The Emblem of Uttar Pradesh is the official seal of the government of the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

state State may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Literature * ''State Magazine'', a monthly magazine published by the U.S. Department of State * ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States * ''Our S ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

. The emblem was originally designed in 1916 for the then

United Provinces of Agra and Oudh The United Provinces of Agra and Oudh was a province of India under the British Raj, which existed from 1902 to 1921; the official name was shortened by the Government of India Act 1935 to United Provinces (UP), by which the province had been ...

and continued in use following Indian Independence in 1947.

History

In the second half of the 18th century the autonomous princes clashed with the

English East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Southe ...

, expanding from

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

into the valley of the

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

. One after the other had to recognize the sovereignty of the Company. In 1816

Awadh Awadh (), known in British historical texts as Avadh or Oudh, is a region in the modern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which was before independence known as the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. It is synonymous with the Kośāla region of ...

(Oudh) had to accept a British protectorate. In 1835 all of the territory of modern Uttar Pradesh came, as “

North-Western Provinces The North-Western Provinces was an administrative region in British India. The North-Western Provinces were established in 1836, through merging the administrative divisions of the Ceded and Conquered Provinces. In 1858, the nawab-ruled kingdom ...

”, under

British rule The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

. In 1856 the last ''nawab'' of Awadh was deposed and his empire placed under direct British rule. In 1902 the North-Western Provinces were renamed “

”. In 1935 the name was changed into “ United Provinces” and after independence into Uttar Pradesh. With the last change the enclave-states of

Benares Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic tr ...

, Rampur and

Tehri Garhwal Tehri Garhwal is a district in the hill state of Uttarakhand, India. Its administrative headquarters is at New Tehri. The district has a population of 618, 931 (2011 census), a 2.35% increase over the previous decade. It is the 7th ranked dist ...

were incorporated and in the south parts of

Samthar Samthar is a city and a municipal board in Jhansi district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Historically before independence of India, it was also known as Samshergarh erstwhile capital of Samthar State Demographics census, Samthar had a ...

and Charkari, princely states formerly belonging to the

Central Provinces The Central Provinces was a province of British India. It comprised British conquests from the Mughals and Marathas in central India, and covered parts of present-day Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra states. Its capital was Nagpur. ...

. The state emblem probably dates from the time when it was known as United Provinces. The state emblem of Uttar Pradesh owes its origin to the Royal Society in the United Kingdom, which approved the symbol in 1916. The 'Coat of Arms' adorning all UP government files, letterheads and vehicles and other government stationery, including its publications using it as seal, has an underlined idea. Unveiling this quite an unknown idea first suggested by Mr Baker, assistant director of UP state archives, Dr Sandhya Nagar, says the combination of a "pair of fish and the arrow-bow, embellished with three waves stresses on 'Unity in diversity'. Dr Nagar said the symbolism attached with each of these characters marked their presence in the logo, the pair of fish with the Muslim rulers of Oudh while the bow and arrow identifying Hindu Lord Ram while the waves marked the confluence of the rivers Ganga-Yamuna. The proposed logo also contained a star at the bottom, which was deleted later. "The symbol is a vivid representation of geographical, historical and cultural integrity of Uttar Pradesh," Dr Nagar said.

Design

The emblem consists of a seal depicting the confluence of the

and

Yamuna The Yamuna (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), also spelt Jumna, is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in List of major rivers of India, India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a ...

rivers at

Prayagraj Allahabad (), officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares). It is the administrat ...

, a pair of

Matsya Matsya ( sa, मत्स्य, lit. ''fish'') is the fish avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. Often described as the first of Vishnu's ten primary avatars, Matsya is described to have rescued the first man, Manu, from a great deluge. Matsya m ...

, mythical

Avatar Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...

creature from

Hindu mythology Hindu mythology is the body of myths and literature attributed to, and espoused by, the adherents of the Hindu religion, found in Hindu texts such as the Vedic literature, epics like ''Mahabharata'' and ''Ramayana'', the Puranas, and reg ...

to represent the State of Oudh (Awadh) and a pair of Bow and Arrow representing

Lord Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular ''avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Being ...

and his city of

Ayodhya Ayodhya (; ) is a city situated on the banks of holy river Saryu in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Ayodhya, also known as Sāketa, Saketa, is an ancient city of India, the birthplace of Rama and ...

, the ancient and cultural capital of the region . The legend around the seal translates as "Government of Uttar Pradesh".

Government banner

The Government of Uttar Pradesh can be represented by a banner displaying the emblem of the state on a white field. File:Flag of Uttar Pradesh.svg, Banner of Uttar Pradesh

Former princely states in Uttar Pradesh

File:Baoni State CoA.png,

Baoni State Baoni State was a princely state in India during the British Raj. It was a small sanad state, the only Muslim-ruled one in Bundelkhand Agency. Its ruler was granted the right to an 11-gun salute. The Baoni royal family claim to be descendants ...

File:Benares State Coat of Arms.png,

Benares State Benares or Banaras State was a kingdom and later princely state in what is today Uttar Pradesh, India. On 15 October 1948, Benares' last ruler signed the accession to the Indian Union. The state was founded by the local zamindar, Raja Bal ...

File:Bhikampur Estate.jpg, Bhikampur and Datawali State File:CoA Charkhari.png,

Charkhari State Charkhari State was one of the Princely states of India during the period of the British Raj. On India's independence, this Princely state acceded to India. Currently Charkhari town, the former state's capital, is a part of Uttar Pradesh state. ...

File:Maurha coat of arms.jpg,

Maurha Maurha is a village and a Gram panchayat in Ballia district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Its population is 555, per the 2011 Census. Maurha's nearest railway station is Belthara Road. During British India it was a Taluqdar Talu ...

File:Oudh-arms short.gif,

Oudh State The Oudh State (, also Kingdom of Awadh, Kingdom of Oudh, or Awadh State) was a princely state in the Awadh region of North India until its annexation by the British in 1856. The name Oudh, now obsolete, was once the anglicized name of ...

File:Rampur State Coat of Arms.png,

Rampur State Rampur State was a 15 gun-salute princely state of British India. It came into existence on 7 October 1774 as a result of a treaty with Oudh. Following independence in 1947, Rampur State and other princely states of the area, such as Bena ...

File:Sailana State CoA.png,

Sailana State Sailana State was an 11 gun salute princely state in India, part of the Malwa Agency of Central India during the British Raj. The state enjoyed an estimated revenue of Rs.5,00,000. History Sailana State was founded by Raja Jai Singh, great-g ...

File:Samthar State CoA.png,

Samthar State Samthar State was a princely state in India during the British Raj. The state was administered as part of the Bundelkhand Agency of Central India. The state was ruled by Khatana clan of Gurjars . Its capital was Samthar town, located in a leve ...

References

External links

Government of Uttar PradeshWhat is the meaning of the Emblem of Uttar Pradesh
{{Uttar Pradesh Government of Uttar Pradesh