The small Christian minority in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, population 200 million, are the target of increasing violence. Citing an article by Institute for Leadership and Community Development, India Today lists Uttar Pradesh first among states of India which “tend to have the greatest number of incidents of religiously-motivated attacks and communal violence.”[40][40] Considered by many[weasel words] the birthplace of both the religion of Hinduism and of India as a nation, Uttar Pradesh is a focal point for large Hindu festivals such as the Kumbh Mela, and for Hindu religious pilgrims from all over the nation.