In Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow was associated with the princely court of Oudh and then with the British, both traditions lingering on in the city whose finest monument is the Bara Imambara. Further east, Varanasi is the oldest city in India. An important centre of Hindu pilgrimage, it is believed that those who die in Varanasi will be released from the cycle of rebirth. Pious Hindus still come to Varanasi to spend their last days, living in spartan communes run by a multitude of religious trusts. The focus of interest to a visitor is the sacred River Ganga. At the series of steps leading down to it, people come to wash away their sins by bathing in the river, the dead are cremated and holy men meditate. In the narrow bylanes of the city are crowded bazaars selling brassware and silk brocades.

Agra, the city of the inimitable Taj Mahal is now an educational and business centre-known for its craftsmen & handicrafts. Marble and softstone inlay work, carpet and leather goods are some important traditional crafts of the city Agra, and the nearby city of Fatehpur Sikri, are conveniently close to Delhi to warrant an all day excursion by coach or taxi although there are several hotels of every standard of comfort. Besides the Taj Mahal are Agra Fort, Sikandra, Ram Bagh and Itmad-ud-Daulah. 35 km away are the imperial ruins of the Mughal city, Fatehpur Sikri. Agra and Fatehpur Sikri are not merely rich legacies of Mughal history – they are the finest examples of architecture which combined Hindu and Muslim elements.