History
The holy city, Allahabad is mentioned in the Vedas, the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and in the Puranas. In the holy scriptures the city is mentioned as Prayag. The place was considered to be the spot where Brahma offered his first sacrifice after creating the world. It is said that Lord Bhrama reffered to the place as `Tirtharaj` or the `king of all pilgrimage centers.`
The name Prayag is still commonly used. The Puranas record that Yayati(a Puranic king and the son of king Nahusha) left Prayag and conquered the region of Saptha Sindhu.
In the times of the Ramayana, Prayag was made up of a few rishis huts at the confluence of the sacred rivers. Prayag was controlled by several empires and dynasties. Objects unearthed in Prayag indicate that it was part of the Kushana empire in the 1st century AD. When Prayag came under the Muslim rule, it became part of the Delhi Sultanate. The Mughals took over the country from the rulers of Delhi and under them Prayag rose to prominence once again.
During the 5th and 7th centuries Huen Tsang and Fa Hien visited Allahabad. In 1575, Akbar named Allahabad as `Illahabas.` On realizing the strategic importance of Allahabad, he built a magnificent fort on the banks of the holy Sangam. It was from Allahabad that Emperor Jehangir, revolted against his father, Akbar. In 1602, Prince Salim held a parallel court in Akbar`s fort. Before the city fell under the clutches of colonial rule, the city was rocked by Maratha incursions.
In 1765 the royal armies of the Nawab of Awadh and the Mughal emperor Shah Alam lost the war of Buxar to the British. The British established a garrison at the Prayag fort - realising its strategic position as the gateway to the north west. Governor General Warren Hastings later took Allahabad from Shah Alam and gave it to Awadh alleging that he had placed himself in the power of the Marathas.
In 1801, The city was ceeded to the British East India Company. They also succeded the other parts of Doaba and adjoining region in its west . The north western areas were made into a new Presidency called the "North Western Provinces of Agra". Allahabad remained an important part of this state.
In 1834, Allahabad became the seat of the Government of the Agra Province and a High Court was established. But a year later both was transffered to Agra. In 1857, after the Indian Mutingy, the British merged Delhi with Punjab and transferred the capital of North west Provinces to Allahabad. In 1877, the two provinces of Agra and Awadh merged to form a new state which was called the United Provinces. Allahabad remained the capital of the State till the 1920s.
Allahabad played itself host to the royalty of illustrious Emperors like Harsha, Akbar, Dara Shikoh, Khusro, and Queen Victoria. Allahabad played an important role during the days of the Indian independence struggle. Today Allahabad is a city where history, culture, and religion blend harmoniously.
Sacred to the Hindu pilgrims, it is the site of the Pillar of Ashoka ereated in 240 B.C . Under the muslim rule from 1194-1801, it was them ceded to the British. the Mughal Akbar built a fort there in the late 16th entury. It was that scene of a seriuos outbreak in the 1857 Indian Mutiny, or Uprising. as the home of the Nehru family, it was later a centre of the Indian independence movement.
Geography
Allahabad is a city in the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located at a distance of 238 km from the state capital Lucknow. The city is situated at the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers. The Ganga flows along its eastern edge. The city is divided by the railway line running through it. South of the railway track is the old Chowk area, while the British-built Civil Lines is situated to the north, with all its streets laid out in a grid. The total area of the Allahabad is 63.07 sq km. It is located 98m above sea level.
Allahabad experiences an extreme climate. The annual range of temperature differs by around 12°C. The temperature varies from a maximum of 45.6°C to a minimum of 1.1°C. The weather is finest in the month of January and February. Annual rainfall is 1935.5 mm and the maximum being 914.7 mm (August) and minimum 68.3 mm (December). The monsoon season is in June.