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site of
Allahabad University, one of the great Universities of
India. This university was built on the site of an
ancient Ashram where sage Bhardwaj taught 10,000
students. This city is very sacred to the Hindus and is
situated at the junction of the Ganga and the Yamuna
rivers and the mythical underground Saraswati river.
Various devotees have a bath at the ‘Sangam’ which is
situated at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna amd
Saraswati river. Every year, thousands of people gather
here for the pilgrimage. But, during the Kumbha Fair,
about millions of people gather here and have a sacred
bath at the Sangam. Today, Allahabad is a rapidly
growing commercial and administrative city. The best
season to visit Allahabad is from October to March.
History of Allahabad
Hiuen Tsang, the Chinese traveler visited Prayag in 643
AD. The Muslims first conquered Prayag in 1194 and was
renamed as Allahabad by Akbar in 1583. After conquering
Prayag, Akbar built a fort which stands majestically at
the confluence on the Yamuna side. Khusrau, Jahangir’s
eldest son, was also buried in the city. The Marathas
took the town in 1739 but held it only until 1750 when
it was sacked by the Pathans. Later, it was the
headquarters of the British Government of the North-west
provinces and Oudh and here the transfer of government
from the East India Company to the crown was announced
by Lord Canning in 1858. The first Indian National
Congress was held in Allahabad in 1885 with one of its
founders, Allan Octavian Hulme. The great Indian
patriot, Motilal Nehru, father of Pandit Jawahar Nehru
also lived in this city. Today, Allahabad is a rapidly
growing commercial and administrative city.
Various excavations were also done in the city. Draupadi
Ghat has revealed signs of extensive habitation and
considerable quantities of Northern Black Pottery Ware
of the type found across northern India to Taxila and
beyond. It has been dated from between 1100 and 800 B.C.
Two other sites in the city have revealed similar types
of findings. On the present site of the Bharadwaj
ashram, the remains of the Kushan period have also been
found.
Festivals in Allahabad
The Magh Mela is celebrated every year for 15 days in
the moth of january in Allahabad and bathing in the
river during this fair is considered very auspicious.
The Kumbh Mela is the most important fair which is
celebrated in Allahabad and moves every 3 years from
Allahabad, to Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik, returning
Allahabad every twelth year. This fair was described by
the Eric Newby as the greatest assemblage of people
gathered together in a confined space for a single
purpose anywhere on earth. The story behind the Kumbh
Mela is that the Hindu gods and demons vied for the pot
or kumbha that held the nectar of immortality or amrit.
During the flight for possession, which lasted 12 days,
Vishnu was running with the pot and four drops of amrit
fell to earth, making four sacred places like Allahabad,
Ujjain, Nasik and Haridwar.
Tourist Attractions in
Allahabad
There are various temples and some monuments belonging
to the Muslim period in Allahabad like Akbar's Fort and
Khusrau Bagh. The Akbar's fort was built by Akbar in
1584 which stands majestically at the confluence on the
Yamuna river. It was the largest of his forts and has
three massive gateways and 7 meters high brick walls.
This fort is most impressive when you view it from the
river. The Khusrau Bagh contains the tomb of Prince
Khusro, who was was murdered in 1615 by his own brother
as he rebelled against his own father Jahangir. There
are also some buildings which belongs to the British
period like the Alfred Park, Muir College or Allahabad
University, St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Cathedral, the
Holy Trinity Church, High Court and Minto Park. Sangam
is the another famous attraction in Allahabad.
More....
How to reach Allahabad
By Air:
Allahabad is directly connected by Indian Airlines
flights with Delhi, Patna, Gorakhpur, Lucknow and
Varanasi. Bamrauli airport is about 10 km from the city
center.
By Rail:
Allahabad is situated on the main broad gauge route from
Delhi to Kolkata. It is also linked to other cities by
broad and metre gauge lines like Agra, Delhi, Kolkata,
Mumbai, Jhansi, Kanpur, Varanasi and Lucknow.
By Road:
Allahabad is located on the NH27 to Mangawan and NH2
from Delhi to Kolkata. It is also located near NH7 which
runs from Varanasi to Kanyakumari. It is also connected
with all major cities like Lucknow, Allahabad, Varanasi,
Patna, Nagpur, Agra, Jhansi, Bhopal and Delhi. |
