घुमक्कड़ साथी
Allahabad
Location- Eastern
Uttar Pradesh (India) in Indo- Gangetic Plains.
Railway Stations-
Allahabad Jn (ALD).
Airport-
Allahabad or Bamrauli Airport (IXD).
Hotels-
Budget to 4* Star Category.
Major Attractions- Triveni
Sangam, Temples, Ghats, Allahabad Fort, Anand Bhawan, Parks, Museums, Kumbh Mela
etc.
Climate- Humid
Subtropical Climate;
Summer:
- 22-46° C,
Winters:
-
Cool Climate, temperature dips downs to below 5° C in the months of December-
February.
Best Time to Visit-
All
Year Around (Domestic); Avoid scorching heats in summers (International). Kumbh is a special occasion to be at the Allahabad.
The
confluence of Mother Ganga, the Yamuna & indistinguishable the Sarswati Rivers
(Sangam) at Allahabad is an all time favorite destination for millions of
pilgrims. Allahabad (Prayagraj) is mentioned in ancient scriptures as amongst
the seven most sacred cites of India. Allahabad is well renowned for the
largest numbers of devotees’ congregation on earth at the auspicious time of
Kalpwas & Mahakumbh when people take holy dip at Sangam. The spacious city
with broad avenues, beautiful gardens, historical places, religious sanctity,
judiciary centre of Uttar Pradesh, Museum etc. call upon numbers of visitors
year around.
Apart
from Triveni Sangam, Allahabad is well known for its educational &
political influence in India. At times this city is fluxed with numbers of
students who prepare for civil service examinations & students from here are
placed to various reputed organizations in India & abroad.
Erudite
& easy going people of Allahabad will surely influence you while travelling
here.
Explore Allahabad
Triveni Sangam-
two perennial river streams originating in the Indian state of Uttarakhand Ganga
& Yamuna- confluence at Allahabad (Prayag) with the invisible Sarswati. The
Indian Civilization chiefly flourished along these two rivers which are sacred
for giving life & faith as well. The
contextual story recites of an episode in history where the Devatas & the Danavs
while churning ocean got Amrit Kalash. Few drops of nectar fell into water at
certain points which are sacred. Nasik, Ujjain, Haridwar & Prayag are the
places associated with the ancient anecdote where at an interval of 6 & 12
years Kumbh Melas are organized, these times a high seasons for devotees to take
a holy dip in these water bodies.
Anand Bhawan-
Anand Bhavan was constructed in the 1930s by the Indian leader Motilal Nehru as
the Nehru Family residence. The building was constructed as the former
residence of the Nehru Family known as the Swaraj Bhavan was donated to the Indian National
Congress. The building was donated to the Indian Government by Indiara Gandhi
in 1970 and is today a house museum that depicts the life and times of the
Nehru family. It also houses the Jawahar Planetarium which was built in 1979
and is a must visit.
Migratory Birds-
Winters witness an increased inflow of foreign tourists to India. These include
our regular visitors- the Siberian birds. The arrival of these annual visitors
at various water bodies & wetlands heralds the onset of winters. Tourists
in numbers visit Allahabad & Varanasi to see these Siberian birds who fly
thousands of miles to be here in the salubrious months of winters.
Temples-
Allahabad is well praised innumerably in the religious texts as Tirtharaj. One
focal point of this sanctity is Triveni Sangam other important factor behind it
that it has numerous temples as well. Major temples of Allahabad are Hanuman,
Alopi Devi, Mankameshwar & Patalpuri Temples.
Allahabad Fort-
the ancient fort was said to have been built originally by the emperor Ashoka
but was repaired by the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1583. The Allahabad Fort is
located near the Triveni Sangam confluence and is the largest fort built by the
emperor. The fort comprises three high watch towers that guards three galleries
in the fort complex. The important monuments inside the fort are the Zanana
Palace for the women, the Sarswati Koop which is considered as the source of
Sarswati River & the third century B.C Ashokan Pillar. It also houses the
immortal tree of Akshayavat which can be viewed from the outside from the
southern wall.
All Saints Cathedral-
the cathedral was built by the British and was consecrated in 1887 which
completed in 4 years. The Church displays a striking 13th century
Gothic revival architecture and is 31 meters in height. The massive church
building encompasses one of the most prized buildings from the colonial India.
The complex also houses a memorial to Queen Victoria and functions as a lantern
tower.
Khusro Bagh-
the park is surrounded by a high wall and it contains three large and ornate
Mughal Tombs. One of that of Prince Khusru, the other tombs belong to Shah
Begum (Jehangir’s first wife), and Nesa Begum, Khusru’s sister.
Allahabad Museum-
the museum is located in the picturesque Chandrashekhar Azad Park (Company
Bagh). The museum was originally established under the aegis of Allahabad
Municipality in 1931 with a small collection of model of birds and animals. The
museum is rich in artifacts; moreover it is a premier research center for archaeologists, historians and academicians and carries out extensive research
activities and publications in archeology, 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 place has become the first self-reliant
power generation museum in the country with its solar power system.
Excursion
from Allahabad
Shringverpur (APPROX. 50 KMS. 2
HRS.)- Shringverpur is a village on Allahabad- Lucknow
road where it’s believed that at the time of his exile of 14 years Lord Rama
with his consort Mata Sita & his brother Laxaman crossed the river Ganges. The
place is believed to be associated with Nishadraj or the King of Fishermen. Sringverpur
is extensively mentioned in the epic Ramayana & recent excavations carried
out in Shringverpur have revealed a temple of Shringeri Rishi.
Kausambi (APPROX. 50 KMS. 2
HRS.)- Hundreds of years before the Christ born,
Kaushambi was the capital of Chedi-Vatsa Janapada, during the Buddha’s time
Kaushambi was one of the six most important and prosperous towns of India. It
was a nerve cent of ancient Indian communications as the principal routes from
north to south and east to west met at the city. The ruins of the well known
site of Kaushambi are situated on the left bank of the river Yamuna.
-Siddharth Singh