Prayagraj Travel Guide & Pilgrim Handbook: Explore the Confluence City

 

PILGRIM

Prayagraj

lies at Sangam or the Confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers. It is believed to be the second oldest city in India and plays a central role in Hindu scriptures. The Mughal Emperor Akbar named it Illahabad, or the city of God, which the British changed to Allahabad. Mark Twain, the American author, referred to it as Goodwill. Recently, Allahabad has been officially renamed as Prayagraj. It became the capital of the North-Western Provinces in 1858 and was the capital of India for a day. The city played an important role in the Revolt of 1857. Subsequently, it played a pivotal role in the freedom movement. The 1888 session of the Indian National Congress was held in the city, and by the turn of the 20th Century Prayagraj became a revolutionary centre.

QUICK FACTS

Ares                      :63.07 Sqkm                                             Altitude :  98m above sea level

Temperature      : 03°C-45.50°C                                           Best Season  :  November –March

Language        : Hindi, Urdu, English

    

Allahabad museum

In 1863, the Board of Revenue requested the Government of North- Western Provinces for the establishment of a public library and a museum. With donations from the provincial government, the famous Orientalist Sir William Muir and the Maharaja of Vijaynagaram, a superintendent of the library and museum was appointed and an ornate building was inaugurated in 1878 to house the collection. For unforeseen reasons or due to paucity of fund the museum was closed down in 1881. With the initiative of Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the President of the Allahabad Municipal Board and Pt. Brijmohan Vyas in the 1923-24 efforts were made to establish a new museum in the city. It was under the operational direction of Pandit Brij Mohan Vyas, the executive officer of the board, a museum was opened in the Municipal Building in 1931. Under the tutelage of Pandit Vyas, the museum acquired important collections, including ancient sculptures from Bharhut and Bhumra as well as the art collections of Abanindranath Tagore, Jamini Roy, Gaganendranath Tagore, Asit Kumar Haldar of the Bengal School Paintings also the collection of paintings of the European artists like Nicholas Roerich and Anagarik Govinda, a German monk whose collection enabled the museum to create galleries of modern art in the museum.   

Allahabad 

Fort is a fort built by the Mughal emperor Akbar at Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India in 1583. The fort stands on the banks of the Yamuna near its confluence with the river Ganges. It is recognized by the Archaeological Survey of India   as   a   monument   of national importance.

Swaraj Bhawan

Is the original Anand Bhawan which Motilal Nehru gifted to the Indian National Congress in 1930 when he built his new house next door, i.e the Anand Bhawan. Both houses are now museums that display the Indian Nationalist Movement as well as the carefully crafted adaptation of British colonial lifestyle that characterized Nehru family life. Swaraj Bhawan originally belonged to Sir Syed Ahmad Khan, the 19th century Muslim leader and educationist. In 1900, Motilal Nehry bought this house and turned it into a veritable palace. Late Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi was born at Swaraj Bihawan.

ChandrashekharAzad 

Park (also known by its former name Alfred Park, and Company Bagh during the Company Raj) is a public park in Allahabad. Built in   1870   to   mark Prince Alfred's visit to the city, with an area of 133 acres, it is the biggest park in Allahabad. It was renamed        after   freedom fighter Chandra Shekhar Azad, who sacrificed his life here, during the Indian independence struggle in 1931.

The Anand Bhawan is a historic house museum in Allahabad, which belongs to the Nehru family. It was constructed by Motilal Nehru in the 1930s to serve as the residence of the Nehru family when   the   original   mansion swaraj Bhawan transferred into the local headquarters of the Indian National Congress. The Bhawan houses the Jawahar Planetarium.

Allahabad Public Library 

Also known as Thornhill Mayne Memorial is a public library situated at Alfred  Park in Prayagraj.[2] Established in 1864, it is the   biggest library   in   the   state of Uttar Pradesh.[1][3] The building was designed by Richard Roskell Bayne and is considered a remarkable example of Scottish    Baronial Revival architecture.[4] The monument has served as the house of legislative assembly in British era when Allahabad was the capital of United Provinces. In 1879, the Public library was shifted to the present premises at Alfred Park.

Bharadwaj ASHRAM Rishi also spelled Bharadwaj was one of the greatest Hindusages (Maharishi) descendant of Rishi Angirasa, whose accomplishments are detailed in the Puranas. He is one of the Saptarshis (Seven Great Sages Rishi in the present Manvantara; with others being Atri,

Vashishtha, Vishvamitra, Gautama, Jamadagni, Kashyapa. Brahaspatya is the progenitor of the Bharadwaj family and the family is attributed as the Bharadwaj family book as all its 75 hymns are composed by a member of this family over several centuries. He is belived to be a contemporary of King Bharata. Bharadwaj and his descedants were respected and powerful priests/rishis of several clans/dynasties of the Puru tribe, such as the Bharatas and the Panchalas. Bhardwaj Maharishi was a saga of the Vedic times. He was the son of Brihaspati. He attained extraordinary scholarship. He had the great power of of meditation. He is also the author of Ayurveda. His Ashram still exists at the holy Prayagraj.