ALLAHABAD.
Allahabad
City in Uttar Pradesh
Allahabad is a city in Uttar Pradesh state. Triveni Sangam, the
confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and "invisible" Saraswati rivers, is
considered holy by Hindus. It’s near the 16th-century Allahabad Fort, built by
Mughal Emperor Akbar. In the fort are the ancient sandstone Ashoka Pillar, the
underground Patalpuri Temple and a sacred banyan tree. The Allahabad Museum has
Rajasthani miniature paintings.
Allahabad or Prayag is a large metropolitan city in the Indian state
of Uttar Pradesh and
the administrative headquarters of Allahabad District, the most
populous district in the state and 13th most populous district in India, and
the Allahabad Division.
Allahabad is the oldest living city in India after
Varanasi. The city is the Judicial capital of Uttar Pradesh with Allahabad High Court being
the highest judicial body in the state. As of 2011, Allahabad is the seventh most populous
city in the
state, twelfth in
the Northern India and thirty-sixth in
India, with an estimated population of 1.11 million in the city and 1.21
million in its metropolitan region In
2011 it was ranked the world's 40th fastest-growing city. Allahabad, in
2016, was also ranked the third most liveable city in the state (after Noida and Lucknow)
and sixteen in the country. A 2016 report of the World Health Organization found Allahabad to be the third-most air-polluted city in
the world and the second-most polluted city in India.
The city's original
name – Prayag, or "place of offerings" – comes
from its position at the Sangam (confluence)
of the Ganga, Yamuna and Sarasvatirivers.
It plays a central role in Hindu scriptures. Allahabad was originally called Kaushambi (now a separate district) by the
Kuru rulers of Hastinapur, who developed it as their capital. Since then, the
city has been a political, cultural and administrative centre of the Doab region. In the
early 17th century,
Allahabad was a provincial capital in the Moghul Empire under
the reign of Jahangir.
Akbarnama mentions
that the Mughal emperor Akbar founded
a great city in Prayag. `Abd al-Qadir Bada'uni and Nizamuddin Ahmad mention
that Akbar laid the foundations of an Imperial City at Prayag which waa
called Ilahabas or Ilahabad. He was said to
be impressed by its strategic location and built a fort there, later renaming
it Ilahabas by 1584 which was changed to Allahabad by Shah Jahan. It is also thought to have been named after the
legendary Alha.
In 1580, Akbar created
the "Subah of
Ilahabas" with Allahabad as its capital. mid-1600, Salim had
made abortive attempt to seize Agra's treasury and came to Allahabad, seizing
its treasury and setting himself up as a virtually independent ruler. He
was however reconciled with Akbar and returned to Allahabad where he stayed
before returning to the royal court in 1604.
In 1833 it became the
seat of the Ceded and Conquered Provinces region before its capital was moved to Agra. Allahabad
became the capital of the North-Western Provinces in 1858,
and was the capital of India for
a day. The city was the capital of the United Provinces from
1902 to 1920 and
remained at the forefront of national importance during the struggle for Indian independence.
Located in southern
Uttar Pradesh, the city's metropolitan area covers 70.5 km2 (27.22
sq miles). Although the city and its surrounding area are governed by
several municipalities, a large portion of Allahabad District is governed by
the Allahabad City Council. The city is home to colleges, research institutions
and 2 dozen central and state governmentoffices.
Allahabad has hosted cultural and sporting events, including Kumbh Mela and the Indira Marathon.
Although the city's economy was built on tourism, most of its income now
derives from real estate and financial services.This is 2nd most revenue
providing district in Uttar Pradesh.
When the Aryans first settled in
what they called the Āryāvarta (or
Madhyadesha), Allahabad (then Kaushambi) was an important part of their
territory. The Kurus, rulers of Hastinapur (near
present-day Delhi), established the town of Kaushambi near Allahabad. They
shifted their capital to Kaushambi when Hastinapur was
destroyed by floods.
The Doab region, which
includes Allahabad, was controlled by a succession of empires and dynasties. The
area became part of the Maurya and Gupta Empiresfrom the east and the Kushan Empire from
the west before being governed by Kannauj during
the 15th century. The city was the site of Maratha incursions
before India was colonised.
Triveni Sangam
In Hindu tradition Triveni Sangam is the "confluence" of three rivers. Sangama is the Sanskrit word for confluence. The point of confluence is a sacred place
for Hindus. A bath here is said to flush away all of
one's sins and free one from the cycle of rebirth. One such Triveni Sangam, in Prayag (Allahabad) has two physical
rivers — Ganges - Yamuna and
the invisible Saraswati River. The three rivers maintain
their visible identity and can be identified by their different colors. The
water of Ganges is clear, Yamuna is
greenish in color but the presence of the Saraswati River can
only be felt underwater.
A place of religious
importance and the site for historic Kumbh Mela held every 12 years, over the
years it has also been the site of immersion of ashes of several national leaders,
including Mahatma Gandhi in
1948.
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