Prayag aka Allahabad

Allahabad now renamed Prayagraj is the one of the most venerated City

in India dating back to even vedic period.  This city is at the confluence of 3  mighty rivers of India - The Ganga, Yamuna and the Saraswathi(now invisible).   Known for its religious significance to Hindus in terms of having a snan at The Triveni ( 3 Rivers meeting point) Sangam, it attracts lot of religious tourists apart from those interested in normal travel too.

It is also the city which is connected with more than Prime Ministers of India 

1.    Jawaharlal Nehru

2.    Lal Bahadur Shastri,

3.     Indira Gandhi, 

4.    Rajiv Gandhi, 

5.    Gulzarilal Nanda, 

6.    Vishwanath Pratap Singh and 

7.    Chandra Shekhar 

The city accessible by Air, Train and roadways always has tourists  coming in and going out.  The Kumbh Mela held once in 12 years sees the maximum number of people descending on the city.

Read through my impressions about the city through this link

https://saradaramani.blogspot.com/2022/04/allahabad-prayagraj.html

Listing down some of the things to do/sight seeing to be done at Prayagraj

1.     1. Snan @ Triveni Sangam

(see my post in detail about

this)  https://saradaramani.blogspot.com/2022/04/snan-triveni-sangam.html

2. Bade Hanuman Temple  

 https://saradaramani.blogspot.com/2022/04/the-bade-hanuman-temple.html

 3.   Akbar Fort

Allahabad Fort is a fort built by the Mughal emperor Akbar at Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India in 1583. A stone inscription inside fort describe 1583 as a foundation year. The fort stands on the banks of the Yamuna near its confluence with the river Ganges. It is recognized by the Archaeological Survey of India as a monument of national importance. 

last photo courtesy By Vyomtripathi - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73230634

4. Anand Bhavan Museum

https://saradaramani.blogspot.com/2022/04/anand-bhawan-swaraj-bgaqan.html

5. Khusro Bagh  

Khusro Bagh is a large walled garden and burial complex located in muhalla Khuldabad close to the Prayagraj Junction railway station, Situated over forty acres and shaped like a quadrangle it includes the tombs of Shah Begum, Jahangir's Rajput wife, and the daughter of Raja Bhagwant Das and Khusrau Mirza's mother; Khusrau Mirza, Jahangir's eldest son and briefly heir apparent to the Mughal throne; and Nithar Begum, Khusrau Mirza's sister and Jahangir's daughter. It is listed as an Indian Site of National Importance.

PC : By सत्यम् मिश्र - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=40701039

6. Allahabad Museum

The Allahabad Museum is a national-level museum  Established in 1931, it is known for its rich collection and unique objects of art, and is funded by Ministry of Culture. Moreover, it is a premier research centre for archaeologists, historians and academicians and carries out extensive research activities and publications in archaeology, art and literature. Its rock art gallery has the largest collection of prehistoric paintings displayed in India dating from 14,000 B.C to 2000 B.C. The museum, using solar power system, has become the first museum in the country to become self-reliant in power generation. The Allahabad Museum is centrally located in the Civil Lines area of the city in a lush green garden at Chandrashekhar Azad Park, popularly known as Company Bagh. It is about 3 km away from the Allahabad railway junction and almost equidistant from three different Railway Stations such as Prayag, Rambagh and Allahabad junction and about 12 km away from Bamrauli Airport.

 7. Chandrasekhar Azad Park

Built in 1870 to mark Prince Alfred's visit to the city, with an area of 133 acres, it is the biggest park in Prayagraj. It was renamed by the Uttar Pradesh Government after freedom fighter Chandra Shekhar Azad, who sacrificed his life here, during the Indian independence struggle in 1931 

8. The Jawahar Planetarium 

It is built in 1979 and is situated beside Anand Bhavan the former residence of the Nehru-Gandhi family and now a

museum. It is managed by the 'Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund', which has its headquarters at Teen Murti House, New Delhi. Each year, the prestigious 'Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Lecture' is also held at the planetarium, organised under the auspices of Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Fund on the birth anniversary of India's first prime minister, 14 November. 

9. All Saints' Cathedral

Also known as Patthar Girja it is an cathedral modelled after 13th-century Gothic style churches, it is among the Gothic Revival buildings built by the British during their rule in India. British architect Sir William Emerson, who also designed the Victoria Memorial, Kolkata, designed the cathedral in 1871. It was consecrated in 1887 and was completed four years later. The church celebrates its anniversary on All Saints' Day and has been part of the Church of North India since 1970. The cathedral is at the centre of a large open space at the crossing of two of the principal roads of Allahabad, MG Marg and SN Marg.

10.  Shankar Viman Mandapam

This Hindu temple is dedicated to the

Hindu God Shiva. Located north of the famous Triveni Sangam on the right banks of river Ganga, this four story temple is built in memory of Adi Shankaracharya. Architecture style is South Indian Vimana style

 11.  Baradwaj Ashram 

 It is believed that Lord Ramand his parivar came to this Ashram when they started their exile.  Also Bardwaj Muni was one of the well known Sage and many trace their links through their gothram to this Sage. 

Located in Colonelganj and a short walk away from Anand Bhawan, the Bharadwaj Ashram complex is known for its mention in Tulsidas’s poem Ramacharitmanas as the spot where the Hindu god Lord Rama stayed on his way to exile in Chitrakoot  The complex houses several temples, a park and a huge statue of Rishi (sage) Bharadwaj. Although there exists no evidence of the original construction of the temple, today, it maintains contemporary relevance in the form of a single stone with the inscription 'Renovated in 1968 by Birla Jan Kalyan Trust.'

Sage Bharadwaj, a sage of the Vedic period, was one of the

Saptarishis or Seven Rishis, renowned for his thirst for knowledge. His gurukul or school was considered a great centre of learning, with over 10,000 students from far-off places enrolled within. The Ashram is believed to have covered a radius of approximately 2.25 miles then, and was surrounded by a thick forest. A confluence of scholars used to take place at the ashram annually, during the Magh Mela. The river Ganga flowed by its side and the ashram was built on a raised mound. The temple itself was just a part of the larger ashram complex where the students offered prayers. Today, there is a lingam installed in the main structure, known as Bhardwajeshwar, with a sandstone idol of Bharadwaj placed next to it.

Excavations at the area had unearthed idols of Hindu religious

figures, including Goddess Durga, Ganesh, Atri, Anusuya, Eklavya, Goddess Annapurna, Agast, Bhrigu, Vashistha, Dhan Kuber etc, dated to the medieval period Furthermore, excavations carried out by celebrated archaeologist B.B. Lal revealed that the site is as old as at least the eighth century BC.

 

Moreover, there are several legends associated with the ashram. The most well-known, from the Hindu epic Ramayana, professes that the ashram served as a resting place for Lord Rama, his wife Sita and his brother Lakshman. Another claims that after goddess Ganga agreed to descend to the Earth in the form of a river, Sage Bharadwaj prayed to Lord Shiva to catch Ganga’s flow before she fell onto the Earth to avoid devastating floods

 

A larger than life copper statue of Sage Bharadwaj on the main road marks the exact location of his ashram. Behind the statue, there is a well-maintained park that has recently been renovated with murals depicting life at the Bharadwaj Ashram as described in Hindu mythology. The park also boasts of several synchronised fountains, colorful flowers and plentiful trees, as well as swing sets for children The park is open from 9 am to 6 pm, with a ticket priced at Rs.10. A narrow lane behind the park lined with small, colourful houses the park takes visitors to the ancient ashram complex Bharadwaj Ashram is a symbol of thousands of years of the pursuit of knowledge by the sages of Prayagraj.

 

12. Allahabad University

 

The University of Allahabad is a collegiate central university located in Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was established on 23 September 1887 by an Act of Parliament and is recognized as an Institute of National Importance. It is one of the oldest modern universities in India.

Its origins lie in the Muir Central College, named

after Lt. Governor of North-Western Provinces, Sir William Muir in 1876, who suggested the idea of a Central University at Allahabad, which later evolved to the present university. At one point, it was known as the "Oxford of the East".

 

 

 

Courtesy Wikipedia.com

Photos courtesy of many places (except those that were taken by us during our recent trip to Prayagraj in April 2022 : Google Search