Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in India, situated in the northern part of the country. It shares its borders with Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh to the north, Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan to the west, Madhya Pradesh to the south, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand to the southeast, and Bihar to the east. The state has a rich cultural heritage with a history that includes the rise of Buddhism and Jainism, the advent of the Mughal Empire, and the significance in the Indian independence movement. Uttar Pradesh is the birthplace of Lord Rama and Lord Krishna, key figures in Hinduism, and sites like Ayodhya and Mathura draw pilgrims from across the world. The state also hosts the Kumbh Mela, the world's largest religious gathering, at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and the mythical Sarasvati rivers in Allahabad. Its capital, Lucknow, and other cities like Varanasi, Agra with the Taj Mahal, and Fatehpur Sikri are crucial for Indian history and tourism.
