Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in India and one of the most populous subnational entities in the world, home to over 200 million people. Its capital is Lucknow, and it contains the iconic Taj Mahal in Agra and the holy city of Varanasi. It is the political and spiritual heartland of northern India.

Uttar Pradesh lies almost entirely in the vast, fertile Gangetic plain, watered by the Ganges and Yamuna rivers and intensively farmed. It is flat and agricultural, with the Himalayan foothills only at its northern fringe. The climate is subtropical.

The state is a cradle of Indian civilisation and Hinduism, home to sacred sites such as Varanasi, Ayodhya and Mathura, alongside the Mughal heritage of Agra and the refined Awadhi culture and cuisine of Lucknow. It has a profound religious and artistic legacy.

Site of ancient kingdoms and the Mughal heartland, Uttar Pradesh has produced more Indian prime ministers than any other state. It contains the Taj Mahal, built by Shah Jahan, and the holy Ganges city of Varanasi, among the oldest continuously inhabited cities on Earth.