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             ALLAHABAD TRAVEL GUIDE

Allahabad is the English name of a city  of Uttar Pradesh. The name is derived from
the one given to the city by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1583. The name in Indian
languages or in India generally is Ilahabad; ilah being Arabic for "(a) god" (in this
context from Din-i-Ilahi, the religion founded by Akbar), and "-abad" is Persian for
"place of".

The ancient name of the city is Prayaga (Sanskrit for "place of sacrifice", Prayag in
modern Hindi) and is believed to be the spot where Brahma offered his first sacrifice
after creating the world. It is one of four sites of the Kumbh Mela, the others being
Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik. It has a position of importance in the Hindu religion and
mythology since it is situated at the confluence of the holy rivers Ganga and Yamuna,
and Hindu belief says that the invisible Sarasvati River joins here also.

Allahabad or Prayagraj is a historian's paradise. History lies embedded everywhere,
in its fields, forests and settlements. Forty-eight kilometres, towards the southwest,
on the placid banks of the Jamuna, the ruins of Kaushambi, at one time capital of the
Vatsa kingdom and later a thriving center of Buddhism, bear silent testimony to a
forgotten and bygone era. On the eastern side, across the river Ganga and
connected to the city by the Shastri Bridge is Jhunsi, identified with the ancient city of
Pratisthanpur, capital of the Chandra dynasty. About 58 kilometres northwest is the
medieval site of Kara with its impressive wreckage of Jayachand's fort. Sringverpur,
another ancient site discovered relatively recently, has become a major attraction for
tourists and antiquarians alike.

Prayag is an extremely important and integral part of the Ganga Yamuna Doab, and
its history is inherently tied with that of the Doab region, right from the inception of the
town.

The city was known earlier as Prayaga - a name that is still commonly used. That it
is an ancient town, is illustrated by supposed references in the Vedas to Prayag,
where Brahma, the Hindu Creator of the Universe, is believed to have attended a
sacrificial ritual. Excavations have revealed Northern Black Polished ware objects in
Prayag, further corroborating the conjecture that Prayag existed as a town as early as
600 B.C.

The Puranas record that Yayati left Prayag and conquered the region of Saptha
Sindhu.[3] His five sons Yadu, Druhyu, Puru, Anu and Turvashu became the main
tribes of the Rigveda.

When the Aryans first settled in what they termed the Aryavarta, or Madhyadesha,
Prayag or Kaushambi was an important part of their territory. The Vatsa (a branch of
the early Indo-Aryans) were rulers of Hastinapur (near present day Delhi), and they
established the town of Kaushambi near present day Prayag. They shifted their
capital to Kaushambi when Hastinapur was destroyed by floods.

In the times of the Ramayana, Prayag was made up of a few rishis' huts at the
confluence of the sacred rivers, and much of the vats country was continuous jungle.
Lord Rama, the main protagonist in the Ramayana, spent some time here, at the
Ashram of Sage Bharadwaj, before proceeding to nearby Chitrakoot.

The Doaba region, including Prayag was controlled by several empires and
dynasties in the ages to come. It became a part of the Mauryan and Gupta empires
of the east and the Kushan empire of the west before becoming part of the local
Kannauj empire which became very powerful.

Objects unearthed in Prayag indicate that it was part of the Kushana empire in the
1st century AD. In his memoirs on India, Huien Tsang, the Chinese chronicler who
travelled through India during Harshavardhana's reign (A.D. 607-647), writes that he
visited Prayag in A.D. 643.

When the Muslim rule came, Prayag became a part of the Delhi Sultanate when the
town was annexed by Mhd Ghori in A.D. 1193. Then the Mughals took over from the
slave rulers of Delhi and under them Prayag rose to prominence once again.

Acknowledging the strategic position of Prayag in the Doaba or the "Hindostan"
region, at the confluence of its defining rivers which had immense navigational
potentials, Akbar built a magnificent fort – one of his largest – on the banks of the
holy Sangam and re-christened the town as Illahabad in 1575. The Akbar fort has an
Ashokan pillar and some temples, and is largely a military barracks. On the
southwestern extremity of Allahabad lies Khusrobagh; it has three mausoleums,
including that of Jehangir's first wife – Shah Begum.

It was from Allahabad that Prince Salim, later to become emperor Jehangir, revolted
against his father, the Mughal emperor Akbar. In 1602, prince Salim held a parallel
imperial court in Akbar's fort here, ignoring the royal summons to leave Allahabad
and proceed to Agra. However, before his death in 1605, Akbar named Salim his
successor.

Before colonial rule was imposed over Allahabad, the city was rocked by Maratha
incursions. But the Marathas also left behind two beautiful eighteenth century
temples with intricate architecture.

In 1765, the combined forces of the Nawab of Awadh and the Mughal emperor Shah
Alam II lost the Battle of Buxar to the British. Although, the British did not take over
their states, they established a garrison at the Prayag fort - realising its strategic
position as the gateway to the north west. Governor General Warren Hastings later
took Allahabad from Shah Alam and gave it to Awadh alleging that he had placed
himself in the power of the Marathas.

In 1801 the Nawab of Awadh ceded the city to the British East India Company.
Gradually the other parts of Doaba and adjoining region in its west (including Delhi
and Ajmer-Mewara regions) were won by the British. When these north western
areas were made into a new Presidency called the "North Western Province of Agra",
with its capital at Agra. Allahabad remained an important part of this state.


PLACE TO VISIT


Allahabad Fort - at Allahabad, India was built by Emperor Akbar in 1583. The
fort stands on the banks of the Yamuna near the confluence site. It is the largest fort
built by Akbar. In its prime, the fort was unrivaled for its design, construction and
craftsmanship. This huge, majestic fort has three magnificent galleries flanked by
high towers. At present is used by the army and only a limited area is open to
visitors. The magnificent outer wall is intact and rises above the water'’edge. Inside
the fort there is the Zenana, Jodhabai Palace and the 3rd century BC Ashoka pillar
and Saraswati Koop as well, said to be the source of the Saraswati river. The
Patalpur temple is also here.

Someshwar Mahadev Temple - is an ancient temple situated in the Arail
area across Sangam opposite Allahabad Fort. The temple is dedicated to Lord
Shankar.

Anand Bhavan - is a large mansion located in Allahabad, India. Established
by Indian political leader Motilal Nehru in the 19th century, it has served as the
ancestral home of the Nehru-Gandhi Family — future Prime Ministers of India
Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi were born there. Today it has been converted
into a memorial and museum.

Jawahar Planetarium - is located in the city of Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh,
India. It was built in 1979 and is situated beside Anand Bhavan.

The Triveni Sangam - in Allahabad is a confluence of three rivers, the Ganga,
Yamuna and Saraswati. Of these three, river Saraswati is invisible and is said to be
flowing beneath the earth. It meets the other two rivers from the base. The point of
confluence is a sacred place for the Hindus. A bath here is said to wash all the sins
and free human from the cycle of birth. The site of Sangam is a treat to the eyes. One
can see the muddy and pale yellow water of Ganges merging with green water of
Yamuna. The Ganges is only 4 ft deep, while Yamuna is 40 ft deep near the point of
nexus. The river Yamuna ends at this point and Ganges continues after this until it
meets the sea at the Bay of Bengal.

Alopi Devi Mandir - is situated in Alopibagh in Allahabad. This place is very
near to the holy Sangam where the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and the legendary
Sarasvati meet. Kumbh Mela ground is very near to this place.


HOW TO REACH


Best way to reach Allahabad, if you are coming from outside India, is to take a direct
flight to New Delhi and then take one of the numerous connecting trains from New
Delhi to Allahabad. The Kolkata Rajdhani express, though a better train, lands at a
very odd hour in Allahabad (2343 hrs IST) from New Delhi which can be inconvenient
for Allahabad being a really quiet place at night. Best train from New Delhi to
Allahabad is the PrayagRaj Express (Train No. 2418) which leaves from New Delhi
Railway Station at 2130 hrs IST and arrives in Allahabad at 0630 hrs IST next day.
The train runs every day.

By plane - There are not any direct flights to Allahabad. Some airlines such as
Air Sahara and Kingfisher have hopping flights from Delhi, but these are few and far
between. The nearest better-connected airport is Varanasi, 120 kms away (2.5 hours
by road on NH-2).

By train - Allahabad is situated on the trunk train route from New Delhi to Kolkata
and from Mumbai to Kolkata, so it is well-connected by trains. Innumerable trains
stop at Allahabad. The city has three railway stations - Prayag (near the University),
Rambagh (city centre), and Allahabad Junction (the main station).

By bus - Allahabad is on NH2 and NH27 and is, therefore, well connected by
road. Several buses ply to and from nearby cities and towns.