Uttar Pradesh's tableau at this year's Republic Day parade was adjudged the best and awarded by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday, said the Defence Ministry.
In total 32 tableaux -- 17 from state and union territories, nine from Union ministries, departments and paramilitary forces, and six from the Defence ministry -- were part of this year's parade on Rajpath.
The theme of Uttar Pradesh's tableau was 'Ayodhya: Cultural Heritage of Uttar Pradesh'. The cultural heritage of ancient holy town Ayodhya, replica of a Ram temple, glimpse of 'Deepotsav' and various stories from Ramayana epic were depicted in the tableau.
"The tableau of Tripura was adjudged the second best. It depicted promotion of eco-friendly tradition for achieving self-reliance (aatmanirbhar) in socio-economic parameters," the Defence ministry's statement noted.
Uttarakhand's tableau on the theme 'Dev Bhoomi -- The Land of the Gods' was adjudged third among the states and union territories, it mentioned.
The tableau of Central Public Works Department (CPWD), with the theme 'Amar Jawan', bagged a special prize for paying tribute to the fallen heroes of the armed forces, the defence ministry noted.
Rijiju gave the award of best cultural performance to the children of Mount Abu Public School and Vidya Bharti School Rohini, Delhi, it said.