Allahabad

Allahabad ... :)

The city was originally known as Prayaga (place of the confluences) – a name that is still often used. Excavations have revealed Iron Age Northern Black Polished Ware in Allahabad. That it is an ancient town is also illustrated by references in the Vedas (the most ancient of Hindu sacred texts) to Allahabad. It is believed to be the where Brahma, the Hindu Creator of the Universe, attended a sacrificial ritual.

The Puranas, another important group of religious texts, record that Yayati left Allahabad and conquered the region of Sapta Sindhu.^[1] His five sons Yadu, Druhyu, Puru, Anu and Turvashasbecame the main tribes of the Rigveda. When the Aryans first settled in what they termed the Aryavarta, Allahabad and the district of Kaushambi were important parts of their territory. The Vatsa(a branch of the early Indo-Aryans, the Kurus) were rulers of Hastinapur (near present day Delhi). When Hastinapur was destroyed by floods, they established the town of Kaushambi near present day Allahabad as their new capital.

In the times of the Ramayana, Allahabad was made up of a few rishi's huts at the confluence of the sacred rivers, and much of the countryside 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 Doab region, including Allahabad, 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 Kushanempire of the west before becoming part of the Kannauj empire. Objects unearthed in Allahabad 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 Allahabad in A.D. 643.

Allahabad became a part of the Delhi Sultanate when the town was annexed by Muhammad of Ghor in 1193.

The Mughal invasion of India began in 1526, and Allahabad then became a part of their empire. Understanding the strategic position of Allahabad in the Doab region, at the confluence of its defining rivers which had immense navigational potential, the Mughal emperor 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 fort has an Ashokan pillar and some temples, and was largely a military barracks.

It was from Allahabad that Prince Salim led a revolt against his father 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. Salim later served as emperor under the name Jahangir.

Allahabad (Hindi: इलाहाबाद), also known as Prayag (Hindi: प्रयाग), is one of the largest cities of the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is situated on an inland peninsula, surrounded by the rivers Ganges and Yamuna on three sides, with only one side connected to the mainland Doab region, of which it is a part. This position is of importance in Hindu scriptures for it is situated at the confluence, known as Triveni Sangam, of the holy rivers. Hindu belief says that the invisible Sarasvati River also joins here. It is one of four sites of the Kumbh Mela, an important mass Hindu pilgrimage.

The ancient name of the city is Prayag (Sanskrit for "place of sacrifice"), as it is believed to be the spot where Brahma offered his first sacrifice after creating the world. Since its founding, Allahabad has played an important role in the history and cultural life of India.

Sangam

Around 7 km from Civil Lines, overlooked by the eastern ramparts of the fort, wide flood plains and muddy banks protrude towards the sacred Sangam. At the point at which the brown Ganges meets the Greenish Yamuna, pandas (priests) perch on small platforms to perform puja and assist the devout in their ritual ablutions in the shallow waters. Beaches and ghats are littered with the shorn hair of pilgrims who come to offer pind for their deceased parents.

Kumbh Mela

Hindus traditionally regard river confluences as auspicious places, more so the the Sangam at Allahabad, where the Yamuna and the Ganges meet the River of Enlightenment, the mythical Saraswati. According to legend, / Vishnu was carrying a Kumbh (pot) of Amrita (nectar), when a scuffle broke out between the gods, and four drops were spilled. They fell to earth at the four Tirthas of Prayag, Haridwar, Nasik and Ujjain (Tirtha means "ford of a river") a place where the devout can cross from this finite world into divine celestial realms. The event is commemorated every three years by the Kumbh Mela, held at each tirtha in turn; the Sangam is known as Tirtharaja, the "King of Tirthas", and its Mela, once every twelve years, is the greatest and holiest of all.

The Maha Kumbh Mela - the "Great" Kumbh Mela - is the largest religious fair in India, attended by literally millions of rejoicing the vast floodplains and river banks adjacent to the confluence are overrun by pilgrims, tents, organized in almost military fashion by the government, the local authorities and the police. The mela is especially renowned for the presence of an extraordinary array of religious ascetics - sadhus and mahants - enticed from remote hideaways in forests, mountains and caves. Once astrologers have determined the propitious bathing time or Kumbhayog, the first to hit the water are legions of Naga Sadhus or Naga Babas,who cover their naked bodies with ash, and wear hair in long dreadlocks. The sadhus, who see themselves as guardians of the faith, approach the confluence at the appointed time with all the pomp and bravado of a charging army. The next Maha Kumbh Mela is due to take place in 2013.

Allahabad Fort

The massive fort built by emperor Akbar in 1583 A.D., the fort stands on the banks of the Yamuna near the confluence site. In its prime, the fort was unrivalled 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. Visitors are allowed to see the Ashokan Pillar and Saraswati Kup, a well, said to be the source of the Saraswati river and Jodhabai Palace. The Patalpuri temple is also here. So is the much revered Akshaya Vat or immortal Banyan tree.

Patalpuri Temple

Within this underground temple, inside the fort, lies the Akshaya Vat - or the immortal tree. Believed to have been visited by Lord Rama, the temple was also seen by the famous Chinese traveller and writer Hiuen Tsang during his visit to this place.

Ashoka Pillar

This gigantic Ashoka pillar, of polished sandstone stands 10.6 meters high, dating back to 232 B.C. The pillar has several edicts and a Persian inscription of Emperor Jahangir inscripted on it, commemorating his accession to the throne.

Akshaya Vat

The immortal tree within the Patalpuri temple, has found mention in the description of several ancient scriptures, writers and historians. The tree stands in a deep niche above an underground shaft, which is said to lead to Triveni. Visitors need permission to visit the Fort, Patalpuri Temple, Ashoka Pillar and AkshayaVat from Commandant, Ordinance Depot, Fort, Allahabad. Phone: 2504735-36, Extn. 213.

Many famous writers of Hindi and Urdu literature have a connection with the city. Notable amongst them are Munshi Premchand, Mahadevi Varma, Sumitranandan Pant, Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala',Subhadra Kumari Chauhan, Upendra Nath 'Ashk' and Harivansh Rai Bachchan. This is the literary Hindi heartland. The culture of Allahabad is based on Hindi literature. Maithili Sharan Gupt was also associated with this literary Hindi soil in many ways.

The famous English author and Nobel Laureate (1907) Rudyard Kipling spent time at Allahabad working for The Pioneer as an assistant editor and overseas correspondent.

Another landmark of the literary past of Allahabad was the publishing firm Kitabistan, owned by the Rehman brothers, Kaleemur Rehman and Obaidur Rehman. They published thousands of books, including those by Nehru. They became the first publishers from India to open a branch in London in 1936.

Sanskrit scholars like Ganganath Jha, Dr. Baburam Saxena, Pandit Raghuvar Mitthulal Shastri, Professor Suresh Chandra Srivastava, and Dr. Manjushree Srivastava were both students and teachers at the University of Allahabad. The most prominent Arabic and Persian scholars included Dr. Abdul Sattar Siddiqui and his colleague Muhammad Naeemur Rehman who was known for his well organized personal library of tens of thousands of books, which was open to all.

A noteworthy poet is Raghupati Sahay, better known under the name of Firaq Gorakhpuri. Firaq was a major Urdu poet and literary critic of the 20th century. Both Firaq and Harivansh Bachchan were professors of English at Allahabad University. Firaq Gorakhpuri and Mahadevi Varma were awarded the Jnanpith Award, the highest literary honour conferred in the Republic of India in 1969 and 1982 respectively. Akbar Allahabadi is one of the most well-read poets of modern Urdu Literature. Other poets from Allahabad include Nooh Narwi, Tegh Allahabadi, Raaz Allahabadi, Firaq Gorakhpuri, and Asghar Gondvi. Professor A. K. Mehrotra, former head of English department at the University of Allahabad, has been nominated for the post of professor of poetry which was earlier held by poets like Matthew Arnold and W. H. Auden.

Short story writers Azam Kuraivi, Ibn-e-Safi, and Adil Rasheed are all from Allahabad. Critics like Dr. Aijaz Husain, Dr. Aqeel Rizwi and Hakeem Asrar Kuraivi also hail from Allahabad. Shamsur Rahman Faruqi, who edits Shabkhoon, is known all over the Urdu world as a pioneer in Post Modernist literature. Rajendra Yadav, Mamta and Ravindra Kalia, Kamaleshwar, Namwar Singh, Doodhnath Singh and many other new age literary writers and critics began their literary careers in Allahabad. The city is also home to many young and upcoming literary figures. It has also been one of the biggest centres of publication of Hindi literature; examples are Lok Bharti, Rajkamal and Neelabh.