work embroidery; Baranasi brocades which include the zari, amru and abrawan; Sanjhi or the art of cutting paper stencils.
Lakes	Keetham Lake, Nachan Tal, Belasagar Lake, Barua Sagar Tal, Sheikha Jheel
Tiger Reserve	Dudhwa National Park, Pilibhit Tiger reserve, Amangarh Tiger Reserve
Institutions	Central Drug Research Institute National research laboratory for conservation of cultural property Central Institute of Medical and Aromatic Plants Industrial Toxicology Research Centre Birbal Sahni Institute of Palaeobotany Indian Institute of Sugar Technology National sugar research institute Indian Institute of sugarcane research Defence Materials and stores research and development establishment Aerial delivery research and development establishment Inland waterways authority of India Hindustan aeronautics limited Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute Indian Institute of Pulses Research Central Institute for Sub-Tropical Horticulture National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources
Monuments	Jhansi-Deogarh, Akbar’s Tomb, Itimad-ud-Daula’s Tomb, Jaunpur fort, Man singh Observatory, Ram Bagh, Jhansi Fort

Kumbh Mela – At Haridwar

India has been attracting the whole world with her rich cultural heritages and spirituality. The renowned Kumbh Mela is a unique blend of all these. Haridwar Kumbh has its importance as the last Kumbh of this century.

“The Kumbh and the Ardh Kumbh” fairs are held periodically, every twelve and six years in Haridwar where a large number of pilgrims and devotees get together to, commemorate the churning of the ocean by the Devas (Gods) and Asuras (Demons) to obtain nector (Amrit).

Facts

Chalk drawings or dark red drawings by primitive men are extensively found in the Vindhyan ranges of Mirzapur districts.
The ancient Dhamek Stupa marks the spot where Buddha gave his first sermon in Sarnath.
Mughal emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal for his dead wife Mumtaz Mahal; the tomb took 22 years to build.
Ayodhya is known for the birthplace of Lord Rama
Aligarh is famous for its lock industry
The Lion breeding center and LION safari are situated on the outskirt of Etawah City.
UP is one of the largest producers of Potato, Sugarcane, and wheat.
Atomic power station-Narora.

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