Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous stat

6-12 November 1979

Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, lies at the heart of the Indo-Gangetic Plain and has been a cradle of Indian civilisation for over 3,000 years. Ancient cities like Varanasi and Sarnath embody their deep spiritual roots. Varanasi, one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities, is sacred to Lord Shiva, with its ghats along the Ganges echoing with prayers and the sounds of cremation fires. Nearby Sarnath is where Gautama Buddha first preached the Dhamma after enlightenment, making it one of Buddhism’s holiest sites.

The region flourished under the Mughals, whose grandeur transformed Agra into a centre of art and architecture. The Taj Mahal, built by the fifth emperor Shah Jahan in the 17th century as a mausoleum for his wife Mumtaz Mahal, stands as an enduring symbol of love and perfection in white marble. Nearby Fatehpur Sikri (“City of Victory”), founded by Akbar the Great, remains a magnificent yet short-lived Mughal capital, its red sandstone palaces and mosques still hauntingly beautiful.

Today, Uttar Pradesh reflects the spiritual and cultural essence of India — a land of sacred rivers, pilgrim cities, Mughal splendour, and vibrant traditions, where the echoes of faith and history continue to shape the rhythm of life.

The Taj Mahal ('Crown of the Palace'), a marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in Agra, commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, to house the tomb of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

A marble fence, inside the Taj Mahal, the ivory-white marble mausoleum commissioned in 1631 by the fifth Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan to house the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal,his favourite wife, It also houses the tomb of Shah Jahan himself.

The Mehmaan khana, a grand edifice used as the Taj Mahal guest house and party space during the late 18th and 19th centuries, with a view to the Yamuna River.

A boy flying a kite, with Agra Fort in the background.

An inner courtyard in Fatehpur Sikri, the political capital of India's Mughal Empire from 1571 until 1585, when it was abandoned, ostensibly due to lack of water.

View from a roof terrace in Fatehpur Sikri, the political capital of India's Mughal Empire near Agra founded in 1569 by the great Mughal emperor Akbar, but abandoned 16 years later.

The Fatehpur Sikri Fort, in the political capital of India's Mughal Empire near Agra under Akbar's reign, from 1571 until 1585, when it was abandoned and the capital moved to Delhi.

A street in Varanasi, one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world, a cultural and religious centre in northern India.

A seller of sirih in his little shop in Varanasi.

A shopkeeper in front of his little shop in Varanasi.

A busy square in the business district of Varanasi.

Sunrise over the Ganga, the Ganges river in Varanasi; Hindu culture is deeply associated with the river.

Fortune tellers under their parasols, at sunrise over the Ganges river in Varanasi.

A fortune teller, seated under rattan umbrellas, reading fortunes for the visiting pilgrims on the banks of the Ganges river in Varanasi.

Workers on boats on the banks of the Ganges river in Varanasi.

Women bathing and pouring water, a ritual in the Ganges river in Varanasi.

The Dasaswamedh Ghat, one of the “ghats” where people are cremated on the banks of the Ganges (Ganga) river in Varanasi.

Dashashwamedh Ghat, a main ghat on the banks of the Ganges river, Varanasi, the cultural and religious centre in northern India.

Praying and bathing on the banks of the Ganges, the holy river in Varanasi, in the light of the rising sun.

View from a boat to the “ghats” where people are cremated on the banks of the Ganges (Ganga) river in Varanasi.

View to the “burning ghats” where people are cremated on the banks of the Ganges (Ganga) river in Varanasi.

A cremation on one of the “burning ghats” on the banks of the Ganga (Ganges) river in Varanasi.

View to Lolita Ghat, near the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, dedicated to Shiva, on the banks of the Ganges (Ganga) river, Varanasi.

Devotees in Durga Mandir, one of the most famous temples in Varanasi, constructed by Rani Bhabani of Natore in the 18th century.

A priest at a lingam in the Shri Vishwanath temple on the Banaras Hindu University campus.

The Dhamekh Stupa in Sarnath, marking the precise location where the Buddha preached his first discourse to his first five disciple, circa 528 BCE. The stupa dates from the 5th-6th century and is 43.6 metres high, with a diameter of 28 metres.

The bases of stupas, dating from between the 6th and 12th century in Sarnath, 11 kilometres northeast of Varanasi.

Stupas, dating from the time of Emperor Ashoka (c. 268 to 232 BCE) in Sarnath.

School children in front of a temple in Sarnath, where the Buddha preached his first discourse to his first five disciple, around 528 BCE.

The Indian border town of Sonauli with the entrance point to Nepal.