Tourism in Uttar Pradesh
The most populous state of India, Uttar Pradesh contains many historical monuments and places of religious significance.
Geographically, Uttar Pradesh is very diverse, with Himalayan foothills in the extreme north and the Gangetic Plain in the centre.
Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Gorakhpur and Prayagraj are holy cities for Hindus and Kushinagar and Sarnath are important Buddhist places among the main four pilgrimage sites related to the life of Gautama Buddha.
The 17th-century Taj Mahal in Agra is the most popular monument in India, attracting over 7 million visitors per year.
The city is also important in the history and heritage of Buddhism in India, with several Buddhist temples, monuments and centers of learning having been established here during the age of the Mauryan Empire and the Gupta Dynasty.
[citation needed] Tulsidas is said to have begun the writing of his famous Ramayana poem Shri Ramacharitamanas in Ayodhya in 1574 CE.
[citation needed] The Atharva Veda called Ayodhya "a city built by gods and being as prosperous as paradise itself".
[citation needed] Soron Shukar Kshetra is salvation land of Lord Varah and birthland of Sant Tulsidas.
[citation needed] Naimisaranya also known as Neemsar, Nimsar or Nimkhar is a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu located in Sitapur district in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
The same festival is organised in a larger scale every 12th year and attracts millions of people and is called the Kumbha Mela.
Thousands of holy men and women (monks, saints and sadhus) attend, and the auspiciousness of the festival is in part attributable to this.
The sadhus are seen clad in saffron sheets with plenty of ashes and powder dabbed on their skin per the requirements of ancient traditions.
Some called Nanga sanyasis or Dhigambers may often be seen without any clothes even in severe winter, generally considered to live an extreme lifestyle.
This tends to attract a lot of western attention as it is seemingly in contrast to a generally conservative social modesty practised in the country.
[7] According to Jain tradition, five tirthankaras were born at Ayodhya, including Rishabhanatha,[8] Ajitanatha,[9] Abhinandananatha,[10] Sumatinatha[11] and Anantanatha.
[citation needed] It lies along the India-Nepal border in the foothills of the Himalayas and the plains of the 'terai' in Uttar Pradesh.
A proposal, created in 2005, to make a home for the endangered cats in Pilibhit forests was sent to the government of India in April 2008.
[15] Pilibhit Tiger Reserve was declared in September 2008 based on its special type of ecosystem with vast open spaces and sufficient feed for the elegant predators.
