Uttar Pradesh

 

Architecture and History

 

 

• Uttar Pradesh has very old history in human evolution. Pratapgarh is the place which have imprints of human settlement dated to about 10,000 BCE.

 

• The Indian epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata are stories that describe the way of life around Gangetic Plain in Uttar Pradesh.

 

• The city of Ayodhya was birthplace of Lord Rama. Mathura and Vrindavan are two other ancient cities that witnessed the incarnation of Lord Krishna .

 

• Great rulers reigned over the region. King Chandra Gupta, Chandra Gupta II, Samudra Gupta and Ashoka belonged to Mauryan dynasty.

 

• Another famous ruler Harsha ruled in region around the Gangetic Plains with his capital at present-day Kannauj.

 

• Buddhist Stupas and Viharas are the architectural wonders in Uttar Pradesh. Ancient monasteries, townships, forts, palaces, temples, mosques, mausoleums and memorials form landmarks throughout the cities in the state .

 

• Buddhist viharas (convents) bear various types of structures like huts in the earlier period and well laid out brick structures having many rooms in the later periods.

 

• With the declining power of the Buddhist rulers, the philosopher and ta Shankara from southern India, visited Varanasi and plains of Uttar Pradesh, became the architect of Badrinath in adjoining Himalayas.

 

• Then came the rule and plunder by Ghenghis Khan and Timur. The power control was transferred to Delhi Sultanate followed by Mughal emperors. Finally before Independence, British ruled the state for more than 300 years.

 

• Numerous Stupas were erected during that time. Stupas emerge from an elevated egg-like structures of mud, eventually lined with bricks, a square harmika and a chattravali (umbrella) on the top and staircases added to reach the top.

 

• The architecture of Uttar Pradesh is inspired and influenced by Islamic Architecture.

 

• Taj Mahal is classified as the mos memorable example of Mughal architecture, a mix of Indian, Turkish, Persian, and Islamic styles.

 

• There are numerous old cities all around in Uttar Pradesh. The houses built in these cities are old and built with red sand bricks, red stone and iron angles fitted on roof flooring.

 

• The houses are built near to each other which leaves very less space to look beyond to the narrow street. The old cities hardly bear much green trees and plants.

 

• The traditional houses have a open courtyard and big front gates. They are mostly two storey buildings with verandahs on each floor.

 

• Window called "Jharokha" are found to lit up the rooms with sunlight and allow fresh air inside the rooms.

 

Demographic Location

 

 

 

• The state of Uttar Pradesh is located in the north-central part of the country.

 

• Uttar Pradesh shares its domestic border with the state of Uttarakhand, Bihar to the east, Madhya Pradesh on the south and Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh on the southeast.

 

• Nepal has international borders with Uttar Pradesh state. Capital city Delhi, parts of Rajasthan and Haryana lies on the west side of Uttar Pradesh.

 

• Lucknow is the capital of the state which is located in the west-central part of the state.

 

• The state can be divided into two regions:

 

• The Central Plains of the Ganga River
• Parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain
• The Southern Uplands.

 

• A vast area of Uttar Pradesh lies within the Gangetic Plains, which is composed of alluvial deposits that flow down by the river Ganga from the Himalayas.

 

• Almost entire Uttar Pradesh is fertile plain. The southern uplands form part of the deeply dissected and rugged Vindhya Range, which rises from the southeast.

 

• The state is drained by a number of rivers flowing down from the Himalayas to the north or the Vindhya Range to the south.

 

• The Ganges has a network of tributary system that originate from the snow peaked heights of the Himalayas—

 

• The Yamuna river
• The Ramganga river
• The Gomati river
• The Ghaghara river
• The Gandak river

 

• The rivers that originate from the Vindhyachal range providing fresh water to the southwest districts of the state are :

 

• The Chambal river
• The Betwa river
• The Ken river
• The Son river

 

 

• Huge tract of land in Uttar Pradesh is covered by a deep layer of alluvium spread by the slow-moving rivers of the Ganges system.

 

• The soil is extremely fertile alluvial that are sandy to clayey loam. The soils found in the southern part of the state are mixed red and black or red-to-yellow.

 

 

 

 

Season and Climate

 

 

• The climate of Uttar Pradesh is the tropical monsoon type, with warm weather year-round.

 

• Annual rainfall in the state ranges from moderate to heavy. Most of the rainfall occurs during the southwest monsoon, lasting for four months.

 

• Western disturbances and North-East Monsoon also bring rainfall in the winter season.

 

• Flood is a continuous problem that remains the pain of the region as it causes destructions and heavy damage to crops and property mostly in the eastern part of the state.

 

• Many parts of the state do not get even the average yearly rainfall that causes drought and famines in some parts of the state.

 

• The climate of Uttar Pradesh is humid subtropical with dry winter in Western state. It is hot semi-arid in the southwest region.

 

• There forest cover and vegetation are mainly of three identified forest types, namely

 

• Tropical Moist Deciduous
• Tropical Dry Deciduous
• Tropical Thorn.

 

• Sal is an important forest formation of the State. There are open fields and land in which Teak, Sal, Peepal, and Neem are grown.

 

• The dry deciduous forests is found in the region with scanty and moderate rainfall.

 

• Uttar Pradesh can be divided into three distinct based on landscape :

 

• The Shivalik foothills and Terai in the North.
• The Gangetic Plain in the central parts of the state with highly fertile alluvial soils
• Flat land with number of ponds, lakes, and rivers

 

 

 

Culture and Education

 

 

 

• Mughal rule saw rise of art, culture, dance and music in the region. Excellence in Architecture reached its peak during the rule of Shah Jahan.

 

• He built the legendary monument in memory of his wife Taj Mahal on the banks of Yamuna river in Agra.

 

• Tansen and Baiju Bawra were amongst the nine gems in the court of emperor Akbar. The Sitar and Tabla gained popularity in Indian music in this region.

 

• Famous dance styles Kathak is a devotional dance performed in the temples of Vrindavan and Mathura.

 

• Hindi and Urdu language was born in this state and spread throughout the country. Uttar Pradesh has been the host and center for most of evolution of the Hindi Literature.

 

• Bhartendu Harishchandra of Varanasi was one of the major writers who made Hindi a literary medium.

 

• Nastaliq Script in written Hindustani gave rise to Urdu as a spoken and written alternate language in Uttar Pradesh. The ‘Lakhnavi’ way of spoken Urdu has highest literary value.

 

• Hindustani is the language that evolved from Devanagari script used by the people in speech and writing. Later Hindustani evolved into the Hindi.

 

• Awadhi used by Sufi saints and common men and women living around Lucknow is a blend of Urdu and Khari Boli Hindi. Amir Khuro is the advocate of Awadhi.

 

• Bhojpuri is limited to the eastern districts of the state of Uttar Pradesh.  English is the official language used by the people living here.

 

• The women of Uttar Pradesh prefer to wear sari and blouse or salwar kameez and lenga choli on auspicious occasions.

 

• Men like to wear dhoti kurta or kurta pyjama. Men also wear pagri or topi on their heads with  sherwani - which is an embroidered kurta with churidars.

 

• Uttar Pradesh is known for artisans working on carpet weaving and hand printing, chikan (a type of embroidery), metal enameling, brocade and brass, and ebony work.

 

• Some of the festivals celebrated with joy :

 

 

 

 

Famous Spots

 

 

 

• Some of the most favorite places to visit in Uttar Pradesh are :

 

• Taj Mahal
• Bara Imambara
• British Residency
• Triveni Sangam
• Hazratganj
• Agra Fort

 

 

 

 

AquaLife, Flora and Fauna

 

 

 

• The state of Uttar Pradesh grows Wheat as principle crop in abundance. The Sugarcane is the primary commercial crop in the state.

 

• Some of the fruit garden grow mango, guava, aonla, papaya, banana, jack-fruit, ber and citrus.

 

• Guava is the state fruit of Uttar Pradesh.

 

• Wildlife found in the state are Swamp deer, chital, wild boar, crocodile, nilgai, wolf, alligator, chinkara, sambar, leopard, hyena, gharial.

 

• Some of the wildlife sanctuary are :

 

Lakh Bahosi Sanctuary -

 

• Lakh Bahosi Sanctuary is spread across two lakes near the two villages near the city of Kannauj from where it derives its name - Lakh and Bahosi.

 

Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary -

 

• Located across several districts of western Uttar Pradesh. Large part of the area in the sanctuary is under cultivation.

 

• The sanctuary is on the banks of River Ganga with alluvial soil is full of different species of wild animals. These range from swamp deer to Ganges River Dolphin and birds.

 

Pilibhit Tiger Reserve -

 

• Located at the foothills of the Himalayas in the Pilibhit and Shahajahanpur, this sanctuary is a Tiger Reserve.

 

• Other than Tigers, sanctuary include five different species of deer among others. They are swamp deer, spotted deer, barking deer, hog deer, and blackbuck.

 

Kaimoor Wildlife Sanctuary -  

 

• Located in southeastern Uttar Pradesh. Kaimoor Wildlife Sanctuary derives its name of Kaimur hill ranges.

 

• Four-horned antelope, tigers, nilgais, sloth bears, and chitals are some animals found here. Kaimoor Wildlife Sanctuary also has many breath taking waterfalls.

 

Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary -

 

• Located near the town of Mailani in Uttar Pradesh and near to Dudhwa National Park.

 

• This wildlife sanctuary has several animal as tigers, pythons, ghariyal, leopards, wild boar, swamp deers, Swamp deer.

 

Dudhwa National Park -

 

• Located in the northern part of Uttar Pradesh. Tigers and swamp deer are the main attractions here. Animals and birds like ratel jackal, jungle cat, leopard, hispid hare. Indian rhinoceros, sambar deer, great salty woodpecker, Bengal florican, swamp francolin and a number of migratory birds are found here.

 

Chandra Shekhar Azad Bird Sanctuary - 

 

• Known as Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary, is a paradise for bird lovers. Situated in the Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, it is one of the several wetlands present in India.

 

• The species found here are mallard, coot, red-crested pochard, pintail, greylag goose, bronze winged jacana, white-necked stork, painted stork, and sarus crane.

 

Sohagi Barwa Bird Sanctuary - 

 

• Located in the Maharajganj district of Uttar Pradesh. The sanctuary preserves animals like tigers, cheetah, wild boar, leopards and many more.