Allahabad Travel Guide
Distance : 643km from Delhi,
220km from Lucknow, 140km from Varanasi
Population :860,000
Altitude : 98m
Temperature : Min 5oC, max 48oC
¤ The Holy Town of Confluence
of Three Sacred Rivers
 Located
on the banks of the rivers Yamuna and Ganga, Allahabad is one of the
most famous pilgrim centres in Uttar Pradesh.
Legend has it that the ancient Saraswati River once flowed
underground, and joined the Yamuna and the Ganga in Prayag, the
ancient name for Allahabad.
The confluence of these holy rivers is known as Sangam, which is
considered a very sacred place for Hindus. They firmly believe that
after they die and are cremated, they would attain moksha, or freedom
from the cycle of birth-death-rebirth, if their ashes are immersed at
Sangam.
¤ The Town OF Maha Kumbh Mela
Allahabad is also the site for the mammoth Maha Kumbh Mela that is
held every 12 years, and draws over 2 million people, both from India
and abroad. During the Ardh Kumbh Mela that takes place once in six
years, thousands of devotees come to Allahabad to bathe in the holy
waters of the Ganga and Yamuna.
The Magh Mela is held annually, in January and February, and lasts
for 15 days. These melas (fairs) commemorate the struggle between gods
and demons over a kumbh (pot) of amrit, the elixir of life. When the
amrit surfaced from the bottom of the ocean, Lord Vishnu, the Hindu
Preserver of the Universe ran away with the pot of amrit. While he was
running, four drops of the elixir fell on the sites that are now the
holy towns of Allahabad, Haridwar, Nasik and Ujjain.
¤ Other Attractiions
Allahabad is also famous for its guavas, and for its university,
which is also called ‘the Oxford of the East’. An
architectural wonder, the Allahabad University is where some of India’s
greatest leaders studied at some point or the other.
Other British monuments of interest in Allahabad are the High Court,
the All Saints Cathedral and the Mayo Complex, to name a few. Khusrao
Bagh and Akbar’s Fort are the architectural remnants of the
Mughal Empire (a.d. 1526-1857) in Allahabad.
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