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 poltics 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 lanscape 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 Himalya, boasts excellent trkking and rises to form some of the highest mountains in India.

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How to Get There

By Air: Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh, is well connected by air with New Delhi, Patna, Calcutta and Mumbai.

By Rail: Lucknow is an important junction of the Northern and North Eastern Railways. It is well connected with all important cities of India.

By Road: Lucknow is well connected with New Delhi (497 km), Agra (363 km), Calcutta (985 km), Kanpur (79 km) and Allahabad (225 km).

Capital: This is the land that Lord Rama is said to have gifted his brother, Laxman. The exotic land of the Nawabs -- Lucknow. The land of exquisite sunrises and sunsets. Legendary gardens, palaces, mosques and bazaars. Towering minarets and golden cupolas. Fresh water-melon and Jasmine flowers, Fish, 'biryani' and 'ittar' perfumes. charcoal stoves and ghazals, Silver smiths and sequin embroiderers. Industrialists and romantics. Sweet 'phirni', poetry and betal leaf. Spicy gossip and 'kababs'.

History: In the Vedic period, Uttar Pradesh formed part of the ancient country, Madhyadesha. From the 16th -18th c., it was the Mughals who remained rulers. The British gradually extended their power west from Bengal in the 19th century, and UP became the main scene of the Mutiny of 1857 against the British. The area was in the forefront of the Indian independence movement; six of the first nine prime ministers of independent India (including Jawaharlal Nehru and his daughter, Indira Gandhi) were from Uttar Pradesh.

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The People: Two ethnographic groups inhabit the state--Mongoloid peoples in the far north near the Tibetan border and Aryan-Dravidian people in the plains and the hill and plateau region of the central and southern part of the state. Hindus constitute more than 80 percent and Muslims, more than 15 percent of the population. Hindi is the mother tongue of most, with about 15 percent speaking Urdu. The western plain is the most urbanized region. Agriculture is by far the most important sector of the state's economy, employing about three-fourths of the work force.

Culture: The Kathak dance style, nurtured in Uttar Pradesh, is the most popular form of classical dance in India. Old centres of learning - Varanasi, Allahabad, Lucknow - were local points for classical music and dance. This is the home of many a great artiste: Hin- dustani classical vocalist Siddheshwari Devi, Kathak dancers like Birju Maharaj and mainstream actors like Amitabh Bachchan. Today, foreign nationals have also learnt this elegant dance form to perfection: the beautiful Veronique Azan being one example. The songs and dances of the countryside are significant features of local culture. They include the kajari of Mirzapur and Varanasi; the Alha Udal, a folk epic; and various village dances.

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Handicrafts: Bhadohi, Khamaria and Mirzapur are famous for carpet weaving; Farrukhabad for handprinting; Lucknow, for chikan (a type of embroidery); Moradabad, Varanasi, for brocade and brass ware and Nagina, for its ebony work. UP is the largest Brass and Copperware making region in India with thousands of establishments. In domestic-ware each of the scores of lotas (small water-pots) is known by the name of its origin, like Etawah, Banaras, Sitapur, etc.

CLIMATE: The entire state, except for the northern region, has a tropical monsoon climate. In the plains, January temperatures range from 12.5º-17.5º C and May records 27.5º-32.5º C, with a maximum of 45º C. Rainfall varies from 1,000-2,000 mm in the east to 600-1,000 mm in the west.

Population: 167 million