Uttar Pradesh is a state with a beautiful blend of Culture, art, music, food and traditions. It houses various places of cultural, architectural, historical and religious importance. Uttar Pradesh Tourism is also a very big industry. Many people including people from foreign come to visit different places in Uttar Pradesh. The Culture of Uttar Pradesh is a mix of Hindi and Urdu music, literature, fine arts and cinema. The architecture of various buildings present over here dates back to centuries. The famous term ‘Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb’ which means the beautiful fusion of Hindu and Muslim cultural and Traditional elements, originates from the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Lucknow, the capital city of Uttar Pradesh is often referred as the ‘Heart of Uttar Pradesh’ because of its Geographical position and the blend of culture and tradition that is found here. People often relate the terms ‘Nazakat and Tehzeeb’ to portray the classy way of living of the people in Lucknow. One finds the top schools and universities of UP, planned colonies, cultural and heritage monuments and parks, the famous ‘Chikankari’ clothes and delicious cuisines especially Kebabs and Biryani. Included in the Awadh region, this city is also called ‘The City of Nawabs’ as many rulers and kings of the Awadh province used to live here. Today also, this city has many tourist spots. There is a wide diaspora of things available to do in Lucknow. Whether you have an interest in fashion, cuisine, history or architecture; Lucknow has it all for you. 

Many events take place around the year to celebrate various things. Most of such events are cultural, entertainment, and fun events for both the local people and tourists. Also, festivals like Holi, Diwali, Dussehra, Eid-Ul-Fitr, Shab-e-Barat, Eid-al-Adha are celebrated lavishly in this city with full enthusiasm. The city of Agra is full of Heritage sites, including the magnificent Taj Mahal, Agra fort and Fatehpur Sikri. It is also famous for its Mughlai cuisines and sweet dish ‘Petha’.

One of the most famous elements of the Culture of Uttar Pradesh is the Pilgrimage Circuit, which consists of the Holy cities of the Hindu religion like Varanasi, Ayodhya, Allahabad (now Prayagraj) that has the Sangam, Mathura, Vrindavan. So all these factors add up to Uttar Pradesh being one of the top choices of visitors, tourists, pilgrims from all around the world.

A variety of traditions and customs are followed by people of Uttar Pradesh. The Hindu Culture believes that it is pious to take a dip in rivers like Ganga, Yamuna etc. It is a belief that this is a cleansing process for one’s soul and gets him/her rid of their sins. At the Sangam in Prayagraj, a grand fair called Kumbh Mela is held every 6 years which has one of the largest gatherings in the whole world. At the ghats of rivers, especially in Prayagraj and Varanasi, ‘Aarti’ is conducted to worship the river in the evening. Every Festival is celebrated with full enthusiasm in Uttar Pradesh. People prepare sweet cuisines like ‘Sewaiyan’ on Eid and follow the custom of hugging each other.

The Folk Culture of Uttar Pradesh is very diversified. Rasleela is a drama portraying the activities of Lord Krishna. Ramleela is another drama act form, which portrays the story of Ramayan. Many Gharanas (Schools) of music have originated from Uttar Pradesh. Khayal is an artform of semi classical singing. Folk music like Kajari is sung by people in Sawan (monsoon) season.

The Traditional dress of women in Uttar Pradesh is Saree and Salwar Kameez. While for men it is Dhoti Kurta or Kurta Pyjama. On special occasions, women wear beautifully embroidered lehengas and men wear vibrant sherwanis. Jewellery is also adorned by people in Uttar Pradesh. 

The Culture of a place remains incomplete without food and cuisines. Uttar Pradesh has a rich heritage of food. Awadhi and Mughlai Cuisines of UP are famous all over the world. A variety of spices used in these cuisines. The staple food includes Roti, Daal and rice. Various types of breakfast and snacks exist in Uttar Pradesh like Kachori-Jalebi, Samosa, Chaat, Chola-Kulcha etc. Mouth watering sweet dishes like Malaiyyo, Rabari, Lassi are also prevalent in the food Culture of Uttar Pradesh.