Allahabad
Population :
945,000
Main Languages :
Hindi, English.
Telephone area code :
0532
Best time to visit :
October to March
Allahabad
is at the confluence of two of most important rivers – the
Ganges and the Yamuna. Allahabad also has an historic fort
built by Akbar which overlooks the confluence of the rivers
and contains an Ashoka pillar. The city is built on an ancient
site and in aryan times it was known as Prayag. After Akbar,
Allahabad was taken over by Marathas, sacked by the Pathans
and finally ceded by the British in 1801 by the Nawab of Awadh.
It was in here in 1858,
that the Easte India company handed over the control
of India to the British government.
Places of Interest
Sangam
The
meeting point of the rivers, the Sangam,
is believed to have great sould cleansing powers and
is a major pilgrimage site. It is even more holy because the
invisible Saraswati river is supposed to the join the Ganga
and Yamuna at this point. During the month of Magha (Mid Jan
to Mid Feb) hundreds of thousands of pilgrims come to the
bath at this holy confluence for the festival known as Magh
Mela. The most propitious time of all happens every 12 years
when the massive Kumbh Mela takes place.
Other attactions include the Hanuman
temple; the Anand
Shrine, which is a shrine to the Nehru family and was
donated to the India government by Indira Gandhi in 1970;
Khusru Bagh, a peaceful garden which contains the tomb
of Prince Khusru, son of Jehangir; All
saints Cathedral, which was designed by Sir William Emerson,
the architect of Victoria Memorial in Calcutta.
HOW TO REACH
By Air
Nearest
Airport is Varanasi (135 kms).
By Train
Trains
from Delhi & Varanasi.
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