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.
Demographics of India represents the female lineage. The Indian mitochondrial DNA is primarily made up of Haplogroup M Numerous genomic studies have been conducted in the last 15 years to seek insights into India's demographic and cultural diversity. These studies paint a complex and conflicting picture. Demographics of India India is the second most populated country in the world with nearly a fifth of the world's population. According to , the population stood at . During 1975–2010 the population doubled to 1.2 billion. The Indian population reached the billion mark in 1998. India is projected to be the world's most populous country by