Uttar Pradesh is the land of the epics – the Mahabharatha and Ramayana. The empire of Chandra Gupta
Maurya extended nearly over the whole of Uttar Pradesh. During the Gupta period, the culture and architecture of Uttar Pradesh reached its peak. The decline of the Guptas coincided with the rise of the Huns from Central Asia. The 7th century witnessed the taking over of Kannauj by Harshavardhana.In 1526, Babur laid the foundation of the Mughal dynasty. The highlight of the Mughal rule came when Emperor Akbar chose the cities of Agra and Fatehpur Sikri as his capital cities. The Mughal reign saw the construction of some of the most magnificent monuments in Uttar Pradesh. With the emergence of the East India Company, the whole region was captured by the British. Modern-day Uttar Pradesh saw the rise of important freedom fighters on the national scenario. Lal Bahadur Shastri, Jawaharlal Nehru, Smt. Indira Gandhi, and Charan Singh are only a few of the important names who played a significant role in India’s freedom movement. During the days of the British Empire, the state was named United Provinces in 1935. This was later changed to Uttar Pradesh in 1950, after India became independent
