Uttar Pradesh (UP) is the essence of India, the image of the nation in a microcosm. Often misleadingly referred to as the ‘cow belt’, UP has been the home of thinkers and philosophers, dancers and musicians, poets and writers, artistes and artisans, leaders and politicians, intellectuals and academics. Time stopped to create history on its soil – religious thinkers preached their new messages, emperors wrote love songs in marble, leaders forged a new nation from an old bondage and even the gods frolicked and flirted on this very land.

UP’s cities and towns tell the tales of gods who lived in Ayodhya and Mathura; of kings and queens who left indelible reminders behind them in Agra, Lucknow and Jhansi; of conquering heroes and vanquished armies who fought in Kanpur, Kannauj and Chunar and of sages and sinners who came in search of salvation and found it in Benares, Haridwar and Prayag.

Given its vast dimensions, Uttar Pradesh offers a wide range of destinations for the inveterate traveller, whatever his inclination be. He can choose from historical cities, pilgrim centres, mountain resorts, wildlife sanctuaries and adventure sites. He can walk in the footsteps of kings, be part of a vast multitude of pilgrims, tread the path well trodden or go where few have gone before.