New Delhi, Jan 24 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Diwas 2026 is being celebrated on Saturday with the theme ‘Viksit Bharat–Viksit Uttar Pradesh’, reflecting the state’s cultural richness and developmental journey. The celebrations include the launch of the ‘One District–One Cuisine’ initiative, aimed at showcasing traditional dishes from every district of the state. Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to inaugurate the main event in Lucknow.

The celebrations will begin on Saturday at the newly-constructed Rashtra Prerna Sthal premises in Lucknow, marking a festive start to Uttar Pradesh Diwas 2026. The event seeks to capture the spirit of growth, pride and cultural diversity under the central theme of a developed India and a developed Uttar Pradesh.

To be inaugurated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the event is expected to emerge as a grand public celebration. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has encouraged people across the state to participate actively, highlighting the state’s diverse cultural heritage and key developmental milestones achieved in recent years.

A major highlight of this year’s celebration is the ‘One District–One Cuisine’ (ODOC) scheme, which will feature traditional foods from all districts. In addition, exhibitions will showcase artisan products under the ‘One District–One Product’ initiative and GI-tagged items. The event will also honour five distinguished individuals and recognise top-performing districts for their achievements in youth entrepreneurship.

The history of Uttar Pradesh is very ancient and interesting. It is recognised in the later Vedic Age as Brahmarshi Desha or Madhya Desha. Many great sages of the Vedic times like Bhardwaja, Gautam, Vashishtha, Vishwamitra and Valmiki flourished in this state. Several sacred books of the Aryans were also composed here. Two great epics of India, Ramayana and Mahabharata, appear to have been inspired by Uttar Pradesh.

In the sixth century B.C., Uttar Pradesh was associated with two new religions – Jainism and Buddhism. It was at Sarnath that Buddha preached his first sermon and laid the foundations of his order, and it was in Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh, where Buddha breathed his last.

Several centres in Uttar Pradesh like Ayodhya, Prayag, Varanasi and Mathura became reputed centres of learning. In the medieval period, Uttar Pradesh passed under Muslim rule and led the way to new synthesis of Hindu and Islamic cultures. Ramananda and his Muslim disciple Kabir, Tulsidas, Surdas and many other intellectuals contributed to the growth of Hindi and other languages.

Uttar Pradesh preserved its intellectual excellence even under the British administration. The British combined Agra and Oudh into one province and called it United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. The name was shortened to the United Provinces in 1935. In January 1950 the United Provinces was renamed as Uttar Pradesh.

The State is bound by Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh in the north, Haryana in the west, Madhya Pradesh in the South and Bihar in the east. Uttar Pradesh can be divided into two distinct regions (i) Southern Hills and (ii) Gangetic Plain.

Agriculture is the main occupation of 66 per cent of the population of the State. The net cultivated area in the state is 164.17 lakh hectares.

–IANS

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