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Allahabad (Hindi:
इलाहाबाद, also known as
Prayag
(Hindi:
प्रयाग), is a city in north
Indian
state of
Uttar
Pradesh and administrative headquarters of Allahabad District.
The ancient name of the city is Aggra (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 Hindu scriptures
for 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. |
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Government of |
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Etymology |
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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 Ilāhābād;
ilah
being
Arabic for "(a) god" (in this
context from
Din-i-Ilahi, the religion founded by Akbar), and "-ābād"
is
Persian
for "to construct or to create", which explains the meaning of name
Allahabad as "God's creation". |
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History |
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Ancient Indian (Bharata) cities and places. Title and location names are
in
English
Main article:
History of Allahabad |
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Allahabad or Prayagraj
is a historian's paradise. History lies embedded everywhere, in its fields,
forests and settlements. 48 km (30 mi), 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 |
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The city was known earlier as Prayāga - 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. |
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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. |
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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 |
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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. |
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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. |
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Objects unearthed in Prayag
indicate that it was part of the
Kushan Empire in the 1st century AD. In his
memoirs on |
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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. |
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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 |
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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 |
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Before
colonial
rule was imposed over |
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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 |
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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 |
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In 1834, |
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In 1845, missionaries established the
Apostolic Vicariate
of |
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In 1857, |
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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. |
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Civic Administration |
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Municipal Corporation of |
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Cityscape |
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All Saints Cathedral, |
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Anand Bhavan is a large
mansion which belonged to Nehru-Gandhi family earlier, now owned by
Government and converted into a museum. |
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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
rivers the Ganges and Yamuna. |
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The urban area of city can be classified
into three categories. The Old City is economic center of city. This
area is having high density where major roads are used as transport corridors
as well as market streets. The newer city around Civil Lines area,
was conceived during British rule. This area is well planned on grid-iron
road pattern with additional diagonal roads which makes it an efficient city.
It is a low density area with wide tree lined avenues. It houses major
educational institutions, offices, gardens and cantonment areas. The outer
growth areas include satellite towns along major highways passing through
cities. It also includes city areas trans Ganges and Yamuna. |
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Places |
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The
Sangum |
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Some places of
interests in
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,
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Architecture |
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The All Saints’ Cathedral is built of red
and white stone, a closer view showing the style of architecture that has
been adopted in the building is an early phase of 13th Century Gothic. |
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The imprints of Britishers
and
Mughals can be seen in
buildings, gardens and places in |
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All Saints Cathedral, designed by great English architect William Emerson who also designed
Victoria Memorial
of |
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University Science Faculty buildings have classical architectural designs and have strong Victorian
and Islamic style architectural influences. |
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Khusro Bagh - The three sandstone
mausoleums within
this walled garden, present an exquisite example of
Mughal architecture. |
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Public Library (1864)- Standing at Alfred Park it is a beautiful building designed by R.Roskell Rayne. This public library is another
remarkable example of Gothic Style. The memorial has a lofty tower and
accorded cloisters. |
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The Old High Court and Public Offices - They are four-storied block. Made of sandstone and ashore these were
built by Colonel Pile in I 870 in the classical style. The Minto Park to the west of the ton has a Memorial Pillar
enriched with Royal medallions and four lions carrying the Imperial coronet.
This was a memorial pillar to the Royal Proclamation of the assumption of
rule by the British crown in 1858. The Municipal Museum adjoining the library
is yet another colonial structure that is a treasure-trove of archaeological
artifacts. |
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The new Yamuna
bridge built jointly by
Hindustan Construction Company
and
Hyundai Engineering and
Construction, is India's first cable stayed six lane road
bridge in India, representing modern design structure.[8] This large bridge has two pylons
made of concrete, which support a large part of bridge deck with the help of
attached steel cables. |
To know more about
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allahabad
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