| NORTH
INDIA >> UTTAR PRADESH |
Archaeological evidence of small settlements (a little
bit away from the main rivers) exist from 2000BC, about
the period when the Aryan civilization first spread eastwards
into the Gangetic plains. Some centres from the Painted
Grey Ware culture (approx. 1000 BC) are in Uttar Pradesh
(e.g. near Mathura, and Varanasi). The Panchala region
extending between the Yamuna and the Ganga rivers (the
Doab), features prominently in Hindu and Buddhist histories.
Much of the state was part of the Kuru-Pandava kingdom
at the heart of the Mahabharata war. The Kosala kingdom
in Ayodhya is associated with Rama of the Ramayana, and
Krishna, revered as the eighth Avatara of Vishnu, is said
to have been incarnated in the city of Mathura. The Chaukhandi
Stupa marks the spot where Lord Buddha met his first disciples.
The Dhamek Stupa in Sarnath commemorates Buddha's first
sermon.
Control over this region was often vital to the power
and stability of all of India's major empires, including
the Mauryan (320-200BC), Kushan (100-250AD) Gupta (350-600AD)
empires. After the Guptas, the region was the heart of
Harshavardhana's empire, from Punjab to Bengal, with its
capital at Kannauj. Many modern communities in different
parts of India -- Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Bihar
and Bengal -- often trace their lineage to Kannauj.
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