Himachal Pradesh

A summer view of Khajjiar

Himachal Pradesh (Hindi: हिमाचल प्रदेश [ɦɪmaːtʃəl prəd̪eːʃ]) is a state in Northern India. It is spread over 21,495 sq mi (55,673 km²), and is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on the north, Punjab on the west and south-west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on the south, Uttarakhand on the south-east and by the Tibet Autonomous Region on the east. The literal meaning of Himachal Pradesh is Region of snowy mountains.

 Asian Paradise Flycatcher in Kullu

Himachal Pradesh was anciently known as Dev Bhumi (The Abode of Gods) and is known to be abundant in natural beauty[6] After the Anglo Gorkha War, the British colonial government came into power. It was initially part of Punjab, except the Siba State of Punjab Hills which was under the rule of Maharaja Ranjit Singh until 1857. In 1950 Himachal was declared as a union territory but after the State of Himachal Pradesh Act 1971, Himachal emerged as the 18th state of the Indian Union. Himachal has many prestigious boarding schools. Hima means snow in Sanskrit. It was named by one of the great Sanskrit scholars of Himachal Pradesh, Acharya Diwakar Datt Sharma.

 Lahaul, Himachal Pradesh.

Himachal Pradesh has one of the highest per capita incomes of any state in India. Due to the abundance of perennial rivers, Himachal also sells hydro electricity to other states such as Delhi, Punjab and Rajasthan. The economy of the state is highly dependent on three sources: hydroelectric power, tourism and agriculture.

Hindus make up 95% of the state population, making it the most Hindu state (proportionally), in India. According to a 2005 Transparency International survey, Himachal Pradesh is ranked the second-least corrupt state in the country after Kerala

 Himalyan Monal at Birds Park in Shimla

 Indian Institute of Advanced Study at Shimla.

 Indira Gandhi Medical College and Hospital at Shimla.

 Kalka-Shimla Railway

 Town Hall in Shimla.

 Dal Lake

Traditional home, Manali

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Lucknow

Parivartan Chowk (Change Square) at Lucknow

Lucknow ( /ˈlʌknaʊ/; Hindi: लखनऊ, Urdu: لکھنؤ, Lakhnaū, IPA: [ˈləkʰnəu] )is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh in India. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of Lucknow District and Lucknow Division.

Located in what was originally known as the Awadh (Oudh) region, Lucknow has always been a multicultural city, and flourished as a cultural and artistic capital of North India in the 18th and 19th centuries. Courtly manners, beautiful gardens, poetry, music, and fine cuisine patronized by the Persian-loving Shia Nawabs of the city are well known amongst Indians and students of South Asian culture and history.[8] Lucknow is popularly known as The City of Nawabs. It is also known as the Golden City of the East, Shiraz-i-Hind and The Constantinople of India.

 A kite shop in the city

The second largest city in north and central India after Delhi.Straddling the river Gomti, modern Lucknow is a bustling metropolis. It is placed among the fastest growing cities and now it is metropolitan city of India and is rapidly emerging as a manufacturing, commercial and retailing hub. This unique combination of rich cultural traditions and brisk economic growth provides Lucknow with an aura that refuses to fade away.

 Shiite Muslims take out a Muharram procession in Lucknow

 Full Front View of Bouli

 Bhool Bhulaiya Front View

 Husainabad Clock Tower

 The Chhota Imambara

 Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha

 Gateway to Bara Imambara

 Ambedkar Park

Panoramic view of Charbagh Railway Station at Lucknow

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Fatehpur

Fatehpur (Hindi: फ़तेहपुर, Urdu: فتح پور) is a city and a municipal board in Fatehpur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.

History

The known history of Fatehpur is as old as the Vedic era. Cunnigham has written about "Bhitaura" & "Asani" places of this district, while discussing about the residuals of the Vedic era . There are proofs that Chinese traveller Huen Tsang visited the Asani place of this district.

In village Renh, which is 25 km in south-west of Fatehpur town, some articles of archeological interest have been found which are of time 800 B. C. Many articles like coins, bricks, idols etc. of Maurya period, Kusan period & Gupta period have been found throughout the district. Many temples of Gupta period still exist in village Tenduli, Korari, Sarhan Bujurg etc., which are very important from the archeological point of view. Golden coins of period of Chandragupta II have been recovered from village Bijauli. The bricks used in fort of Asani are also of Gupta Period. The Khajuha town, situated on Mughal road is very old town. Its description has been found in old Hindu scripture "Brahma Purana", which is 5000 years old. In 1561 A. D., Moghal emperor Humayun passed through this town while invading Jaunpur state. On January 5, 1659 A. D., Moghal emperor Aurangzeb had a fierce battle with his brother prince Shahshuja, and killed him near this place. To celebrate the victory, he constructed a large beautiful garden "Badshahi Bagh" and a big lodge having 130 rooms.

During Moghul regime, the control of Fatehpur shifted time to time to the hands of Jaunpur, Delhi and Kannauj. In 1801 A. D., this region came under control of East India Company and in 1814 this was given the status of a sub-division (Paragana), while the headquarter was at Bhitaura, which is now a block office. In 1826 A. D., the Fatehpur was redesignated as a District headquarters.

Places

Bawani Imali : This monument is the symbol of sacrifices offered by freedom fighters. On 28 April 1858, fifty two freedom fighters were hanged on an "Imali" tree by the British army . The "Imali" tree still exists, people believe that the growth of tree has stopped after the massacre. This place is very near to town Khajuha in Bindki Subdivision of the district.

Bhitaura : This is block headquarter situated at the bank of holy river Ganges. This is the place where renowned saint Bhrigu worshipped for a long time. Here, flow of river Ganges is towards north direction, which is very important from the religious point of view.

Hathgam : This is also block headquarter and birth place of great freedom fighter Late Shri Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi & renowned Urdu poet Shri Iqbal Verma. It is said, this was populated by Saint Parashar.

Renh : A very old village situated on the bank of river Yamuna. Two decades before a very old idol of Lord Vishnu, made up of precious alloy, was found in this village . Now that idol is in a temple in village Kirtikheda on Bindki Lalauli road.

Shivrajpur : This village is situated at the bank of river Ganges near Bindki, which is a sub-division . In this village, there is a very old temple of Lord Krishna, which is known as "Mirabai Ka Mandir" (temple of Mirabai). It is said that idol of Lord Krishna was founded by Mirabai, a renowned devotee of Lord Krishna and a member of royal family of Mewar state.

Tenduli : A village situated on Chaudagara-Bindki road. It is believed that victims of snake/dog biting, persons suffering from parapsychological problems get relief from the temple of Baba Jhamdas in this village.

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Varanasi

Varanasi (Sanskrit: वाराणसी Vārāṇasī, Hindustani pronunciation: [ʋaːˈraːɳəsi]), also commonly known as Benares or Banaras (Hindi: बनारस, Urdu: بنارس, Banāras [bəˈnaːrəs]) and Kashi (Hindi: काशी, Urdu: کاشی, Kāśī [ˈkaːʃi]), is a city situated on the banks of the River Ganges in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, 320 kilometres (199 mi) southeast of state capital Lucknow. It is regarded as a holy city by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and probably the oldest in India.

 People performing Hindu ceremony at one of the ghats of Varanasi

The Kashi Naresh (Maharaja of Kashi) is the chief cultural patron of Varanasi and an essential part of all religious celebrations. The culture of Varanasi is closely associated with the River Ganges and the river's religious importance. The city has been a cultural and religious centre in North India for several thousand years. The Benares Gharana form of the Indian classical music developed in Varanasi, and many prominent Indian philosophers, poets, writers, and musicians resided or reside in Varanasi, including Kabir, Satguru Ravidass, Trailanga Swami, Munshi Premchand, Devkinandan Khatri, Bhartendu Harishchandra, Jaishankar Prasad, Acharya Shukla, Ravi Shankar, Girija Devi,Sitara Devi,Gudai Maharaj, Hariprasad Chaurasia, and Bismillah Khan. Tulsidas wrote Ramacharitamanas here, and Gautama Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath located near Varanasi (Kashi).

 Varanasi Ghat at dusk

Varanasi is home to four universities: Banaras Hindu University, Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth, Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies and Sampurnanand Sanskrit University. Residents mainly speak the Hindi and Kashika Bhojpuri, which is closely related to the Hindi language. People often refer to Varanasi as "the city of temples", "the holy city of India", "the religious capital of India", "the city of lights", and "the city of learning."

 Kashi Vishwanath Temple

 Varanasi Junction, the largest station serving the city

 'The most extravagant Banarasi saris use silk and gold-wrapped silk yarn with supplementary weft brocade

 Varanasi attracts thousands of Hindu piligrims every year

Banaras Hindu University is a major university in Varanasi

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