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| Places around Allahabad |
| Prayag Confluence of the
Ganges and Yamuna Rivers |
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| Allahabad (Prayag ) is a city in Uttar Pradesh, the north
Indian state, situated at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers. The
ancient name of the city is Prayaga (Sanskrit for "place of sacrifice"). Existed
as a town as early as 600 B.C as Prayag, the city of Allahabad offers several
sightseeing options to the visitors. The Sangam, is the junction of three sacred
rivers-the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati. |
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| 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
Hinduism and Hindu mythology since 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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Hindu mythology has it that for the Prakrishta
Yaina, Lord Brahma, the creator God of the Trinity, chose a land on earth, on
which the three rivers would flow in to a quiet confluence. Brahma also referred
to it as Tirth Raj or the King of all pilgrimage centres. Recorded evidence also
exists in the revered scriptures � the Vedas and the grand epics, the Ramayana
and the Mahabharata, as also in the Puranas � of this holy place formerly called
Prayag.
Allahabad is an inland peninsula surrounded by rivers on three
sides with only one side connected to the mainland. Because of this, to handle
growing traffic and connectivity demands, Allahabad has large number of grand
and magnificent bridges built on rivers Ganges and Yamuna. |
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| Triveni Sangam confluence
of Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati |
| The Triveni Sangam is a confluence of three rivers; the Ganges,
Yamuna and Saraswati (Invisible River) said to be flowing beneath the earth.
Saraswati (Invisible River) meets the other two rivers from the base. The point
of confluence is a sacred place for the Hindus, as it is of high religious
importance to the Hindus. A bath here is said to wash all the sins and free
human from the cycle of birth. The site of Sangam is a treat to the eyes as one
can see the muddy and pale yellow water of Ganges only 4 ft deep merging with
green water of Yamuna is 40 ft deep. This point is the river Yamuna ends and
Ganges continues after till it meets sea at Bay of Bengal. |
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| Located 7 km from Civil Lines in Allahabad. |
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| Some places of interests which one must visit to see in Allahabad
are as follows |
- New Yamuna Bridge, Yamuna bank road.
- Company Bagh, Alfred Park
- Allahabad High Court building
- Built in Century Gothic Style in 13th Century “All Saints Cathedral”.
- Allahabad University established on 23rd September 1887, is the fourth oldest
University of India
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| To get there |
| 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 (58 mi) long.
Allahabad has three bus stations catering to different routes - at Zero Road,
Leader Road and Civil Lines. Tourist taxis, auto rickshaws (or tempos) are
available for local transport. There is also a local bus service that connects
various parts of the city. But the most convenient method of local transport is
the cycle rickshaw. Rates are not fixed and one needs to bargain. |
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| Train |
| Allahabad is the headquarters of the North Central Railway
Zone, and is well connected by trains with all major cities, Kolkata , Delhi,
Mumbai (Bombay), Chennai (Madras), Hyderabad, Lucknow, Patna, Bangalore and
Jaipur. |
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