Uttar Pradesh Foundation Day - UPSC Current Affairs 2025

Uttar Pradesh is celebrating its 76th Foundation Day on January 24th in commemoration of the state’s formation on in 1950.

The Uttar Pradesh government will confer the ‘Uttar Pradesh Gaurav Samman’ to six individuals in music, agriculture, and education during the state foundation day celebrations, awarding them Rs 11 lakh, a certificate, and a shawl for their contributions.
The awardees include Krishnakant Shukla, Himanshu Gupta, Manish Verma, Krishna Yadav, Colonel Subhash Deshwal, and Dr. Jai Singh.
The day serves as a moment to honour the state’s rich cultural heritage, historical significance, and ongoing development.
Uttar Pradesh Foundation Day celebrations began in 2017 after then-Governor Ram Naik suggested the idea of marking January 24 as Uttar Pradesh Day. The state first observed its foundation day in 2018, marking 68 years since India’s independence.
On January 24, 1950, the United Provinces officially became Uttar Pradesh, receiving statehood as part of India’s post-independence reorganization.

Uttar Pradesh has a rich and ancient history, dating back to the Vedic Age when it was known as Brahmarshi Desha or Madhya Desha. It was home to many renowned sages, such as Bharadwaja, Gautam, Yajnavalkya, and Valmiki, and is the birthplace of several sacred Aryan texts. The great Indian epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata, are believed to have been inspired by this region.
In the 6th century B.C., Uttar Pradesh became a hub for Jainism and Buddhism.
It was in Sarnath that Buddha delivered his first sermon, and in Kushinagar, he attained nirvana. Cities like Ayodhya, Prayag, Varanasi, and Mathura became prominent centers of learning.
During the medieval period, the state saw the fusion of Hindu and Islamic cultures, with figures like Ramananda, Kabir, Tulsidas, and Surdas contributing to the growth of Hindi and other regional languages.
Under British rule, the region was known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, later shortened to the United Provinces in 1935. After India gained independence, the state was renamed Uttar Pradesh in January 1950.
Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in India and one of the largest in terms of area. Until the year 2000, it also included the hilly regions of Kumaon and Garhwal.
In 2000, these areas were separated to form a new state, initially named Uttaranchal, which was later renamed Uttarakhand.

Uttar Pradesh is bordered by Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and shares an international border with Nepal.
It can be divided into two main regions: the Southern Hills and the Gangetic Plain.
A fertile terrain of the Gangetic plain, the sprawling State spread over in 2,40,928 sq. km. area, touches the Himalayan foothills to the north and the Vindhya ranges to the south.

Handicrafts	Chikan work, Embroidery, Furniture, Clay toys, Carpet Weaving, Silk, Bangles, Brassware work etc.
Folk Dances	Charkula, Karma, Pandav, Pai-danda, Tharu, Dhobia, Raai, Shaira etc.