The literal meaning of Uttar Pradesh is “Northern Province” and its abbreviation is U.P. happens to be in the northern part of India. The state was formed on 1 April 1937 and was named as the United Provinces after the States Reorganization Act was passed; it was renamed as Uttar Pradesh in 1950.
Uttar Pradesh is crowned with India’s fifth largest state with the largest population, which counts over 190 million people who live in 70 districts of the state. When geographically comparing the state with the other countries, the area of Uttar Pradesh is that of a half France and somewhere more than England.
Uttar Pradesh is bordered with Nepal on its North, Himachal Pradesh on its northwest, Madhya Pradesh on its south, Haryana on its west, Rajasthan on its southwest and Bihar on its east.
The states resides the largest urban population of the country and enjoys the honor of having several sobriquets. Being stationed at the heart of the country, the state is popularly recognized as ‘The Heartland of India’. UP has been the land of many prominent thinkers, philosophers, artistes, leaders, dancers, poets, intellectuals and politicians makes it the essence of India.
The state of Uttar Pradesh is all swathed with rich wealth of history, culture and religious zeal. The state is bordered with the capital of India, New Delhi having the foothills of the Himalayas in its extreme northern direction and the Gangetic Plains in its center. The state is privileged for the fact that it owns and hosts the Taj Mahal, one of the sever wonders of the world, along with other historical and religious monuments.
The state has its glorious significance of being the land of the great Heroes of the great Indian epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The city of Ayodhya was the hometown of Lord Rama and the city of Mathura was of Lord Krishna and both these cities are the important cities of the state. The state of Uttar Pradesh serves to the country in all the aspects as it stands to be the land of Lords, the land of prominent political leaders, the land of Gautama Buddha, the land rich culture and the land of salvation as it incorporates the cities like Haridwar, Benares and Prayag, which are known for their spirituality and sanctifying powers.
The state is also recognized for its famous cuisines such as Awadhi cuisine, Mughlai cuisine, Kumauni cuisine which are not only famous in India but also abroad. Uttar Pradesh travel and tourism is a popular among the Indian and foreign tourists alike and for that the Uttar Pradesh tour packages are a perfect way of exploring the splendor of the destination in Western India.
General facts about Uttar Pradesh Location: Western India Area: 243.286 sq km Language: Hindi, Urdu, Bhojpuri and English Climate: humid subtropical Major Attractions: Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri Ideal Time to Visit: September to April
Tourist sightseeing in Uttar Pradesh The state which is deep rooted with rich history and culture has cornucopia of attractions that bring the tourists from the country and abroad over and over again. The places to visit in Uttar Pradesh are Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri, Ghats, Sarnath (Varanasi), Sangam at Prayag (Allahabad), forts at Allahabad, Jhansi, Bithoor, Piprahwa, Kaushambi, Shravasti, Kushinagar, Jama Masjid ( Agra), Akhbar Mausoleum, Chini Ka Rauza, Imadud Daula, Mariyam Tomb, Ram Bagh ( Mughal Garden), Birbal House (Sikandra), Iskcon Temple (Vrindavan), Dudhwa Tiger Reserve (Lucknow), Bara Imambara (Lucknow)…to name a few.
Climate of Uttar Pradesh The climate of Uttar Pradesh is generally a humid subtropical one with dry winters and the parts of Eastern U.P. experiences semi-arid type of climate. However, the climate of Uttar Pradesh is unpredictable as sometimes it experiences a tropical monsoon type. The climate in Uttar Pradesh varies from region to region. However the Gangetic Plains that are sprawled over a large center part of the state, covering three-quarters of the state, is dry and dusty in summer experiencing a uniform kind of climate with very little variations. Here summers are generally very hot with cold and dry winters. The monsoon season here can be extremely wet or dry, depending upon the climatic conditions. The best months to pay a visit while having a comfortable journey in the heartland of India, Uttar Pradesh is in the winter months that ranges from October till the month of March.
How to reach Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh by Air: The state has four domestic airports at Lucknow, Agra, Kanpur and Varanasi. Lucknow is well connected to the major cities of the country, connecting the state with the rest of the state. Uttar Pradesh by Rail: the state of Uttar Pradesh has it main northern junction at Lucknow. Other important railway junctions are Agra, Kanpur, Allahabad, Mughalsarai, Jhansi, Moradabad, Varanasi, Tundla, Gorakhpur, Gonda, Faizabad, Bareilly and Sitapur. The state is well connected with most of the part of the country. Uttar Pradesh by Road: The state has a well organized and well developed network of roadways, very well connecting the state to the rest of the world with its highways, national highways, domestic roads, state highways and rural roads.