The Heritage Arc of Uttar Pradesh (UP) is the latest endeavour of the Uttar Pradesh government to give a momentum to the tourism industry in the state. The initiative will cover connecting the historical and spiritual cities of Agra, Lucknow and Varanasi such that the tourists cover the three cities with effortless planning.
The state of Uttar Pradesh is bestowed with a rich cultural, historical, religious and spiritual heritage. This new initiative targets to bring the glorious past of the three cities to the fore. The purpose of the Heritage Arc is not only to increase the tourist footfalls to catch a glimpse of the architectural finesse of the historical monuments but also let the tourists gain useful information on the history of religion, spirituality, cuisine, art and culture associated with Agra, Lucknow and Varanasi.
This latest government initiative will not only focus on reviving the historical, cultural, architectural and spiritual heritage of these cities but also adjoining places that have not been explored so far.
As part of the Heritage Arc initiative, an ‘inner ring road’ is being constructed by the Agra 
Development Authority which will connect the magnificent and the splendid Taj Mahal to the Yamuna Expressway. To encourage more visitors to revel in the beauty of the Taj Mahal, online ticketing has been introduced. This will enable the tourists to see the impressive Taj on full moon evenings. The other significant projects in the city of Taj Mahal include a theme park which is currently under development, just adjacent to the expressway, a ‘Centre for Living Tradition’ as well as a ‘Mughal Museum’ being developed by Uttar Pradesh tourism. Etawah, a place not too far from Lucknow has been chosen for developing a Lion Safari, along the Heritage Arc of Uttar Pradesh.
Lucknow, also known as ‘the city of Nawabs’ is not far behind when it comes to revival of the cultural heritage, beautification and development works. The capital city is quite appropriately located on the midst of the Heritage Arc of Uttar Pradesh. Currently, development is in progress on the banks of the river Gomti. Lucknow Eye would be up soon as Lucknow’s answer to London Eye. The Lucknow metro project is underway and the Agra-Lucknow expressway is also in the development stage. The Agra-Lucknow highway will be the longest in India. To add to this, there are also plans of setting up an IT city in Lucknow. The efforts are being made to promote the Awadhi cuisine, which includes the all-time favourite Kebabs and biryani, so that the tourists in the city get to relish the taste of delectable recipes created for the Nawabs of Awadh.
Varanasi situated on the banks of the river Ganges is also known as ‘the city of Ghats’. The historical holy city till date continues to be the center of learning in philosophy, ayurveda, spirituality, religion and music. Sarnath, where Gautam Buddha is believed to have preached his first sermon, lies in close proximity to Varanasi. It is home to numerous stupas as well as the renowned Ashoka pillar, from which, the national symbol of our country has been derived. At the eastern end of the Heritage Arc of Uttar Pradesh, Varanasi is all set for a major facelift, especially being the lok sabha constituency of the Prime Minister of India. One of the biggest projects, running on war footage, happens to be the clean Ganga initiative.
To develop the Heritage Arc of Uttar Pradesh, another significant initiative by the government is flagging off the intra-state air connectivity between the cities of, Agra, Lucknow, Allahabad, and Varanasi.
Thus, the Heritage Arc initiative by the UP government is expected to increase the tourist inflow in the state of Uttar Pradesh and make it one of the most favoured tourism destinations in India.
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