Sonbhadra

Sonbhadra or Sonebhadra is the largest district of Uttar Pradesh, India. The district has an area of 6788 km² and a population of 1,463,468 (2001 census), with a population density of 216 persons per km². It lies in the extreme southeast of the state, and is bounded by Mirzapur District to the northwest, Chandoli District to the north, Bihar state to the northeast, Jharkhand state to the east, Chhattisgarh state to the south, and Madhya Pradesh state to the west. The district headquarters is in the town of Robertsganj.

Tourist Place : Vijaygarh Fort, Aghorigarh Fort, Sodharigarh Durg, Shivdwar Temple, Jwaladevi Temple, Kundeshwar Mahadev Temple, Renukeshwar Mahadev Temple, Radha Krishna Temple, Geeta Temple, Mukha Water Fall, Rihand Dam, Dhanraul Dam, Sarnath, Vindhyanchal Temple, Chunar Fort, Rajdari - Devdari, Vindham Fall.

Mirzapur

The ancient significance of Mirzapur city is evident from the Vedic scriptures, where it is mentioned as a sacred place. It is believed that the city was founded by Raja Nanner, who named it after Goddess Parvati as Girijapur. As per folklore, Goddess Parvati (Girija) sacrificed herself in a yajna at this place.

The district of Mirzapur has a rocky terrain which consists of hills, plateaus and cliffs. Mirzapur is watered by River Ganges and River Belan and their tributaries. It is surrounded by low lying hills like Rajdari, Devdari, Lakhaniyadari, Windom fall range, Sirshi, etc. which are the extensions of the Vindhya Range. It is bounded by Varanasi District on its north and north-east, Sonbhadra district on its south and Allahabad District on its south-west.

Mirzapuri is the local language of Mirzapur. Festivals like Jeevitputrika, Dusshera, Deep Mahotsava, Lalahi chattha, Shardiya and Vasantik navratra and fairs like ojhala ka mela, lohandi ka mela, Vindhya Mahotsava, horaha gaderi ka mela, litti bati ka mela and maa bhandari ka mela are celebrated with great enthusiasm.

Vindhyavasini Devi Temple is situated in Vindhyachal, 8 km from Mirzapur, on the banks of the holy river Ganges. It is one of the most revered Shaktipeeths of the presiding deity, Vindhyavasini Devi. The temple is visited by large number of people daily. Big congregations are held during Navratras in Chaitra (April) and Ashwin (October) months. Kajali competitions are held in the month of Jyestha (June). The temple is situated just 2 km from the Kali Khoh, an ancient cave temple dedicated to Goddess Kali.

70 km. (one and a half hour drive) from Varanasi, Vindhyachal is a renowned religious city dedicated to Goddess Vindhyavasini. Mythologically goddess Vindhyavasini is believed to be the instant bestower of bendiction. There are several temples of other deities in the vicinity, the most famous ones being Ashtabhuja Devi Temple and kalikhoh Temple, which constitute the Trikona Parikrama (circumambulation). The Vindhyavasini Devi Temple, the Ashtabhuja temple, dedicated to Goddess Mahasaraswati (on a hollock, 3 km from Vindhyavasini temple) and the Kali khoh temple, dedicated to Goddess Kali (2 km from Vindhyavasini temple) form the Trikon Parikrama.

Gorakhpur

The district Gorakhpur takes its name and fame from renowned, ascetic 'Gorakshnath', who was an eminent profounder saint of 'Nath Sampradaya'. A famous shrine 'Gorakhnath' was built in his honour on the same spot where he practised austerities.

History: The ancient Gorakhpur, in addition to modern, comprised the districts of Basti, Deoria, Azamgarh and parts of Nepal tarai. These region, which may be called as Gorakhpur Janpad, had been an important centre of Aryan culture and civilization.

Gorakhpur was a part of the famous kingdom of Koshal, one of sixteen mahajanpadas in 6th Century B.C. The earliest known monarch ruling over this region with his capital at Ayodhya was IKSVAKU, who founded the solar dynasty of Kshatriya. It produced a number of illustratious kings till the accession of Ram, who was the greatest ruler of this dynasty. Since then, it remained an integral part of the erstwhile empires of Maurya, Shunga, Kushana , Gupta and Harsha dynasties. According to tradition, the Tharu king, Mausen of Madan Singh (900-950 A.D.) ruled over Gorakhpur city and the adjoining area.

In medieval period, when the entire northern India lay prostrate before the Muslim ruler, Mohammad Ghori, the Gorakhpur region was not left out. For a longer period it remained under the sway of the muslim rulers, from Qutub-Ud-Din Aibak to Bahadur Shah.Tradition has it that Ala-ud-din Khilji (1296-1316) ordered the conversion of old shrine of Goraksha ( a popular deity ) of Gorakhpur into a mosque. However, on Akbar's reorganisation of the empire, Gorakhpur gave its name to one of the five Sirkars comprising the province of Avadh.

Modern period was marked by the transfer of this region by the Nawab of Avadh to the East India Company in 1801. With this cession, Gorakhpur was raised to the status of a 'DISTRICT. The first collector was Mr. Routledge. In 1829, Gorakhpur was made the headquarters of a Division of the same name, comprising the districts of Gorakhpur, Ghazipur and Azamgarh. Mr. R.M. Biad was first appointed Commissioner.

In 1865, new district Basti was carved out from Gorakhpur. The latter was further split up in 1946 to form new district Deoria. The third division of Gorakhpur led to the creation of district Mahrajganj in 1989.

Allahabad

The city of Allahabad is among the largest cities of Uttar Pradesh and is situated at the confluence of three rivers - Ganga, Yamuna and the invisible Saraswati. The meeting point is known as 'Triveni' and is especially sacred to Hindus. The earlier settlements of the Aryans were established in this city, then known as Prayag. Its sanctity is manifest by references to it in Purans, the Ramayan and the Mahabharata. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Brahma, the creator God of the Trinity, chose a land on earth (i.e. Prayag) to perform 'Prakrista Yag', at the beginning of the creation and he also referred to it as 'Tirth Raj' or the 'King of all pilgrimage centres'. As per writing of 'Padam Puran' - "As the sun is amongst the moon and the moon amongst the stars, likewise 'Prayag' is best amongst all places of pilgrimage".

Emperor Akbar founded this city in 1575 AD by the name of 'Illahabas' which has now become modern Allahabad. The monarch realized its strategic importance as a waterway landmark in North India and also built a magnificent fort on the banks of holi 'Yamuna'. Allahabad today is an important city where history, culture and religion create a magical confluence, much like the sacred rivers that caress this blessed land. Due to its religious importance, many pilgrims come to Allahabad in the bathing season, the Hindu month of Magh (mid January to mid-february), to purify themselves. During this month, a great gathering and fair called Magh Mela takes place on the sands. Every 12^th year when the waters are felt to be especially purifying, Allahabad holds a much greater festival called Kumbh Mela. Many millions of pilgrims attend this festival, coming from all over India. It is believed that bathing during Kumbh cures the bather of all sins and evils and grants the bather salvation.

In 1885, Mark Twain wrote about Allahabad Kumbh -"Pilgrims plodded for months in heat to get here, worn, poor and hungry, but sustained by unwavering faith".

Lucknow

Bara Imambara Lucknow

Lucknow is a beautiful city that still retains its old world charm. Your tour to Lucknow will be a truly memorable one when you travel in India. While arranging for Lucknow sightseeing tours, make sure that you visit the following tourist attractions that are worth seeing. The exquisite monuments that were built during the ancient times are still preserved for the present to see and cherish. So check out these tourist attractions as a part of Lucknow Tours.

Bara Imambara : The Bara Imambara was built in the year 1784 by the fourth Nawab of Awadh known as Asaf-ud-Daula. It was built as a part of a relief project for a major famine that took place in the year 1784.

British Residency Lucknow :The British Residency of Lucknow is a famous historical landmark of this place. It is now in ruins and has been declared a protected monument by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Chattar Manzil :One of the imposing structures built by the Nawabs of Lucknow, Chattar Manzil is a very famous tourist attraction of Lucknow. The most unique thing about the Chattar Manzil of Lucknow is the strikingly different architecture.

Jama Masjid :In the year 1423, Sultan Ahmed Shah constructed the Jama Masjid in Lucknow. It is built entirely with yellow sandstone and is known for its intricate style of design and architecture.

Rumi Darwaza :The Rumi Darwaza of Lucknow is one of the most impressive architectural structures in India. It was constructed in the year 1784 by Nawab Asaf-ud-daula. The Rumi Darwaza is an example of the fine architectural style of Awadh.

Clock Tower :Between the Bara Imambara and Chhota Imambara is the Clock Tower of Lucknow. This huge tower was constructed by Nawab Nasir-ud-Din Haider in the year 1880. The Clock Tower in Lucknow reaches upto a staggering height of 221 feet and is the tallest Clock Tower in India. The Clock tower also has the biggest fitted clock that cost the government around Rs. 1.75 lakhs at that time.

Moti Mahal :The Moti Mahal in Lucknow is one of the most beautiful monuments of India. The Nawab of Lucknow, Saadat Ali Khan, constructed it. The Lucknow Moti Mahal is also known as Palace of Pearls. The Moti Mahal is located on the borders of Gomti and provides a spectacular view of the city of Nawabs. The Nawabs used this palace to view birds in flight and spend time in leisure. There are three buildings that comprise the whole construction.

The two other buildings are known as Shah Manzil and Mubarak Manzil. These two buildings were added later by Nawab Ghazi-ud-din Haider. These were used by the Nawab to watch animal combats and animal fights. The Moti Mahal is preserved till date by the concerned authorities and is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Lucknow.

Lakshmana :Tila It is said that the original site of the town was actually at Lakshmana Tila. The story goes back to ancient times when the brother of Lord Rama, Lakshmana laid the foundation of the city of modern Lucknow. It was known as Lakshmanpur then. This place is supposed to be one of the earliest sites of human settlements in Lucknow.

Hussainabad Imambara :The Hussainabad Imambara is a major tourist attraction of Lucknow. The monument was built by Mohammed Ali Shah in the year 1837. The tombs of Mohammed Ali Shah and his mother are located over here. The walls of the monument are decorated with Arabic verses that have been carved beautifully by efficient craftsmen. The structure has an imposing white colored dome and many pillars or minarets. The interiors of the monument are worth seeing. They have been decorated beautifully with elaborate chandeliers, mirrors with gold frames, the majestic throne of the King. There are small miniatures of the Taj Mahal on either side of the monument. The Hussainabad Imambara is beautifully decorated during the festival of Moharrum. The whole structure is bordered with thousands of little bulbs, which give it a royal look when illuminated in the evening.