Allahabad

Allahabad, officially named Prayagraj, is a holy city in Uttar Pradesh, located at the meeting of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers. For Hindus it is one of the holiest places in India.

Ancient texts recorded the sacred river confluence under the name Prayaga during the Vedic period. Emperor Ashoka placed an inscribed sandstone pillar at the riverbank during the 3rd century BC. Mughal emperor Akbar established a garrison town beside the rivers in 1575, constructing a fortified palace complex called Ilahabas. The British East India Company took over its administration at the start of the 19th century, developing military cantonments and civil quarters. For a decade in the mid-19th century it served as the capital of the North-Western Provinces. State authorities formally renamed the district and city Prayagraj in 2018.

The state high court functions as the principal judicial institution for Uttar Pradesh, sitting here since the late 1860s. Administrative headquarters for the North Central Railway coordinate regional passenger and freight traffic from local offices. Public administration, legal services, retail banking, and higher education drive the urban service economy. Industrial manufacturing districts in Naini produce electrical equipment, transmission towers, cables, and glass containers. The Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative runs a chemical fertilizer plant in nearby Phulpur. Wholesale agricultural markets distribute surrounding harvests of wheat, mustard, and guavas.

Triveni Sangam marks the sacred meeting point of the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the mythic Saraswati rivers, drawing bathers for ritual purification. Every 12 years, the Kumbh Mela festival gathers pilgrims along the river sandbanks for religious observances. Akbar also built Allahabad Fort overlooking the water, featuring massive stone ramparts and carved gates. Anand Bhavan, the Nehru family home bought by Motilal Nehru, is now a memorial museum. The University of Allahabad, one of the oldest in India, dates from the late 19th century and provides academic faculties in humanities, commerce, law, and physical sciences.