Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India
Situated at the confluence of the three pious rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati (Saraswati is hidden and is a symbol of knowledge), popularly known as Triveni, the city of Allahabad founded in 1583 by the Mughal emperor Akbar (1542-1605), stands on the site of the ancient holy city of Prayag – the history of which is available in the inscription on the Pillars of Ashoka (262-238 BC) inside the gateway to the old Allahabad Fort. The city ceded to the British in 1801 and witnessed a great massacre during 1857 Indian Mutiny against the British rule. However, it retained its religious importance and each year is held a month long festival at the rivers’ confluence and every twelfth year a much larger festival known as Kumbh Mela is held when the city of Allahabad becomes to be the largest city in the world - the next Kumbha Mela is scheduled to be held during January 2013.
Primarily known as administrative, educational and political centre, being the capital of the then United Provinces (now the states of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand) during 1904-1949 and the venue for the oldest Indian Inland University, known as the University of Allahabad (founded in 1887) and the reputed High Court of Judicature at Allahabad (founded in 1869), the home for Nehru family, whose estate, Anand Bhawan, is now a museum, the city of Allahabad has now recent additions like the Harish Chandra Institute of Mathematics and Mathematical Physics (1976), Indian Institute of Information Technology (1999), and UP Rajarshi Tandon Open University (1999). The city has several museums, Anglican and Roman Catholic cathedrals, mosques and a number of Hindu temples. The ancient sites of Pratisthanpur (Hindu) and Kausambi (Buddhist) are in its neighbourhood.
Amongst the region’s chief crops, where the city is situated, are rice, wheat and gram and guavas of Allahabad are well known all over available in winters.
Nearby Tourist Places
The nearby cities include the oldest living city of Varanasi (formerly Benaras) in the country - 120 kms/75 miles, the state’s capital Lucknow and the state’s commercial capital Kanpur - both at a distance of 200 kms/125 miles. The city of Taj, Agra in the state of U.P. is at a distance of 452 kms/282 miles (overnight journey by train). All major cities in the country are directly connected to Allahabad by rail. Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, Nalanda and Sanchi are situated within a radius of 320 kms/200 miles from Allahabad.
How to Reach Allahabad
The city is well connected with other cities in India by rail and road and has an airport at a distance of 18 kms. The Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport, Varanasi is about 130 kms/81 miles and the International Airport of Lucknow at a distance of about 210 kms/131 miles.
