Area: 238,566 sq. km
Population: 132 million
Capital: Lucknow
Main Language: Hindi & Urdu
Best time to visit: October to March.

Uttar Pradesh is the fourth largest and the most popular state in India. Lucknow is the capital of Uttar Pradesh. The main language spoken in Uttar Pradesh is Hindi. Over 2000 years ago the state was part of Ashoka's great Buddhist empire. More recently it was part of the Mughal empire, and for some time Agra was its capital. The state was first known as United Province when Britishers took over, but was renamed after Independence. Uttar Pradesh has produced seven Indian prime ministers since Independence.
In terms of population Uttar Pradesh is the largest state in India. It's staggering to think that if it were a country in its own right, it would rank among the 10 biggest in the world. It is also one of the great historical and religious centers of India .The Ganges River, which forms the backbone of Uttar Pradesh, is the holy river of Hinduism, and there are several important pilgrimage towns along it. The main ones are Rishikesh and Haridwar, where the river emerges from the Himalaya and starts across the plains, but there's also Varanasi, the most holy city of India. Buddhism also has its great shrine in the state, for it was at Sarnath, just outside Varanasi, that the Buddha first preached his message of the middle way. The world famous Taj Mahal built by the Mughal Emperor Shahjehan in 1630 for his Queen Mumtaz Mahal to enshrine her mortal remains is in Uttar Pradesh State.
Varanasi - Hindus holiest city and one of the oldest living cities in the world is also a part of Uttar Pradesh. The state also consists of garhwal region which comprise of cities like Dehradun, Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag and chamoli. Rudraprayag and chamoli apart from being a pilgrimage centers are also good tourist spots