Uttar Pradesh – Culture and Tradition

Uttar Pradesh – Culture and Tradition

Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in India where multi-hued culture has blossomed, it boasts of having a multicultural, multiracial, fabulous wealth of nature-hills, valleys, rivers, forests, and vast plains.

Uttar Pradesh has the oldest seat of India’s culture and civilization, as it is around the holy river Ganga where the ancient cities and towns were found. The main attraction of India Taj is situated in Uttar Pradesh.

History

Taj mahal
Tajmahal

The epics of Hinduism, the Ramayana, and the  Mahabharata, were written in Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh also had the glory of being home to Lord Buddha

The empire of Chandra Gupta Maurya extended nearly over the whole of Uttar Pradesh after the fall of Mauryas, Uttar Pradesh was divided into four parts: Surseva, North Panchal, Kosal, and Kaushambi.

The Gupta Empire ruled over nearly the whole of Uttar Pradesh, and it was during this time that culture and architecture reached their peak.

The seventh century witnessed the taking over of Kannauj by Harshavardhana. Then came the Mughal dynasty, the period of Shahjahan is known as the golden period of India in art, culture, and architecture. It was during his reign that the classical wonder Taj Mahal was built in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

Uttar Pradesh played an important part in the independence movement, Sri Lal Bahadur Shastri, Sri Jawaharlal Nehru, Smt. Indira Gandhi, Sri Charan Singh, and Sri Chandra Shekhar were only a few of the important names who played a significant role in India’s freedom movement and also rose to become the prime ministers of this great nation.

On 9 November 2000, the Himalayan portion of the state, comprising the Garhwal and Kumaon divisions and Haridwar district was formed into a new state ‘Uttaranchal’, now called Uttarakhand, meaning the ‘Northern Segment‘ state.

Culture and Tradition of Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh Culture

Uttar Pradesh holy land of the Holy People is popular for its ghats and holy rivers so people follow the trend of bathing in the holy rivers to get purified from their sins. The most spoken languages are Hindi and Urdu.

Weddings in Uttar Pradesh are closely linked to the cultural roots of the state where wedding ritual takes hours to complete, as religious ceremonies are given a lot of importance.

Costumes of Uttar Pradesh

The costume of Uttar Pradesh is a very typical one where the women are clad in their saris adorned by the golden jewelry and Mangal Sutra (a chain with a pendulum gifted by the groom to his bride) worn by married women while the men look clad in dhoti kurta or kurta pajama. Toe rings are common all over Uttar Pradesh among married women folks.

The veil for Muslim women and Sherwani for Muslim men is a special thing to observe. The special Banarasi sari and the Lucknowi Sherwani are the two items to take with you as a souvenir.

Suggested Read: Traditional Dresses Of Indian States

Cuisines in Uttar Pradesh

UP thali

Uttar Pradesh is home to both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. As wheat is the staple food of the state, it can be of different types of flour and made in different ways tandoori naan, tandoori roti, kulcha, taftan, sheermal, millet, and lachha paratha are some popular bread.

while the most common dishes are Chole Bhature, Daal bhari Puri, Dum Bhindi, Kadi Chawal, Kakori Kabab, paneer dishes, Shami Kabab, puri, and raita.

While the traditional desserts are barfi, Balushahi, Ghewar, Kaju Katli, Gajar ka Halwa, Gujia, and jalebi. Thandai is a common beverage in Uttar Pradesh.

Suggested Read: Famous Food Of Indian States

Music and Dances of Uttar Pradesh

Kathak

The state is home to a very old tradition in dance and music. Kathak is a classical form of Uttar Pradesh involving gracefully coordinated movements of feet along with the entire body.

Rasiya is a dance form that celebrates the divine love of Radha and Krishna, while other forms are Swang, Ramlila, Nautanki, Naqal, and Qawwali that are a part of Uttar Pradesh.

Music personalities from Uttar Pradesh are Naushad Ali, Talat Mehmood, Begum Akhtar, Anup Jalota, Baba Sehgal, Shubha Mudgal, Bismillah Khan, and Ravi Shankar.

Famous tourist attraction

Varanasi
Varanasi

There is numerous tourist attraction in the state and Taj Mahal is the most visited. while Varanasi, Allahabad, Ayodhya, and the Mathura-Vrindavan area; Buddhist centers such as Sarnath, Kasia (site of Kushinagara, where the Buddha died), and Shravasti; and other historic places such as Agra, Lucknow, and Kannauj are also a place of interest for the tourist.

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Simmi Kamboj

Simmi Kamboj is the Founder and Administrator of Ritiriwaz, your one-stop guide to Indian Culture and Tradition. She had a passion for writing about India's lifestyle, culture, tradition, travel, and is trying to cover all Indian Cultural aspects of Daily Life.