Allahabad was known in Aryan times as Prayag, and Brahma is said to have performed a sacrifice here. The Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang visited the city in 634 AD, and it acquired the present name in 1584, under Akbar. Later the Marathas took over Allahabad, after they were sacked by the Pathans, and finally the city ceded to the British in 1801 by the Nawab of Avadh.
Allahabad, with a population of 1, 006, 400, is 135 km west of Varanasi, at the confluence of two of India’s most important rivers - The Ganga and the Jamuna . The mythical Saraswati , the River of Enlightenment, is also believed to join them here. The confluence, known as Sangam, is considered to have great soul-cleansing powers, and all pious Hindus hope to bathe here at least once in their lifetime. Hundreds of thousands bathe here every January-February and once every 12 years, the Kumbh Mela, world’s largest gathering of pilgrims, draws millions to the confluence for a holy dip.
Allahabad has a fort built by Akbar, which overlooks the confluence of the rivers, and also the Anand Bhavan, the family house of the Nehrus.It was in Allahabad that the East India Company officially handed over control of India to the British Government in 1858, following the Mutiny. The city was a Centre of the Indian National Congress, and at the Conference here in 1920, Mahatma Gandhi proposed his programme of nonviolent resistance to achieve independence.
The Fort, built by Akbar in 1583, stands on the northern bank of Yamuna, near the confluence with the Ganga. It has massive walls and three gateways flanked by high towers. It is most impressive when viewed from the river. The Fort is now in the hands of the Army.Inside the Fort, there is the Ashoka Pillar dating from 232 BC. Its inscription eulogises the victories of Samudragupta and contains the usual edicts.
There is the Patalpuri Temple and the Undying Tree inside the Fort.
The University of Allahabad is a very modern University, which has produced many members of the ICS, IAS and the Allied Services. My friends who studied with me at the Ravenshaw College, and who went to the University of Allhabad for their post-graduate studies, say that to get a first class from the University of Allahabad is quite easy.
The Allahabad Agricultural Institute at Naini, near Allahabad is a very old institute devoted to agricultural research and extension. A. T. Mosher, famous for his book Getting Agriculture Moving was the principal of AAI for many years. At Naini is also the famous Naini Jail.
Allahabad also is the home of Harbansrai Bacchhan, whose Madhushala is a clssic book of poems. Amitabh gets nostalgic, when he remembers his childhood days at Allahabad. No one misses Allahabad, the city of hospitable and friendly people.