As early as in 1897, Mr Crooke of the Bengal Civil Service wrote about Uttar Pradesh, formerly known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, that of all the provinces of the empire there is none of greater interest than this. It is the veritable garden of India, with a soil of unrivalled fertility, for the most part protected from famine by a magnificent series of irrigation works, occupied by some of the finest and most industrious of races, possessing in its roads and railways an unusually perfect system of internal communications. Mr Crooke's observations on the State of Uttar Pradesh are as true today as were then.

The most characteristic feature of Uttar Pradesh is that it has remained for centuries the heartland of India. Its geo-political situation has not only determined its own history but the history of the whole country. Whether it was the Turks, Moghuls or the British, any one who occupied this heartland became ultimately the master of the entire country. Whenever the power in occupation of this heartland was strong and able to resist attacks, the country remained safe and strong. It must be noted that the first war of independence against the British started in UP on May 10, 1857 and that area remained the centre of the struggle then on.

The state is bounded by Uttaranchal and Nepal in the north, Himachal Pradesh in the north-west, Haryana in the west, Rajasthan in the south-west, Madhya Pradesh in the south-west and south and Bihar in the east. Physically, the newly created state, Uttaranchal, forms northern boundary, the Vindhyas girdle its south, the Yamuna forms part of its western and south-western boundary, the Ganga forms part of southern boundary and the Gandak, the eastern boundary.

With its population 16,60,52,859 persons in March 2001, Uttar Pradesh has the dubious distinction of being the most populous state of the country. Over the last decade alone the state has recorded an increase of 3,40,54,55 persons which is more than the population of Canada. Allahabad with a population of 49,41,510 people is the most populous district of the state. The state has a sex ratio of 922 females for every 1000 males. District Azamgarh in the state has highest sex ratio with 1026 females for every 1000 males. Over all literacy rate of Uttar Pradesh is 57.36 per cent. The literacy rate of males is 70.23 per cent and of females is 42.98 per cent.

Land and water are the biggest natural resources of Uttar Pradesh. The land is alluvial and, according to a survey made by Food and Agricultural Organisation, it is one of the most fertile and richest soils in the world. Because of this, agriculture has been the mainstay of the state for centuries. In 1991, 76 per cent of the state's total working population was employed in this sector and its contribution to the total net output of the state was 68 per cent compared to the all-India average of 52 per cent. In 1995-96 the contribution of agricultural sector to the net output of the state was 60 per cent. Despite development of small scale and other industries in the State, a major percentage of population continues to depend on this sector. The predominance of agriculture has contributed to the setting up of industries based on it. The state is the biggest producer of sugar in the country and has the largest number of sugar factories. Production of cotton contributed to the setting up of cotton ginning, and pressing mills in a number of places like Kanpur, Agra, Hathras and Mirzapur. But now the state is dependent upon cotton imported from outside. About 18 per cent of the foodgrains of the whole country is produced in this state, which also produces 14 per cent of oilseeds, 35 per cent of potatoes, 46 per cent of sugarcane and one per cent of cotton.

The state is ranked very low in the list of mineral resources. The major portion of the state is covered by alluvium minerals. Recently a larger area in Bundelkhand is reported to have yielded vast resources of copper, cobalt and iron ore. It is also expected that oil may be found in the Ganga basin. Limestone, silica magnasite, pyrophillite, fireclay, asbestos, marble, gypsum, sulphur and graphite are some other minerals found in the state.

The state was famous in the good old days for its industry and commerce. Agra was known for its carpet industry. It was in the days of Akbar that carpet-makers from Iran were settled in Agra and it continued to be one of the leading centres in Persian carpet-making. The Industry also developed in Bhadoi and Mirzapur where it continues to flourish today. In the London exhibition of 1851 and Paris exhibition of 1867 carpets of Agra and Mirzapur were exhibited and highly appreciated. Later, many Europeans opened factories at Mirzapur. After 1764, Mirzapur became a big centre of trade and commerce, and cotton and indigo were brought here from Maharashtra and Bundelkhand. It was a centre for the sale of shawls from Punjab and Kashmir and the silk of Murshidabad. Situated on the banks of the Ganga, Mirzapur continued to be a prominent industrial centre till the railways robbed it of its advantage of water transport. Varanasi has been well known from time immemorial for its silk saris, brocade and brassware. Mathura, another pilgrim centre, was also famous for its cotton printing, brassware and brass idols. Since the days of Ashoka, Mathura has been well known for its sculpture. Moradabad has been famous for its brass and silver-polish utensils and Lucknow for its enamel and jali work. Farrukhabad has always been well known for its cotton printing and it still maintains that tradition.

In the fields of sculpture and architecture, Uttar Pradesh had some brilliant periods of the Mauryan period. We have the famous lion capitol on the Ashoka Pillar in Sarnath and the beautiful Sarnath railing and toranas. These toranas travelled as far as Japan with the spread of Budhism. The Mathura sculpture of Mauryan period is known for its depth of detail and variety. A happy combination of the Indian and Greek art, the Gupta sculpture in red sandstone is famous for the beauty of its form and expressiveness. The most important image of the period is that of the Buddha, now standing in the Darbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The Buland Darwaza at Fatehpur Sikri, the Red Fort and Taj Mahal at Agra are known for their royal grandeur world over. The rich architectural tradition has continued even today.

There are a number of forts in Uttar Pradesh which have survived the ravages of time. The oldest among them is at Kalinjar and the youngest at Jhansi. In between are the famous forts of Agra, Allahabad and Chunar. The tombs of the Nawabs of Oudh and Imambaras at Lucknow are also fine monuments.

Uttar Pradesh has contributed a lot to the traditions of classical and folk music. In the field of literature, it is difficult to distinguish between the religious and the secular. The literary heritage of this state is rich. Kalidasa's predecessor as a dramatist and one of the best known Buddhist writers of the world, Asvaghosa, was born in Ayodhya. In Urdu, Uttar Pradesh has an equally proud record. From the medieval times till the present day Urdu has been enriched by poets like Atish, Nasikh, Mir Anis, Mirza Dabir, Daya Shanker Naseem, Nazir Akbarabadi, Akbar Allahabadi, Brijnarain Chakbast, Jigar Moradabadi, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Majaz, Anand Narain Mulla, etc. Actually it was in the court of Lucknow that Urdu literature developed and poets and writers of Delhi found refuge.

- B S Dhingra