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Allahabad
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Allahabad (Hindi: ????????, Urdu: ??? ???? Ilahabad) also known as Prayag is a city in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, situated at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers. The ancient name of the city is Prayaga (Sanskrit for "place of sacrifice") 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 Nashik.
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Allahabad (Hindi: ????????, Urdu: ??? ???? Ilahabad) also known as Prayag is a city in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, situated at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers. The ancient name of the city is Prayaga (Sanskrit for "place of sacrifice") 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 Nashik. It has a position of importance in Hinduism and Hindu mythology since it is situated at the confluence, known as Triveni Sangam, of the holy rivers, Ganges and Yamuna, and Hindu belief says that the invisible Sarasvati River joins here also.
Etymology
The name is derived from the one given to the city by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1583. The name in Indian languages generally is ; ilah being Arabic for "(a) god" (in this context from Din-i-Ilahi, the religion founded by Akbar), and "-abad" is Persian for "to construct or to create".
- Allahabad (The city of God)
Allahabad at a glance
Allahabad is one of the fastest developing cities of Uttar Pradesh. It is also one of the most green cities in the state. Besides having many prime educational institutions and organizations, the presence of key government offices give the city an important status. These include Allahabad High Court, Principal Accountant General Office (AG office), UP Public Service Commission Office, Headquarters of North Central Railway, the Regional Office of the Central Board of Secondary Education and the UP Board of High School and Intermediate Education.
Allahabad is situated at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers. It encompasses a large area and is an inland peninsula surrounded by rivers on three sides with only one side connected to the mainland. Because of this fact, to handle growing traffic and connectivity demands, Allahabad has many bridges crossing the Ganges and Yamuna.
Allahabad has been associated with 7 out of 14 Prime Ministers of India. Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Gulzarilal Nanda, Vishwanath Pratap Singh and Chandra Shekhar were all either born in Allahabad, were alumni of Allahabad University or got elected from a constituency in Allahabad.
Some places of interests in Allahabad are:
- Sangam and around, particularly in December to February, when Kumbh Mela is going on.
- Anand Bhavan and Jawahar Planetarium.
- New Yamuna Bridge, Yamuna bank road.
- Company Bagh, Alfred Park and Allahabad Museum.
- Allahabad High Court building
- All Saints Cathedral - was built in Century Gothic Style in 13th Century. Also commonly known as Patthar Girja Ghar, this cathedral stands at a prominent location of the city in lush green premises. It figures among the finest Cathedrals of India. Though it was consecrated in 1887, it took another 40 years for it to be completed.
- Allahabad University, established on 23 September 1887, is the fourth oldest University of India after Calcutta, Bombay and Madras University. Its sprawling 320 acre campus in the middle of the city has many heritage buildings.
- Ewing Christian College - American and Victorian Era architecture; the College was established by American Presbyterians in 1902 by the banks of the river yamuna.
History of Allahabad
Allahabad or Prayagraj is a historian's paradise. History lies embedded everywhere, in its fields, forests and settlements. , towards the southwest, on the placid banks of the Yamuna, the ruins of Kosambi, 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 Ganges and connected to the city by the Shastri Bridge is Jhusi, identified with the ancient city of Pratisthanpur, capital of the Chandra dynasty. About northwest is the medieval site of Kara with its impressive wreckage of Jayachand's fort. Shringaverpur, another ancient site discovered relatively recently, has become a major attraction for tourists and antiquarians alike.
The city was known earlier as Prayaga - a name that is still commonly used. That fact 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. Prayag was also important in the ancient Buddhist period as attested by the inscriptions on the Pillar of Asoka.
The Puranas record that Yayati left Prayag and conquered the region of Saptha Sindhu. His five sons Yadu, Druhyu, Puru, Anu and Turvashu became the main tribes of the Rigveda.
Allahabad is an extremely important and integral part of the Ganges-Yamuna Doab, and its history is inherently tied with that of the Doab region, right from the inception of the town.
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 Vatsa 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 Chitrakuta.
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 Kushan Empire in the 1st century AD. In his memoirs on India, Xuanzang, the Chinese chronicler who travelled through India during Harsha's (Harshavardhana) reign (607-647), writes that he visited Prayag in 643.
When Islamic rule came, Prayag became a part of the Delhi Sultanate when the town was annexed by Muhammad of Ghor in 1193. Then the Mughals took over from the 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 Jahangir's first wife – Shah Begum.
It was from Allahabad that Prince Salim, later to become emperor Jahangir, 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. The history repeated itself when in his (Muslim League) presidential address on December 29, 1930 at Allahabad, Muhammad Iqbal outlined a vision of an independent state for Muslim-majority provinces in northwestern India named Pakistan.
Before colonial rule was imposed over Allahabad, the city was rocked by Maratha incursions. But the Marathas also left behind two beautiful 18th century temples with intricate architecture.
In 1765, the combined forces of Mir Qasim (the (Nawab of Bengal), Shuja-ud-Daula (the Nawab of Awadh), and Shah Alam II the Mughal Emperor lost the Battle of Buxar to the British East India Company commanded by General Hector Munro. 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 northwest. The Governor-General of India, 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-Merwara 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.
In 1834, Allahabad became the seat of the Government of the Agra Province and a High Court was established. But a year later both were relocated to Agra.
In 1845, missionaries established the Apostolic Vicariate of Patna, which later became the Diocese of Allahabad.
In 1857, Allahabad was active in the first Indian Rebellion of 1857 sometimes inappropriately called as Indian Mutiny. After this revolution, the British truncated the Delhi region of the state, merging it with Punjab and transferred the capital of the North-Western Provinces to Allahabad, which remained so for the next 20 years.
In 1877 the provinces of Agra (NWPA) and Awadh were merged to form a new state which was called the United Provinces. Allahabad was the capital of this new state till the 1920s.
Geography
Allahabad is located in the southern part of the state, and stands at the confluence of the Ganges, and Yamuna rivers. The region was known in antiquity as the Vats country. To its southwest is the Bundelkhand region, to its east and south east is the Bagelkhand region, to its north and northeast is the Awadh region and to its west is the lower doab of which it is a part.
Allahabad stands at a strategic point both geographically and culturally. An important part of the Ganges-Yamuna Doaba region, it is the last point of the Yamuna River and is the last frontier of the Indian west.
The land of the Allahabad district that falls between the Ganges and Yamuna is just like the rest of Doab, fertile but not too moist, which is especially suitable for the cultivation of wheat. The non-doabi parts of the district (which were not originally a part of Allahabad but were added later by the British), the southern and eastern part of the district are somewhat similar to those of adjoining Bundelkhand and Bagelkhand regions, dry and rocky.
The Indian longitude that is associated with Jabalpur, also passes through Allahabad, which is north of Jabalpur on the same longitude.
Reorganisation of Allahabad
The Allahabad division and the district underwent a major reorganisation a few years ago. The Etawah and Farrukhabad districts of the Allahabad division were merged with the Agra division, while Kanpur dehat was carved out from the Kanpur district and a separate Kanpur division was created.
Parts of the western areas of Allahabad were carved out to create the new Kaushambi district. Now the new Allahabad division consists of Allahabad, Kaushambi, Pratapgarh and Fatehpur districts.
Demographics
Allahabad City has a population of 1,042,229 as per the 2001 census. It lists as the 32nd most populous city in India. Allahabad has an area of about and is above sea level. Languages spoken in and around Allahabad include Hindi, Urdu, Illahabadi (local dialect), and English.
The dialect of Hindi spoken in Allahabad is Awadhi, although Khariboli is most commonly used in the city area.
In the eastern, non-doabi part of the Allahabad district Bagheli dialect is more common.
All major religions are practised in Allahabad. Hindus comprise about 85% and Muslims about 12%. There are small groups of Christians, Sikhs and Buddhists.
Climate
Allahabad experiences all four seasons. The summer season is from April to June with the maximum temperatures ranging between to . Monsoon begins in early July and lasts till September. The winter season falls in the months of December, January and February. Temperatures in the cold weather could drop to freezing with maximum at almost to . Allahabad also witnesses severe fog in January resulting in massive traffic and travel delays. It does not snow in Allahabad.
Lowest temperature recorded, −2 °C; highest 48 °C.
Trivia
- Because solar events in Allahabad occur 5 hours and 27.4 minutes ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, the city is very close to the reference point for IST or Indian Standard Time which is + 5 hours and 30 minutes ahead of Greenwich. Allahabad is -2.6 minutes behind IST and Varanasi is +2 minutes ahead of IST. Actual IST longitude is between these two cities.
- World's first official air mail was sent from Allahabad on Saturday, 18 February 1911.
- Charles Canning, 1st Earl Canning made the famous declaration in 1858 when East India Company officially handed over control of India to the British Raj. It happened in a park known as Minto Park or Madan Mohan Malviya Park.
- On June 12, 1975, Justice Jagmohan Sinha of the Allahabad High Court determined and wrote his opinion on the inappropriateness of the election of Indira Gandhi from the Raibareli constituency, thereby requiring Indira Gandhi to step down from the prime ministership (Case: Raj Narain vs. Indira Gandhi). This resulted in Indira Gandhi imposing national emergency on June 26, 1975 and imprisoning most of the political opposition in the country.
- India's first jet plane took its flight from Allahabad
- In January 2007, more than 70 million Hindu pilgrims from around the world gathered at Allahabad for the Kumbh Mela, the world's largest religious festival and also the world's largest gathering.
Transportation
Air
Allahabad is served by the Allahabad Airport (Bamrauli Air Force Base) (IXD) and is linked to Delhi and Kolkata (Calcutta) by JetLite and Air India Regional. Other larger airports in the vicinity are at Varanasi (Varanasi Airport ) and Lucknow (Amausi International Airport ).
Road
National Highway 2, one of the Golden Quadrilateral routes, runs through the center of the city. Allahabad is located in between Delhi and Kolkata on this highway. National Highway 96 connects to NH 28 at Faizabad. Another is National Highway 27 which is long and starts from Allahabad and ends at Mangawan in Madhya Pradesh connecting to National Highway 7. There are other state highways that link Allahabad to all other parts of the country. Allahabad has three bus stations catering to different routes - at Zero Road, Leader Road and Civil Lines. A number of road bridges on rivers Ganges and Yamuna have been built to connect Allahabad with its suburb towns like Naini, Jhusi etc. A new expressway- Ganga Expressway is also proposed to pass through Allahabad.
Tourist taxis, auto rickshaws (or tempos) are available for local transport. There is also a local bus service that connects various parts of the city. But the most convenient method of local transport is the cycle rickshaw. Rates are not fixed and one needs to bargain.
Train
Served by Indian Railways, Allahabad is the headquarters of the North Central Railway Zone, and is well connected by trains with all major cities, namely, Kolkata , Delhi, Mumbai (Bombay), Chennai (Madras), Hyderabad, Lucknow, Patna, Bangalore and Jaipur. Allahabad has eight railway stations with in its city limits namely Prayag , Allahabad City (Rambagh), Daraganj, Allahabad Junction, Naini Jn, Prayag Ghat, Subedar Ganj & Bamrauli.
Education
Allahabad attracts students and learners from all over country. Allahabad has one central university, three deemed universities, research and technical institutions and colleges known for providing higher education in vast range of disciplines. They can be listed as following.
There are number government aided and private schools and colleges in Allahabad which are affiliated to one of the following three educational boards.
- UP Board of High School and Intermediate Education, with its head office in Allahabad itself.
- Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) - Allahabad is also one of its regional division.
- Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE).
St Joseph's College of Allahabad is among the top two educational institutions in the city. However, this is disputable as more common concensus is that Colonelganj Inter College, Tagore Town, Allahabad is far superior and better reputed. The most popular and oldest convent school in the city is which was established in 1861. It is also reknowned for being super star Amitabh Bachhan's almamater.
Industries
Allahabad has few industries. The main industrial area of Allahabad is Naini where several public and private sector companies have their units, offices and factories. To name few big companies are - Areva T&D India Ltd (A division of multinational Areva Group), Indian Telephone Industry Ltd.(), Bharat Pumps and Compressors Limited (BPCL), Reliance Industries Limited - , , Triveni Structurals Limited (TSL), Glass Factory etc.
Indian Farmers Fertilizer Co-Operative Limited is situated in Phulpur area. It is more commonly known as . It has several complexes in India and , phulpur is one of them. , Phulpur complex has two production units – Phulpur unit-I and Phulpur unit-II and is the world’s largest fertilser complex based on naphtha as feed stock.
Notable people from Allahabad
External links
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