Tourism in India by state Pradesh is important with its wealth of historical monuments and religious fervour. It is the home of Taj Mahal, and Hinduism's holiest city, Varanasi. The most populous state of the Indian Union also has a rich cultural heritage. Kathak one of the eight forms of Indian classical dance, originated from Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh is known as "The Heartland of India". Cuisine of Uttar Pradesh like Awadhi cuisine, Mughlai cuisine, Kumauni cuisine are very famous in entire India and abroad. Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), is the capital of West Bengal has been nicknamed the "City of Palaces", "City of Joy", etc.
Geography of India of the world's most intensely farmed areas. The main crops grown are rice and wheat, which are grown in rotation. Other important crops grown in the region include maize, sugarcane and cotton. The Indo-Gangetic plains rank among the world's most densely populated areas. The Thar Desert (also known as "the deserts") is by some calculations the world's seventh largest desert, by some others the tenth. It forms a significant portion of western India and covers an area of . The desert continues into Pakistan as the Cholistan Desert. Most of the Thar Desert is situated in Rajasthan, covering 61% of