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Uttar Pradesh
,which literally means Northern Province, is a large state having about
294,411 sq. km. of area and housing about 166 million people. Its one of
the most dominant states of India in political arena since independence
.
Often referred to as 'Hindi Belt' , the state has produced India's 8 of
the 12 prime ministers so far. This is partly because it is the most populous
state - it has as many inhabitants as Brazil -and partly because of the
central role the region plays in the religious landscape 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 place 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 and highly fertile land. The people of this area are predominantly
poor, uneducated farmers, whose unequal share in the wealth and resources
enjoyed by the state's urbanites is a matter of social concern. In stark
contrast to the plains, the scenic north-western corner has hill stations
sprinkled along the foothills of the Himalayas. It offers some excellent
trekking opportunities and rises to form some of the highest mountains
in India. Nanital, Ranikhet, Mussoorie, Dehradoon
are some of the important hill stations of this place .
The capital of the state is Lucknow, the land of 'Nawabs'.
Though the city is rapidly modernising , it still has kept its past glory.
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