UTTAR PRADESH Nourished by the Ganga and its tributaries and one of the most densely populated states of India, Uttar Pradesh lies on the foothills of Himalaya. Spread over an area of 295,000 sq km with a population of 155 million, geographically it consists of the vast Ganges plain and mighty Himalayas. High above the world where the mountains seem to touch the sky are the secret sources of India's sacred rivers. Here at a height of over 3000 metres the snow melts to form the Ganga and Yamuna rivers in a deep recess of the mountains. This hallowed ground is the destination of countless pilgrims every year.

The holiest shrines of Gangotri, Yamunotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath, Deoprayag and holy cities of Rishikesh, Haridwar and Varanasi(Kashi or Banaras) all are in this fascinating state of unequal match. The state is equally popular for Buddhist pilgrims for Sarnath where Lord Buddha preached his first sermon and Kushinagar-the place where Lord Buddha died (Mahanirvana)