| Uttar Pradesh Culture |
| Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in India with a population of over 190 million people as of July 1st 2008. If it were a separate country, Uttar Pradesh would be the world's fifth most populous nation, next only to China, India, the United States and Indonesia. Uttar Pradesh forms part of the Hindi heartland of India, with Hindi and Urdu (which are mutually intelligible) being the principal and official languages of the state. While standard Hindi (Khari boli) is one the official languages several important regional Hindi dialects are spoken in the state including Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Braj, Bagheli and Bundeli, besides several local dialects that do not have a formal name. Nearly 75% of Uttar Pradeshi's are Hindu, while Muslims make up 18% of the population. The remaining population consists of Sikhs, Buddhists, Christians and Jains. Art and Craft Uttar Pradesh is famous for its rich heritage of art and craft. Some of the most famous centres include Kanpur, internationally known for its leather craft. Shoes and other leather items are made for the Indian market and exported to foreign countries as well. Firozabad, the city of bangles, is also a hub for many glass accessories. The glass artifacts produced in its factories are exported the world over. Kannauj is well known for oriental perfumes, scents and rose water and also for tobacco. Khurja is famous for its ceramics. In fact, the entire state is famous for its pottery not only in India but also around the world. Lucknow, the capital, boasts of its cloth work and embroidery (chikan) work on silk and cotton. Mirzapur and Bhadohi are known for carpets. Moradabad is well know for its metal ware, especially brass artifacts. Pilibhit is known for its wooden flutes and Varanasi is famous for its banarasi saris and silk. A banarasi sari is an essential part of any marriage in the state. Dance and Music The state is home to a very ancient tradition in dance and music. During the eras of Guptas and Harsh Vardhan, Uttar Pradesh was a major centre for musical innovation. Swami Haridas was a great saint-musician who championed Hindustani Classical Music. Tansen, the great musician in the Mughal Emperor Akbar's court, was a disciple of Swami Haridas. The ragas sung by Tansen were believed to be so powerful that they could bring rain or light a fire when recited. Kathak, a classical dance form, involving gracefully coordinated movements of the and body, grew and flourished in Uttar Pradesh. Today, the state is home to two prominent schools of this dance form. The region's folk heritage includes songs called rasiya, which celebrate the divine love of Radha and Shri Krishna. These songs are accompanied by large drums known as bumb and are performed at many festivals. Other folk dances or folk theater forms include Ramlila, which includes enacting the entire Ramayana. Dress A variety of dresses are worn by the people of Uttar Pradesh and hence, the public scene is always a show of many types of dresses and many colours. Traditional styles of dress include draped garments, such as sari for women and dhoti or lungi for men, and stitched clothes, such as salwar kameez for women and kurta-pyjama for men. European-style trousers and shirts are also common among the educated men. |
| Festivals Religious practices are an integral part of everyday life and a very public affair, as they are in the rest of India. Therefore, not surprisingly, many festivals are religious in origin although several of them are celebrated irrespective of caste and creed. Among the most important Hindu festivals are Diwali, Holi and Vijayadasami, which are also observed with equal fervour by Jains and Sikhs. Eid al-Milad,Eid ul-Fitr, Bakr-Id and Moharram are Muslim religious festivals. Mahavir Jayanti is celebrated by Jains, Buddha Jayanti by Buddhists, Guru Nanak Jayanti by Sikhs and Christmas by the Christians. Sports Traditional sports, now played mostly as a past time, include wrestling, swimming, Kabaddi and track or water sports played according to local traditional rules and without use of modern gear. Sometimes, displays of martial skills using a sword or stick form the basis of sports but, due to lack of organized patronage and requisite facilities, these sports are surviving mostly as individuals hobbies or local competitive events. Modern sports are also popular, especially among the educated class, but the state has yet to attain alround national standing in most of them. There was a time when field hockey was immensely popular and Uttar Pradesh produced some of the finest hockey players in India. Hockey's popularity is now taken over by cricket. |