Famous Personalities of Uttar Pradesh

Deities and Avatars

Hindu Gods / Deities

• Rama (birthplace: Ayodhya), legendary or historical king of ancient India; in Hinduism, he is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu
• Lakshmana (birthplace: Ayodhya), brother and close companion of Rama; a hero in the epic Ramayana
• Lord Shree Krishna (birthplace: Mathura) deity worshiped across many traditions of Hinduism
• Parashuram (birthplace: Ghazipur), was an avatar of Vishnu

Jains Gods / Deities

• Rishabhanatha or Ādinath (birthplace: Ayodhya) 1st Tirthankara of Jainism and founder of Jainism
• Ajitnatha (birthplace: Ayodhya) 2nd Tirthankara of Jainism.
• Sambhavanatha (birthplace: Shravasti) 3rd Tirthankara of Jainism.
• Abhinandananatha (birthplace: Ayodhya ) 4th Tirthankara of Jainism.
• Sumatinatha (birthplace: Ayodhya) 5th Tirthankara of Jainism.
• Padmaprabha (birthplace: Kaushambi) 6th Tirthankara of Jainism.
• Suparshvanatha (birthplace: Varanasi) 7th Tirthankara of Jainism.
• Chandraprabha (birthplace: Chandrawati, Varanasi) 8th Tirthankara of Jainism.
• Pushpadanta (birthplace: Khukhundoo) 9th Tirthankara of Jainism.
• Shreyansnath (birthplace: Sarnath), 11th Tirthankara of Jainism
• Vimalanatha (birthplace: Kampilya), 13th Tirthankara of Jainism
• Anantanatha (birthplace: Ayodhya), 14th Tirthankara of Jainism
• Dharmanatha (birthplace: Ratnapuri), 15th Tirthankara of Jainism
• Shantinath (birthplace: Hastinapur), 16th Tirthankara of Jainism
• Kunthunath (birthplace: Hastinapur), 17th Tirthankara of Jainism
• Aranath (birthplace: Hastinapur), 18th Tirthankara of Jainism
• Neminath (birthplace: Mathura), 22nd Tirthankara of Jainism
• Parsvanatha (birthplace: Varanasi), 23rd Tirthankara of Jainism

Authors of the great epics

• Bhrigu (birthplace: Ballia), one of the seven great sages, the Saptarshis, one of the Prajapatis created by Brahma
• Sur (birthplace: Mathura), saint, poet and musician
• Tulsidas (Ramayana: Chitrakoot), Awadhi poet and philosopher; wrote Rāmacaritamānasa (“The Lake of the Deeds of Rama”), an epic devoted to Lord Rama
• Vyasa, central and much revered figure in the majority of Hindu traditions; authored Mahabharata

• Valmiki – वाल्मीकि जी का सबसे महत्वपूर्ण योगदान रामायण की रचना है, जो संस्कृत भाषा में लिखा गया एक महाकाव्य है।

Poet-saints and religious figures

Hindu scholars

• Goswami Tulsidas
• Narottama Dasa
• Devraha Baba, Yogi Allahabad
• Jagadguru Rāmabhadrācārya, Vaishnava scholar and Sanskrit commentator on the Prasthanatrayi, Jaunpur.
• Ramanand, founder of the Rāmānandī sect Prayag (in modern Allahabad)
• Raskhan
• Sant Ravidas, poet and saint, Varanasi
• Shiv Dayal Singh, founder and first guru of Radha Soami sect, Agra
• Shrivatsa Goswami, Indologist and Gaudiya Vaishnava leader
• Sur, blind Hindu poet, saint and musician born in Runkata near Agra
• Swami Karpatri, teacher of Advaita, popularly known as Dharma Samrat, Gorakhpur
• Swaminarayan, founder of the Swaminarayan sect, Gonda
• Tulsidas, composer of the Ramcharitmanas

Islam scholars

• Mulla Mahmud Jaunpuri (1606–1651), natural philosopher
• Karamat Ali Jaunpuri (1800-1873), Islamic scholar
• Hafiz Ahmad Jaunpuri (1834-1899), Islamic scholar
• Abdul Awwal Jaunpuri (1867–1921), Islamic scholar
• Abdur Rab Jaunpuri (1875–1935), Islamic scholar
• Majid Ali Jaunpuri (died 1935), Islamic scholar
• Syed Rashid Ahmed Jaunpuri (1889–2001), Sufi saint
• Muhammad Yunus Jaunpuri (1937–2017), Islamic scholar
• Malik Mohammad Jayasi

Yogis, Sufi poets and mystics

• Salím Chishtí
• Amir Khusro, Sufi mystic, one of the iconic figures in the cultural history of the Indian subcontinent
• Bharat Bhushan, only Padmashri recipient in yoga; founder President of Mokshayatan International Yogashram, Saharanpur
• Ghazi Saiyyad Salar Masud, Gazi Miya of Bahraich
• Kabir, poet and saint Varanasi
• Nizamuddin Auliya, Sufi saint, born in Budaun
• Paramahansa Yogananda, Yogi and Guru who introduced Yoga in the West. Born in Gorakhpur in 1893.
• Salim Chishti, Sufi saint of Fatehpur Sikri, Agra

Rulers and generals

Ancient

• Keśin Dālbhya, (or Dārbhya) was a king of Panchala during the Late Vedic period, most likely between c. 900 and 750 BCE. He is mentioned prominently in the Taittiriya and Jaiminiya Brahmanas.
• Pravahana Jaivali, was a king of Panchala during the Late Vedic period (8th or 7th century BCE), mentioned in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad (Vi.ii.9-13) and the Chandogya Upanishad (V.4-8). Like King Ajatashatru of Kashi and King Asvapati Kaikeya of Madra, he is depicted as a major Hindu philosopher-king.
• Pasenadi, (c. 6th century BCE) was an Aikṣvāka ruler of Kosala. Sāvatthī was his capital. He succeeded after Sanjaya Mahākosala.
• Virudhaka, was a king of Kosala during the lifetime of the Buddha.
• Chandragupta Maurya,  (350-295 BCE) was the founder of the Maurya Empire, a geographically-extensive empire based in Magadha.
• Ashoka, (Aśoka; c. 304 – 232 BCE), popularly known as Ashoka the Great, was the third Mauryan Emperor of Magadha in the Indian subcontinent during c. 268 to 232 BCE.
• Samudragupta, (c. 335–375 CE) was the second emperor of the Gupta Empire of ancient India, and is regarded among the greatest rulers of India. As a son of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta I and the Licchavi princess Kumaradevi, he greatly expanded his dynasty’s political and military power.
• Chandragupta II (c. 375-415), also known by his title Vikramaditya, as well as Chandragupta Vikramaditya, was the third ruler of the Gupta Empire in India.
• Kumaragupta I (c. 415–455 CE), an emperor of the Gupta Empire of Ancient India. A son of the Gupta emperor Chandragupta II and Queen Dhruvadevi, he seems to have maintained control of his inherited territory, which extended from Gujarat in the west to Bengal region in the east.
• Gomitra
• Gomitra II
• Brahmamitra

Medieval

• Rajyavardhana, , also known as Rajya Vardhan, was the eldest son of Prabhakarvardhana and member of the Pushyabhuti dynasty. He ascended the throne after his father’s death and was succeeded by his younger brother, Harsha.
• Harsha, (IAST Harṣa-vardhana; c. 590–647 CE) was a Pushyabhuti emperor who ruled northern India from 606 to 647 CE. He was the son of Prabhakaravardhana who had defeated the Alchon Hun invaders,and the younger brother of Rajyavardhana, a king of Thanesar, present-day Haryana.
• Jahangir, (31 August 1569 – 28 October 1627), known by his imperial name Jahangir ’Conqueror of the World’), was the fourth Mughal Emperor, who ruled from 1605 until his death in 1627.

Modern

• Rani of Jhansi, the Rani of Jhansi (19 November 1828 — 18 June 1858), was the Maharani consort of the princely state of Jhansi in Maratha Empire from 1843 to 1853 by marriage to Maharaja Gangadhar Rao Newalkar.

Nawab of Awadh

• Shuja-ud-Daula, (b. 19 January 1732 – d. 26 January 1775) was the Subedar and Nawab of Oudh and the Vizier of Delhi from 5 October 1754 to 26 January 1775.
• Asaf-Ud-Dowlah, (23 September 1748 – 21 September 1797) was the Nawab wazir of Oudh ratified by Shah Alam II, from 26 January 1775 to 21 September 1797, and the son of Shuja-ud-Dowlah.
• Wajid Ali Shah, (30 July 1822 – 1 September 1887) was the eleventh and last King of Awadh, holding the position for 9 years, from 13 February 1847 to 11 February 1856.

Banaras state

• Balwant Singh, His eldest son, Rafa’at wa Awal-i-Martabat Raja Sri Balwant Singh Sahib Bahadur Bhumihar who succeeded his father as Raja of Kaswar and Nazim of Benares in 1738.
• Maharaja Chait Singh, commonly known as Chait Singh, a Bhumihar king was a ruler of Kingdom of Benaras in northern India.
• Prabhu Narayan Singh, GCSI GCIE (26 November 1855 – 4 August 1931) was ruler of the Benares State (Royal House of Benares), an Indian princely state, from 1889 to 1931.
• Vibhuti Narayan Singh, (5 November 1927 – 25 December 2000) was the king of Benares, a city considered holy, located in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Kohra estate

• Babu Himmat Sah
• Babu Bhoop Singh

Independence Fighters

18th century

• Maharaja Chait Singh, ruler of Banaras, one of the earliest rebel against Company rule.

Indian Rebellion of 1857

• Mangal Pandey, one of the earliest independence fighters of 1857.
• Banke Chamar, was the freedom fighter of the 1857 revolution who was leading the revolution from Jaunpur.
• Bakht Khan, nominal commander-in-chief of Indian rebel forces in the Indian Rebellion of 1857
• Amar Shahid Bandhu Singh, fighter in Indian Rebellion of 1857, he was from Dumari Riyasat of Gorakhpur
• Begum Hazrat Mahal, widow of the last Nawab of Awadh; Indian independence fighter in Indian Rebellion of 1857
• Lal Pratap Singh, fighter in Indian Rebellion of 1857 and Yuvraj of Kalakankar
• Maulvi Liaquat Ali, Indian independence fighter of 1857 from Allahabad; captured the Khusro Bagh in Allahabad and declared the independence of India
• Rani Lakshmibai, Rani (Queen) of Jhansi
• Rao Kadam Singh, freedom fighter; elected by his Gurjar clansmen as their leader to fight against the British forces during the Indian Rebellion of 1857
• Jhalkari Bai Koli, Great Indian freedom fighter of 1857; fought against British rule; Commander of Army of Jhansi
• Dhan Singh Gurjar, main freedom fighter of 1857 revolt from Meerut
• Babu Bhoop Singh, ruler of Kohra (estate) and a leader of Indian Rebellion of 1857
• Rao Umrao Singh Bhati, ruler of Dadri and a leader of 1857 rebellion

Award winners

Param Vir Chakra

• Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid, Ghazipur
• Captain Manoj Kumar Pandey
• Naik Jadu Nath Singh Rathore Shahjahan pur, fighter of World War II and Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948
• Captain Yogendra Singh Yadav, of Aurangabad, Bulandshahr; hero of Tiger Hill in Kargil war

Maha Vir Chakra

• Brigadier Mohammad Usman Azamgarh
• Captain Mahendra Nath Mulla
• Lance Naik Ram Ugrah Pandey
• Air Chief Marshall Swaroop Krishna Kaul

Ashok Chakra

• Constable Kamlesh Kumari
• Naik Neeraj Kumar Singh
• Lieutenant Colonel Harsh Uday Singh Gaur
• Lieutenant Colonel Jas Ram Singh

Bharat Ratna

Padma Vibhushan

• Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan
• Amitabh Bachchan
• Kishan Maharaj
• Uday Shankar
• Kalyan Singh
• Mulayam Singh Yadav

Padma Bhushan

Padma Shree

Dada Saheb Phalke Award

• Majrooh Sultanpuri, lyricist
• Naushad Ali, music composer
• Amitabh Bachchan, film actor, film producer, television host, occasional playback singer

Gyananpith Awards

Magasaysay Award

• Rajendra Singh, water conservationist
• Sandeep Pandey

Arjuna Award

Major Dhyan Chand Award

• Rajkumar Baisla, (Wrestling) from Vill. Mewla Bhatti, Ghaziabad

Holders of high offices

President

• Mohammad Hidayatullah, Acting President of India (20 July 1969 to 24 August 1969 and from 6 October 1982 to 31 October 1982 and from 25 July 1983 to 25 July 1983 and from 25 July 1984 to 25 July 1984.)
• Ram Nath Kovind, 14th President of India

Vice President

• Gopal Swarup Pathak, former Vice-President of India
• Mohammad Hidayatullah, former Vice-President of India
• Hamid Ansari, former Vice-President of India

Prime Ministers

• Jawaharlal Nehru, first Prime Minister of India and Bharat Ratna awardee
• Lal Bahadur Shastri, second Prime Minister of India and Bharat Ratna awardee
• Indira Gandhi, fourth Prime Minister of India and Bharat Ratna awardee
• Choudhary Charan Singh, fifth Prime Minister of India and Bharat Ratna awardee
• Rajiv Gandhi, sixth prime minister of India and Bharat Ratna awardee
• Vishwanath Pratap Singh, eighth Prime Minister of India
• Chandra Shekhar, ninth Prime Minister of India
• Atal Bihari Vajpayee. eleventh Prime Minister of India and Bharat Ratna awardee

Prime Ministers of other countries

• Anerood Jugnauth, former Prime Minister of Mauritius, His grand father migrated from Ballia district
• Pravind Jugnauth, Prime Minister of Mauritius, Son of Anerood Jugnauth

President of other countries

• Anerood Jugnauth, former President of Mauritius, his grand father migrated from Ballia district,

Governors

Chief Justices

• Kailas Nath Wanchoo, former Chief Justice of India
• Kamal Narain Singh, former Chief Justice of India
• Mirza Hameedullah Beg, former Chief Justice of India
• Mohammad Hidayatullah, former Chief Justice of India
• Raghunandan Swarup Pathak, former Chief Justice of India
• V. N. Khare, former Chief Justice of India