UTTAR PRADESH – TOURIST SPOTS, FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

UTTAR PRADESH

TOURIST SPOTS, FAIRS AND FESTIVALS

Known for ages for its rich ancient traditions, Uttar Pradesh abounds in places of religious importance. There are also a large number of places which cannot be called places of pilgrimage but which have great importance from historical and tourist point of view. The State is specially known for its cultural centres. Thumb-nail sketches of some such places follow:-

Agra
Both Indian and foreign tourists do not consider their itinerary complete without seeing the ‘Taj Mahal’, the world’s greatest wonder at Agra, built by Shahjahan. The most superb specimen of Mughal architecture can be seen in Agra and 40 km. away in Fatehpur Sikri. The famous fort of Agra and palaces in Fatehpur-Sikri were built by Akbar. Notable monuments built during Jahangir’s reign were the mausoleums of Akbar at Sikandara and of Etmad-ud-daula. Besides the Fort, the Taj Mahal and other historical buildings, the shrine of Shia saint Qazi Nurullah ‘Shastri’ who came to India from Iran during Jahangir’s reign, are also located in Agra. Thus not only of India, Agra has become an important place of interest for Muslims of Iran and Iraq was well.

Almora
In Almora is the temple of Kaushik Devi on the Kashyap Hill. According to the Puranas, Kaushiki Devi appeared from the body of Goddess Parvati to kill the demons Shumbh-Nishumbh.

Ayodhya (District Faizabad)
Ayodhya is among the seven great cities of India. It has the distinaction of being the birthplace of Lord Ram. For long, it was the capital of famous Ikshwaku kings. There are a number of places in Ayodhya which are said to be associated with Lord Ram, Sita and Dashrath.

Badrinath (District Chamoli)
Bardrinath is situated at an altitude of about 10, 500 feet above sea-level and at a distance of 384 km. from Hardwar. Important places on the route from Rishikesh are Muni-ki-Reti, Dev Prayag and Kirtinagar. Important places on the route from Kotdwar are Pauri, Srinagar, Rudra Prayag, Kama Prayag, Nand Prayag, Chamoli and Pipalkoti.

Baijnath (District Almora)
About 64 km. from Almora, Baijnath is a picturesque town having a cluster of temples on the bank of the Baijnath sarovar or pond. A beautiful image of Parvati is installed in the main temple.

Barsana (District Mathura)
At a distance of 24 km.from Govardhan, Barsana is situated 10 km. south of Kosi on Agra-Delhi road. It has the distinction of being the birhtplace of Radha, the beloved of Lord Kishna. Its original name was Brahma Sarini. Barsana lis situtated on the splore of a hill. Four prominent peaks are considered to symbolise Divinity and adorn the temples constructed in honour of Ladliji, a local name of Radha. A fair is held here every year on the occasion of Radhashtmi.

Bahraich
The Dargah of Syed Salar Masood Ghazi in Bahraich. He came to India alongwith Mahmud of Ghazni.

Bhed Kund
It is situated at a distance of 4.08 km. east of Kampil village. It is said that Arjun took aim at the fish here to

Bhrigu Mandir (District Ballia)
It is the place where Dardar Muni, son of Bhrigu, mental son of Lord Brahma, underook penance. The famous Dadri fair of India is held here in his memory on the occasion of Kartik Purima every year.

Bhimgoda
Bhimgoda Kund is also among the religious places around Hardwar. It belongs to the Pandava-age and was created by the hoof of Bhim’s horse.

Bhitargaon
It is situated in Narwal Tehsil of Kanpur district about 32 km. south of Kanpur. A temple of the Gupta period has been found here. Built of bricks, it is considered an excellent specimen of the Gupta architecutre in North India.

Bithoor (District Kanpur)
Situated about 21 km. north-west of Kanpur city on the banks of the Ganga, Bithoor is important both from the historical and religious points of view. Its ancient name was Brhmavarta Tirth. According to popular belief Maharshi Valmiki, the author of Ramayan, had his Ashram here. A fair is held here on Kartik Purnima day.

Chatrata (District Dehra Dun)
It is a quiet, peaceful place and a health-giving hill resort. Beautiful snow-clad peaks can be viewed from here. One can reach Chakrata easily from Dehra Dun.

Chunar (District Mirzapur)
Inside the Chunar Fort is a temple dedicated to Bhartrihari, built by Adi Vlikramaditya. Close by is the Koop temple of the Vallabh sect, where Sri Vitthalnathji had his Gaddi.

Chitrakoot (District Banda)
Chitrakoot is situated on Jhansi-Manikpur railway line about 80 km. south-east of Banda on the bank of river Mandakini. Lord Ram stayed here for some time on way to his exile-in-forest. According to legends, Maharshi Valmiki had an Ashram here also. There are many sacred sites and small hillocks along the Mandakini, also known as Payaswini. The river flows through beautiful forests. About 2.4 km. from Kamatanath, on the left bank of the river is Sitapur. There is a chain of 24 ghats along the river. Of these, Raghav Prayag, Kailash Ghat, Ram Ghat and Dhritikalpa Ghat are considered specially sacred. There are many ancient temples in Sitapur. It is said that lord Ram lived in the Parnakuti near Ramghat. Three km. from here are the ashrams of Sati Anisuiya and Maharshi Atri. In a hill region, Mandarachal, from where the Mandakini originates, there are temples dedicated to Anisuiya, Atri, Dattatreya and Hanuman. About 3.30 km. away from Sitapur is the beautiful Janki Kund. Here the river Mandakini is strewn with white stones. About a little over three km. from the Janki Kund is the Sphatik Shila (rock crystal). There are two big rocks. It is said that Ram, Sita and Lakshman reted here. In Chitrakoot there is Bharat Koop, about which it is said that the holy waters collected from all the sacred rivers were brought here by Bharat, younger brother of Lord Ram for his coronation before being poured in this well.

Chakra Tirth
Chakra Tirth is foremost among the centres of pilgrimage in Naimish. It is said that a circular pond was created when the Divine Chakra built by Lord Brahma fell on the ground. This pond is known as Chakra Tirth.

Corbett National Park
The Corbett National Park, situated in a region between the Himalayan and Sivalik ranges on both the banks of Ramganga in northern Uttar Pradesh, is renowned all over the world for its scenic beauty and wild life. It is a prominent centre of attraction for India and foreign tourists alike. It has the distinction of being the first national park of India. Established in 1935, it was named as Hailey National Park after the then Governor of U.P., Sir Malcolm Hailey. After independence, it was named as Ramganga National Park. In 1957, it was re-christened as Corbett National Park in memory of the famous hunter, the late Jim Corbett. Besides being a great hunter, Jim Corbett was also a great lover of nature and conservator of wild life.

Dauji (District Mathura)
Dauji is about 21 km. from Mathura. In the centre of the city is the famous temple of Baldau (Dauji), the elder brother of Lord Krishna. Two fairs are held here every year- one on the sixth day of the fortnight of Bhadrapada, known as Deochhat and other on the Prunima (full moon) day of Agrahayan.

Deoband (District Saharanpur)
Twenty km. from Muzaffarnagar is Deoband railway station. It has a temple dedicated to Goddess Durga. Close by the temple is the Devikund.

Deograh
This place is about 37 km. west of Lalitpur station. The famous Dashavatar temple is situated here.

Devipatan (District Gonda)
In Devipatan there is the famous temple of Pateshwari Devi. It is said that the statues of the deity in the temple was installed by Emperor Vikramaditya. A fair is held here every year.

Dewa Sharif (District Bara Banki)
The Mazar of famous Sufi saint Waris Ali Shah is situated in Dewa about 40 km. from Bara Banki. A big fair is held every year in the month of Kartik on the occasion of his annual ‘Urs’.

Dwarahat (District Almora)
Abounding in temples, Dwarahat is situated 12 km, north of Ranikhet. The three clusters of temples are known as ‘Kach-hari’, ‘Maniyan’ and ‘Ratnadev’. Most of the temples are without statues. The fourth temples is of Gujardev which is an excellent specimen of art.

Fatehpur-Sikri (District Agra)
Situated at a distance of 40 km. from Agra, Fatehpur-Sikri has the mausoleum of the famous saint Sheikh Salim chishti. The mausoleum is in the premises of a mosque and was built during the reign of Akbar. The saint is respected equally by the Hindus and the Muslims.

Garh Mukteshwar (District Ghaziabad)
Situated on the right bank of the Ganga, 42 km. from Meerut, Garh Mukteshwar was a suburb of Hastinnapur in ancient times. There is a temple of Mukteshwar Shiva here. Close to the temple is the ancient Jharkhandeshwar Shiva-ling. A fair is held here on Kartik Purnima.

Gangotri
The Gangotri Bhagirathi temple is situated at a height of 3, 140 metres near the sacred rock on which King Bhagirath used to worship Lord Shiva and where the Bhagirathi first descended on the earth from the Heavens. Legend has it that Bhagirathi undertook penance for 5, 500 years for bringing the Ganga on earth on Srikant hill close to this place. It is believed that later on the Pandavs came here and performed the Mahadev Yajna to atone for their sins in killing their relatives in the epic war of Mahabharat. The Bhagirathi flows for some distance from here thowards the north and, hence, this place is known as Gangotri. The Bhagirathi Temple was built by the Gorkha Comander-in-Chief Amar Singh Thapa at the beginning of the 18th century.

Govardhan (District Mathura)
Twenty three km. from Mathura on Mathura-Deeg (Bharatpur) Road, it is situated at a height of 100 feet. There is a beautiful temple of Haridev near the vast lake known as the sacred Manasi Ganga. This temple was built by Raja Bhagwan Das of Amber during the reign of Akbar.

Gola Gokaran Nath
Pleased by the penance done by Ravana in the Treta Yug, Lord Shiva directed him to install a Shiva-ling in Lanka with the instruction that it should not be put on land. On the way Ravana left the Shiva-ling for some time with a devotee who was not able to bear its weight and put it on the land. The Shiva-ling got installed there. On coming back, Ravana got very angry and pressed the ling with his thumb. The ling took the shape of human ear. It is on this basis that the place was called Gola Gokaran Nath. The place is about 35 km. from Lakhimpur-Kheir.

Gorakhnath Temple (District Gorakhpur)
The Gorakhnath temples is situated at the place where Mahayogi Gorakhnath distributed ‘Khichri’ as Prasad and performed miracle. Since then the city is known as Gorkhpur after the name of the Mahayogi. It is the place of penance of Mahaogi Gorkhnath and also the Siddna Pith (seat) of the Nath Sect.

Hardwar
Hardwar is the place where the mountainous course of the Ganga, the most holy river of the Hindus, ends and it enters the plains. Hardwar is a prominent centre of Hindu pilgrimage. In Sanskrit literature, it is referred to as Mayaapuri of Maya Kshetra. Some have named it as Tapovan or Gangadwar. It is also called Kapila after the Sage Kapil. There are several temples and shrines here and a dip in the holy ‘Har-ki-Pauri’ has been described a sure way to salvation.

Hastinapur (District Meerut)
Situated at a distance of 35.2 km. from Meerut, the city was the capital of the Pandavas. A big fair is held here on Kartik Purnima. It is also a famous Jain pilgrim centre. It was here that king Shreyans donated ‘ikshuras’ to the first Jain Tirthankar, ‘Rishabhdev’. Hence, it is known as ‘Dan (donations) Tirth’. There are many ancient Jain statues in Bhasooma village nearby.

Jaunpur
Jaupur was founded by Feroze Shah Tughlaq in 1359 A.D. Famous buildings constructed here by Sharqi rulers include the Fort, Attala Masjid, Jama Masjid and Lal Darwaza Masjid.

Jain Shwtembar Temple
The main deity in the grand temple is Lord Vimalnath seated on a high edestal. There are symbols of four Kalyanaks in the four corners of the temple.

Jain Digamber Temple
It has the statue of the original Lord Vimalnath. It is estimated that this statue is several hundred years old. wed Draupadi. Besides these temples representing our cultural heritage, there are a number of small temeples, ruins and old wells, which are the centres of attraction for the tourists, pilgrims, artists and research scholars in Kampil.

Kanva Ashram (District Garhwal)
Kanva Ashram is now called Chowkighat. The Sacred area spread from Kanva Ashram to Nanda Giri is known as Badrinath Mandal which, according to belief, gives all the material pleasure as well as salvation.

Katarmal (District Almora)
Katarmal is about 14.4 km. west of Almora. The 11.2 km. distance from Almora to Kosi can be covered by motor transport. The famous Surya temple of Uttarakhand is situated here. The image of the Surya in the temple is a creation of 12th century AD. The statues of Shiva-Parvati, Lakshmi-Narayan and Nrisingh are also there in the temple.

Kalsi
It is situated on the banks of the Yamuna in the northern part of Dehra Dun district. Here Ashokan edicts are inscribed in Pali on a small rock.

Kankhal (District Hardwar)
This city is situated in a very vast area about 1.5 km. from Mayapur headworks. The main temple of the city is of Daksheshwar Mahadev on its northern border. A Hanuman temple is also situated here.

Kalpi (District Jalaun)
The place is famous for its Vyas Tila and Nrisingh Tila. The common belief is that Lord Vyas had his Ashram here and Lord Nrisingh appeared on Nrishingh Tila to protect Prahlad.

Kaushambi (District Allahabad)
It is a famous pilgirm centre both of the Buddhists and the Jains. A number of ancient images have been discovered during excavations here.

Kampil (District Farrukhabad)
This small town, hiding within the mysterious folds of India’s long history, has been known since ancient times as the captivating casket of philosophy, religion and culture. It is mentioned in various forms, contexts and backdrops in Vishnu Puran, Jataks, Ramayan and Uttaradhyayan Sutra and other works and reports. Connected with Kaimganj Tehsil situated on the left bank of sacred Ganga 10 km. west by road, this pilgrim centre is the birthplace of thirteenth Jain Tirthankar Lord Vimalnath, Mahasati Draupadi and Guru Dronacharya. The Swayamvar of Draupadi was also held here. A brief account of prominent indicators of our valuable cultural treasure in Kampil are given below: Mughalghat Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb had constructed four dome-type ghats along the river Ganga close to the Draupadi Kund.

Kapil Muni Ashram
A cave has been discovered here during excavations in which there are some statues and things used in worship.

Kannau
The old name of the city was Kanyakubja. The importance of Kanyakubja increased in the seventh century when Emperor Harshavardhan established his sovereignty here. Yuan-Chwang has given a description of the city during the reign of Harsha. There were several Sanghalays in Kannauj at that time in which 10, 000 Buddhist monks lived. There were also tow hundred temples. Many of them were Shiva,Vishnu and Devi temples. The city was the capital of India from sixth to twelfth century and was also the stage of festivals and functions. This centre of archaeology, art and culture is also famous for its scents (Ittra). Old ruins, temples and mosques of Kannauj date back thousands of years and are important centres of attraction for the tourists here.Some of them:

• Kshemkali Devi Temple
  The temple still stands on a platform in the eastern corner of the city. Kshemkali Devi was the main deity of the place. No act was started without her blessings. The huge cannon of king Jai Chand was kept at this place. Templeof Sati Padmawati The Queen of Lakhan, Padmawati had performed ‘Sati’ on the left bank of Deoria Tal, 5 km. south-west of Kannauj. The Padmawati Sati Temple was built in her memory. A fair is held here in the month of Shravan.
• Ruins of Jai Chand Fort
  Remnants of the fort of king Jai Chand are found here. Raja Jai Chand’s Solahdwari and Barahdwari It is at a distance of three km. from Kannauj. Alha and Udal used to hold court here. Remains of ancient buildings are found here even today. Important places of attraction are Chintamani Temple, Gauri Shankar Temple, Makdoon Jahania Mosque, Haji Sharif,Temple Ajaypal, Jama Masjid, Bala Pir and Phoolwati Devi Temple.

Kedarnath (District Chamoli)
The Kedarnath Temple is situated at a height of about 11, 500 feet above sea-level under the Kedarnath Mandal. The pilgrims can use motor transport to quickly reach Phata from where it is a 27 km. walk to Kedarnath temple. The entire distance between Rishikesh to Kedarnath is about 400 km. Main pilgrim centres on this route are Vashistha Gufa, Vyas Ghat, Dev Prayag, Kirtinagar, Srinagar, Rudra Prayag, Agastya Muni, Chandrapuri,guptkashi, Triyugi Narayan and Gauri Kund in that order.

Kushinagar (District Padrauna)
Situated on pucca and road, about 30.4 km. from Deoria near present Kasia town, Kushinagar is among important Buddhist centres. Lord Buddha attained ‘Nirvan’ here. An ancient ‘Nirvan Stupa’ has been found here in excavation. Several ‘Vihars’ and temples of the Gupta age have also been found in excavation here. The most notable statue is that of the Buddhain reclinning posture. Presently, it is covered by a thin metal sheet. Close to it is a 10.5 ft. high statue of the Buddha dating back to mediaeval period, known as Matha Kunwar. It is carved out of black stone from Gaya. The old name of Kushinagar was Vaseya. A fair is held here on Buddha Purima.

Kaliyar (District Saharanpur)
In Kaliyar, some distance away from Roorkee, is the Dargah of Shah Ali-ud-din Sabir, popularly known as Pir-e-Kaliyar.

Lakhamandal
Situated at a distance of about 128 km. from Dehra Dun on the banks of river Yamuna, Lakhamandal derives its name from the discovery of lakhs of statues here. Some important rock inscriptions have also been found here in excation.

Lodheswar
Lodheshwar is in Bara Banki district and has a temple dedicated to lodheshwar Mahadev.

Lansdowne (District Pauri Garhwal)
Snow-clad mountain peaks of Badrinath can be seen from Lansdowne which is situated at a distance of 45 km. from Kotdwar.

Lucknow
According to the legend, the city of Lucknow was founded by Lakshman, younger brother of Lord Ram, and its ancient name was Lakshmanpuri. There is an old mound here which is known as the Lakshman Tila. Lucknow shot to fame during the period of the Nawabs of Avadh. Asaf-ud-dawla built the Roomi Darwaza and the Imambara. The Asafi Mosque, Daulatkhana, the Residency, Bibiapur Kothi and Chowk market were also built by Asaf-ud-daula. Ghazi-ud-din Haider built the Shahnajaf, Moti Mahal, Mubarak Manzil, and tombsk of Saadat Ali and Khurshidzadi. The Hussainabad Imambara, Bari Jama Masjid, Hussainabad Baradari and a few other buildings were built by Mohammad Ali Shah. The famousChhatar Manzil was constructed by Nasir-ud-din Haider which now houses the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI). The Martyr’s Memorial was erected in memory of freedom fighters who laid down their lives to make the dream of an independent India come true. The Zoological and National Botanical Gardens are also places worth seeing. There is also the Mazar of famous Muslim saint, Shah Mina. His annual ‘Urs’ is held on the first Thursday of the Muslim month of Rajab.

Maghar (District Basti)
Saint-poet Kabir breathed his last here. His Samadhi/Mazar, a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity, is situated here. The Samadhi of his son, Kamal is also situated here. It is a famous pilgrim centre for the followers of Kabir.

Mathura
Mathura it is one of the severn great cities. Madhuban near the present mathura was earlied ruled by Madhu and his son, Lavan. Madhuban or Madhupuri was founded after the name of Madhu. Shatrughan, the brother of Lord Ram, killed Lavan and gave a new form to the city. Lord Krishna beloging to the Yadav clan of Chandravanshis was born here. Lakhs of pilgrims come here every year to visit the Dwarikadhish temple and Vishramgaht.

Misrikh
Misrikh is at a distance of 10 km. from Naimisharanya. Legend is that Maharshi Dadhichi bathed here in water brought from all the Tirths before donating his bones. Hence, its name Mishrit or Misrikh. The ashram of Maharshi Dadhichi and Sita Kund are other places of attraction here.

Mussoorie (District Dehra Dun)
Situated at an altitude of 6, 500 ft. above sea-level, 35 km. away from Dehra Dun is Mussoorie, the most picturesque hill station of Uttar Pradesh. It is known as the queen of hill resorts. There is also a rope-way for the convenience of the tourists.

Naini Tal
The vast beautiful lake is among the many attractions of Naini tal. It is surrounded by hills on three sides. Other beautiful lakes nearby are Bhim Tal, Sat Tal, Naukchia Tal and Khurpa Tal, etc., which add to the attraction of the place.

Nanda Devi (District Chamoli)
After Gauri Shankar, it is the highest mountain peak in the world. The Hindus visit the place every twelfth year during the month of Bhadra.

Nandgaon (District Mathura)
Nandgaon is situated at the foot of a hillock about 48 km.from Mathura. Nand Baba had his house here. On the top of the hillock is a big temple. The place is held very sacred by the Hindus.

Naimisharanya
It was at this place that for establishing Dharma on the earth, the Gods requested Maharshi Dadhichi to give his bones for prepering a weapon to kill the Demon Vrittrasur. Naimisharnaya was a centre of spriitual development. It was the place of penance of 88, 000 sages or Rishis. There are 30, 000 pilgrim centres here. It is said that a person performing penance here is sure to get ‘Siddhi’ (Divine Power). There are many places of pilgrimage (Tirth) in Naimisharanya. Lakhs of pilgrims from every corner of the country come here. A Chaurasi (84) Kosi Parikrama is held in the month of Phalgun in memory of Maharshi Dadhichi. The parikrama commences from Amavasya day and concludesk on Purnima day at Misrikh.

Pindari Glacier (District Almora)
This beautiful spot is at a height of 3943 metres in Almora district. During the journey from Almora to Pindari, flowers of varied hues, beuatiful forests and snows draw the tourists’ attension towards them. The Pindar river also orginates from this glacier.

Prayag (Allahabad)
Situated at the confluence of Ganga and Yamuan, Prayag, known as the “Tirthraj” is the famous pilgrims centre of India. It finds mention in almost all the scriptures. Here a Kumbh takes place every twelfth year and an Ardh-Kumbh every sixth year. The ashram of sage Bharadwaj and the ancient Akshayvat are also situated here. There is a fort at the Sangam which was built by Akbar.

Rajapur (District Banda)
Rajapur is situated at a distance of 99.2 km. from Banda and 38 km. from Chitrakoot. The great saint-poet Tulsidas is said to have been born here. A beautiful memorial has been built here on behalf of the Tulsi smarak samiti. Rameshwardham Temple It is said that Shatrughan, younger brother of Lord Ram, had installed the Shiva-ling brought from Lanka here. Sita used to worship this Shiva-ling daily during her stay in Ashok Vatika.

Ranikhet (District almora)
The main attraction of Ranikhet is its sylvan surroundings. This hill resort can easily be reached from Almora and Naini Tal also. It has many beautiful spots, pine forests and fruit orchards. Not far away is the Chaubatia Government Gardens. It has an excellent Golf Course. A rope-way has also been built here

Rishikesh (District Dehra Dun)
According to common belief, this beautiful place was very dear to Lord Shiva. It is said that it was here that Lord Vishnu killed the demon Madhu-Kaitabh. Rishikesh is situated on a huge rock on the banks of the Ganga.

Sarnath (District Varanasi)
Sarnath occupies a very important place among Buddhist Shrines. After Enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, the Buddha preached his first sermon in Mrigdav (Sarnath). Remains of several ancient Vihars and temples have been found here inexcavations. The Archaeological Museum here is also an important place to visit.

Sankisa
It was called Sankasya in ancient times. The Chinese traveller, Yuan-Chwang has described it as ‘Kapittha’. The present Sankisa is in Farrukhabad district. There are certain relics on a mound here measuring 455 metres from east to west and 303 metres from north to south. According to the Buddhists, Lord Buddha had descended on earth at this place. The place is also held sacred by the Hindus. A Shravani Mela is held here every year.

Shakumbhari Devi
This ancient temple is situated at a place 41.6 km. from Saharanpur. The Shakumbhari Devi temple is surrounded by hills on all sides. A fair is held here on the occasion of Navaratri.

Shaheed Mela
The Shaheed Mela, famous all over India, is held here from May 10 to 5 every year.

Shringirampur
Situated on the south bank of the Ganga in Farrukhabad district, Shringiramapur has a temple dedicated to shringi Rishi. Fairs are held here on the occasion of Kartik Purnima and Dussehra.

Shringverpur (District Allahabad) Shringverpur is situated 48 km. from Allabad station. It is here that Lord Ram stayed overnight at the request of NishadRaj Guh.

Shravasti (District Bahraich)
According to Pauranic lore, Shravasti, situated on Balrampur Road about 50 km. from Bahraich, was founded by Suryavanshi king Shravast. The Buddhist scriptures describe it as one of the six prominent cities of India. The city is also an important centre of Jains. It was also the second capital of Kosal.

Soron (District Etah)
Soron or Shooker-Kshetra is one of the famous pilgrim centres of India. According to the Pauranic lore, at the start of the creation, the earth apperared first off all at this place. There is a temple of Lord Varah here in which a colossal image of Varah is installed and nearby is the Varah Ghat on Haripadi. A ‘Margshirsh’ fair is held here in the sacred memory of Lord Varah since ancient times.

Sut Gaddi
The dialogue between Sut and Shaunak was held here.

Sri Lalita Devi Temple
It is close to the Chakra Tirth. It is said that a divine power called Lalita appeared here by the order of Brhma and holding the Brhma’s Chakra by its top, made it stand erect. This temple has great importance for the devotees.

Sri Hanuman Garhi and Panch Pandav
There is a colossal statue of Lord Hanuman here. According to the legend, after killing Ahiravan, Lord Hanuman appeared here along with Lord Ram and Lakshaman. Here also is a temple of the Pandavas. Pandavas stayed here during their period of secret abode.

Shukra Tal (District Muzaffar Nagar)
Maharshi Shukracharya a narrated the story of Mahabharat to King Parikshit under a banyan tree here. Thousands of devotees congregate here on Kartik Purnima and Ekadashi. A Bhagwat Week is organised here almost every month.

Tapovan (District Tehri Garhwal)
Lord Lakshman is said to have done penance here. Lakshman Jhola is the main attraction of the place. There is also a Lakshman temple and an ancient temple of Lord Vishnu. At some distance is the Swargashram. There is also a Rameshwar temple at this place.

Varanasi (Kashi)
Varanasi is among the most ancient cities not only of India but of the world. It derives its name two rivers-Varuna and Assi. The present Kashi has many beautiful temples which include the famous Vishwanath temple, Annapurana temple, Vishweshvar, Sakshi Vinayak and Panchratna temples. Among the ‘Kunds’ and ‘Vapis’, notable are Durga Kund, Pushkar Kund, Pishach Mochan, Kapildhara, Lolark, Mansarovar and Mandakini. It has a number of ghats, famous among them being Assi, Harishchandra, AhilyaBai, Dashashwamedha and Manikarnika.

Vindhyachal (District Mirzapur)
The famous temple of Vindhyavasini Devi is located here. A great fair is held here during Nav-ratri.

Vrindavan (District Mathura)
Vrindavan is situated at a distance of 9.6 km. from Mathura. There are about 4, 000 temples, ghats and sarovars in Vrindava. The Govind Dev temples is very beautiful and grand. It was built by Raja Man Sing of Jaipur in 1500 AD. In front of this is the grand temple of Rangnath built of white stone in the Dravidian style. Other famous temples are Behariji temple, Radhavallabh temple, Radharaman temple, Gopinath temple, Shahji temple, Ashta Sakhi temple etc. Nidhivan and Sewakunj are famous forest resorts and Vashivat, Kalidah and Keshgat are important ghats of the Yamuna in Vrindavan.

Vyas Gaddi
Close to Chakara Tirth is Vyas Gaddi where Maharshi Vyas classified the Vedas into four parts and wrote the Puranas.

Yamunotri
This place is situated on the west side of the lofty mountain peak called Bandarpoonchh at a height of 4, 421 metres above sea-level. This peak is covered with snow round the year. The source of water of Hanuman Ganga and Tons river is located here. It is said that Asit Muni had his hermitage here and thoughout his life he used to bathe daily both in the Yamuna and Ganga rivers. When he became unable to go to Gangotri with the approach of old age, a spring of Ganga waters appeared among the pieces of rock in the Yamunotri. The Yamuna Temple is the main place of worship here. Close to the temple are many hot water springs where boiling water gushing from mountain caves accumulates in ponds. The most promient among them is the Surya Kund. The people dip rice and potato wrapped in a piece of cloth and after some time it is fully cooked, which is brought back as ‘Prasad’. Close to Surya Kund is the rock known as Divya Shila which is worshipped first, before worshipping Yamunotri.

Hotels of Uttar Pradesh
The State has hotels of star and non star category catering to the needs of the tourists visiting Uttar Pradesh. Besides it has resorts, restaurants and cafés which cater to the needs of all segment of travelers.