Hinduism: Details about 'Prayag'
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Allahabad (Hindi: इलाहाबाद, Urdu الاهاباد ilāhābād) is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The name, meaning "City of Allah", was given to the city by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1583. In Indian alphabets it is spelt "Ilāhābād": "ilāh" is Arabic for "god", and "-ābād" is Persian for "place of". The modern city is on the site of the ancient holy city of Prayāga (Sanskrit - "Place of Sacrifice" and is the spot where Brahma offered his first sacrifice after creating the world). It is one of four sites of the Kumbha Mela, the others being Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik. It has a position of importance in the Hindu religion and mythology since it is situated at the confluence of the rivers Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati. Because solar events in Allahabad occur exactly 5 hours and 30 minutes ahead of Greenwich, the city is the reference point for Indian Standard Time, maintained by the city's observatory.
HistoryWhen the Aryans first settled into what they termed the Aryavarta, or Madhydesha, their territory extended till Prayag. The Vatsa (a branch of the early Indo-Aryans) were rulers of Hastinapur, and they established the town of Kaushambi near present day Allahabad. In the times of the Ramayana, the site of Allahabad was made up of a few Rishi's huts at the confluence of the three rivers. Lord Rama, the main protagonist in the Ramayana, spent some time here, at the Ashram of Sage Bharadwaj, before proceeding to nearby Chitrakoot. The city was known earlier as Prayaga - a name that is still commonly used. Akbar realized the strategic importance of the city, built a magnificent fort on the banks of the holy Sangam and re-christened it as Illahabad in 1575. In 1801 Nawab of Awadh ceded it to East India Company.In 1857,the city was the crucible of activity in India's 1st Independence struggle.The company officially handed over India to British Government in 1858 at Minto Park.Under the British rule, Allahabad was the capital of the United Provinces till the 1920s. It was a well-known centre of education (dating from the time of the Buddha), and in the first few decades of the 20th century, the Allahabad University had earned for itself the epithet of 'Oxford of the East'. It is also a major literary centre for Hindi, with many literateurs being connected to it in some way or the other. It holds the world record for the world's first letter delivered by airmail (from Allahabad to Naini, just a few km. across the river Yamuna) (1911). Allahabad was the birthplace of Jawaharlal Nehru, and the Nehru family estate, called the Anand Bhavan, is now a museum. It was also the birthplace of his daughter Indira Gandhi, and the home of Lal Bahadur Shastri, both later Prime Ministers of India. In addition Vishwanath Pratap Singh and Chandra Shekhar were also associated with Allahabad. Thus Allahabad has the distinction of being the home of several Prime Ministers in India's post-independence history. During the movement for independence, Allahabad was at the forefront of all political activities. Alfred Park in Allahabad was the site where, in 1931, the revolutionary Chandrashekhar Azad killed himself when surrounded by the British Police. Anand Bhavan, and an adjacent Nehru family home, Swaraj Bhavan, were the center of the political activities of the Indian National Congress, and a magnet for revolutionaries and student activists. The first seeds of the idea of Pakistan were also sown in Allahabad. In 1930, Allama Muhammad Iqbal (1877-1938) in his presidential address to the All-India Muslim League proposed a separate Muslim state for the Muslim majority regions of India. GeographyIt is located in the southern part of the state, at 25°26′ N. lat. and 81°50′ E, and stands at the confluence of the Ganga (Ganges), and Yamuna rivers. Allahabad falls in the Southern part of the Awadh region. To its west and south is the Bundelkhand region, while to its east is the Baghelkhand region. Allahabad stands at a strategic point both geographically and culturally. A part of the Ganga-Yamuna Doaba region, it is the last point of the Yamuna river and is the last frontier of the 'west' Indian culture. The Indian GMT longitude that is associated with Jabalpur, also passes through Allahabad, which is 343 km north of Jabalpur on the same longitude. DemographyAllahabad City has a population of 1,050,000 as per the 2001 census with about 580,000 males and 470,000 females. It lists as the 32nd most populous city in India. Allahabad has an area of about 65 km² and is 98 m above sea level. Languages spoken in and around Allahabad include Hindi, English, Urdu and some Bengali and Punjabi. The dialect of Hindi spoken in Allahabad is Awadhi. All major religions are practiced in Allahabad. ClimateAllahabad experiences all four seasons. The summer season is from April to June with the maximum temperatures ranging between 40 to 45 °C. Monsoon begins in early July and lasts till September. The winter season falls in the months of December, January and February. Temperatures in the cold weather could drop to freezing with maximum at almost 12 to 14 °C. Allahabad also witnesses severe fog in January resulting in massive traffic and travel delays. It does not snow in Allahabad. Lowest temperature recorded −2 °C; highest, 48 °C. Kumbha and Magh MelaThe word 'Mela' is fair in Hindi. Except the years of the Kumbha Mela and the Ardha Kumbha Mela (Ardha is half in Hindi, hence the Ardha Kumbha Mela is held every 6th year), the Magh Mela takes place every year in the month of Magh (Jan - Feb) of the Hindu calendar. Kumbh Mela (the Urn Festival) occurs four times every twelve years and rotates between four locations: Prayag (Allahabad), Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik. In Allahabad, these fairs take place at the Sangam (confluence) of the Yamuna and the Ganges River which is holy in Hinduism. In the Kumbha Mela of 2001, which was called the Maha (great) Kumbha Mela because of an alignment of the Sun, Moon, and Jupiter that occurred only every 144 years, almost 75 million people visited the banks of the river to take part in the festivals.During the Melas, an entire township is built on the river's banks, with functioning hospitals, fire stations, police stations, restaurants and other facilities. Literary PastPerhaps Allahabad is most famous for the literary geniuses it has produced. Most of the famous writers in Hindi literature had a connection with the city. Notable amongst them were Mahadevi Varma, Sumitranandan Pant, Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala', Upendra Nath 'Ashk' and Harivansh Rai Bachchan. Another noteworthy poet was Raghupati Sahay who was more famous by the name of Firaq Gorakhpuri. Firaq was an outstanding literary critic and one of major Urdu poets of the last century. Both Firaq and Bachchan were professors of English at Allahabad University. Firaq Gorakhpuri and Mahadevi Varma were awarded the Jnanpith Award, the highest literary honour conferred in the Republic of India in 1969 an 1982 respectively. The famous english author and Nobel Laureate (1907) Rudyard Kipling also spent time at Allahabad working for ThePioneer as an assistant editor and overseas correspondent. Sports and RecreationAllahabad is well known for its sporting activities in the fields of Cricket, Badminton, Tennis and Gymnastics. There are several sports complexes that can be used by both amateurs and professionals. These include the Madan Mohan Malaviya Cricket stadium, Mayo Hall Sports Complex and the Boys' High School & College Gymnasium. There are several swimming facilities throughout the city as well. Allahabad has a prominent place in Indian Gymnastics. It is the leading team in SAARC and Asian countries. Passenger transportationAir: Allahabad is served by the Bamrauli airport (airport code IXD) and is linked to Delhi and Kolkata by Air Sahara. Other airports in the vicinity are Varanasi (147 km) and Lucknow (210 km). Road: National Highway 2 runs through the center of the city. Allahabad is located in between Delhi and Kolkata on this highway. Another highway that links Allahabad is National Highway 27 that is 93 km long and starts at Allahabad and ends at Mangawan in Madhya Pradesh. There are other highways that link Allahabad to all parts of the country. Allahabad also has three bus stations catering to different routes - at Zero Road, Leader Road and Civil Lines. Tourist taxis, auto-rickshaws and tempos are available for local transport. There is also a local bus service that connects various parts of the city. But the cheapest and most efficient method of local transport is the cycle rickshaw. Rates are not fixed and one needs to bargain. Train: Served by Indian Railway.Allahabad is the headquarters of the North Central Railways Zone, and is well connected by trains with all major cities, namely, Kolkata, Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Lucknow and Hyderabad. Allahabad has four railway stations - Prayag Station, City Station (Rambagh), Daraganj Station and Allahabad Junction (the main station). Famous personalities
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Allahabad Allâhâbâd Allahabad - इलाहाबाद इलाहाबाद Allahabad Allahabad Allahabad Allahabad Allahabad Allahabad |
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