Allahabad

Allahabad is a city of Uttar Pradesh that is not only a major pilgrimage center, but has a major contribution in the formation of modern India. Hindu mythology states that Lord Brahma, the creator had conducted the Prakrishta Yajna on land found at the confluence of the three holy rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati. This land was blessed by gods, and is none other than Prayag, or Allahabad. It is this sanctity of the place that has declared Allahabad to be the ‘Tirth Raj’ or the ‘King of all pilgrimage centers’. In fact the Vedas, Ramayana and Mahabharata all refer to this place as Prayag. Since then Allahabad has become the headquarters of the North Western Provinces on being shifted from Agra. You find many well preserved relics belonging to the British here like Muir College and the All Saints Cathedral. Allahabad is also the place where many events of India’s struggle for freedom took place; this is where the first Indian National Congress formed in 1885 and where Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violence movement started in 1920. It is this confluence of tradition, mythology and history of Allahabad that makes it a great city. There are many places around Allahabad worth visiting like Sangam which is about 7 km from Civil Lines. The Sangam is the sacred place of the confluence of the three holy rivers of India; Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati. You can see the waters of the three rivers distinctively merging into one in the Sangam. It is during the Kumb and Ardh Kumbh that the Sangam is the most active when devotees from all over the world and India throng the place. This is when the devout tend to cross from the finite world into divine celestial realms. The Allahabad fort is found on the banks of the Yamuna, near the Sangam. It was built in the year 1583 by Emperor Akbar which has three humongous galleries flanked by high towers. This fort is today used by the army and visitors can visit only a limited area of the fort. The Ashokan Pillar, Saraswati Kup, Patalpur temple, Akshaya Vat or immortal banyan tree and the Jodhabai Palace can be seen from here. The Patalpuri temple is an underground temple found within the Allahabad fort. Here is where you find the Akshaya Vat in a deep niche above the underground shaft leading to Triveni. However when in Allahabad, it is required to gain permission before visiting the Allahabad fort and some other places.