Allahabad Listen/əˈlɑːhəbɑːd/ also known as Prayag, is a large metropolitan city in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Allahabad District. Allahabad is the seventh most populous city in Uttar Pradesh, with an estimated population of 1.74 million living in the city and district area. In 2011, it was ranked the worlds 130th fastest growing city. Allahabad city is the largest commercial center in the state; it also has the second-highest per capita income and the third greatest GDP in the state. Allahabad is also known as the city of prime ministers because post independence seven out of 13 prime minister of India belonged to Allahabad (Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Gulzarilal Nanda, Vishwanath Pratap Singh and Chandra Shekhar). All these seven leaders were either born in Allahabad, were alumni of Allahabad University, or were elected from a constituency in Allahabad. The citys original name—Prayaga, or place of offerings, comes from its position at the sacred union of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati. It is the second-oldest city in India and plays a central role in the Hindu scriptures. The city contains many temples and palaces. Allahabad is located in the southern part of Uttar Pradesh. It is bounded by Pratapgarh in the north, Bhadohi in the east, Rewa in the south and Kaushambi in the west. Its metropolitan area is 63.07 km2 (24.35 sq mi). Allahabad contains many suburbs. While the city and surroundings are governed by several municipalities, a large portion of Allahabad District is governed by the Allahabad City Council. The demonym of Allahabad is Allahabadi. Allahabad was originally founded as Kaushambi (now a separate district) by the Kuru rulers of Hastinapur, who developed it as their capital. Since then, Allahabad has often being the political/cultural/administrative head of the entire Doab area and beyond. First as Kaushambi, then as Prathisthanpur. Later, the Mughal emperor Akbar renamed Prayag as Allahabad and made it a prominent administrative centre again. As a large and growing city, Allahabad is home to colleges and research institutions. Government offices of both central and state government lie within the city. Allahabad has hosted cultural and sporting events, including Kumbh Mela and Indira Marathon. Although Allahabads economy was built on tourism, its main revenue now comes from real estate and financial services. Etymology[edit] The name is derived from the one given to the city by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1583. The name in Indian languages generally is Ilāhābād (Hindi: इलाहाबाद); ilah (Hindi: इलाह) being Arabic for Lord or God (Allah) and -ābād (Hindi: आबाद) is Persian for to construct or to create a garden, which explains the meaning of the name Allahabad as Garden of Allah History[edit] Main article: History of Allahabad The city was known earlier as Prayāga – a name that is still commonly used. Prayāga existed during the Vedic period, and is mentioned in the Veda as the location where Brahma, the Creator of the Universe according to Hindu mythology, attended a sacrificial ritual. Excavations have revealed Northern Black Polished Ware that dates to 600–700 BCE. The Puranas record that Yayati left Prayag and conquered the region of Saptha Sindhu. His five sons Yadu, Druhyu, Puru, Anu and Turvashu became the main tribes of the Rigveda.Lord Rama, the main protagonist in the Ramayana, spent time at the Ashram of Sage Bharadwaj before proceeding to nearby Chitrakoot. Allahabad Fort made by Akbar in 1575 When the Aryans first settled in what they termed the Āryāvarta (or Madhyadesha), Prayag (or Kaushambi) was an important part of their territory. The Kuru Kingdom, rulers of Hastinapur (near present day Delhi), established the town of Kaushambi near Prayag. They shifted their capital to Kaushambi when Hastinapur was destroyed by floods. The Doaba region, including Allahabad, was controlled by several empires and dynasties in the ages to come. The area became a part of the Mauryan and Gupta empires of the east and the Kushan empire of the west before becoming part of the local Kannauj empire in 15th century. The city was the scene of Maratha incursions before colonial rule was imposed over India. In 1765, the British established a garrison at Allahabad fort. It is also known as the Prime minister Capital of the India, the importance of the government to the city has led seven out of fourteen Prime Ministers of India. Prayag became a part of the Delhi sultanate when the town was annexed by Mohammad Ghori in A.D. 1193. Later, the Mughals took over from the slave rulers of Delhi and under them Prayag rose to prominence. Akbar built a magnificent fort (viz. Allahabad fort), on the banks of the holy sangam and rechristened the town as Illahabad in 1575. In 1765, the combined forces of the Nawab of Awadh and the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II lost the Battle of Buxar to the British. Although the British did not yet establish direct rule, they realised the strategic position of Allahabad as the gateway to the northwest and established a garrison at the fort. In 1801, the Nawab of Awadh ceded the city to the British East India Company. Gradually the other parts of Doaba and adjoining region in its west (including Delhi and Ajmer-Mewara regions) were won by the British. The north western areas were made into a new Presidency called the North Western Provinces of Agra, with their capital at 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 were relocated to Agra. In 1857, Allahabad was active in the Indian Mutiny. After the mutiny, the British truncated the Delhi region of the state, merging it with Punjab, and transferred the capital of North west Provinces to Allahabad, where it remained for 20 years. Later, in 1877 the two provinces of Agra (NWPA) and Awadh were merged to form a new state which was called the United Provinces. Allahabad served as the capital of United Provinces until 1920. Refer to caption Mahatma Gandhi attending a Congress Working Committee meeting at Anand Bhavan, Allahabad in January 1940. Right: Vallabhbhai Patel. Left: Vijaya Lakshmi Pandit. During the 1857 mutiny, Allahabad had a presence of European troops.Maulvi Liaquat Ali freedom fighter of 1857, unfurled the banner of revolt. After the Mutiny was quelled, the British established the High Court, the Police Headquarters and the Public Service Commission in the city. This transformed Allahabad into an administrative center. The fourth session of the Indian National Congress was held in the city in 1888. By the turn of the century, Allahabad was a nodal point for the revolutionaries. The Karmyogi office of Sundar Lal in Chowk sparked patriotism among youth. Nityanand Chatterji became a household name when he hurled the first bomb at the European club. It was at Alfred Park in Allahabad where, in 1931, the revolutionary Chandrashekhar Azad killed himself when surrounded by the British Police. The Nehru family homes Anand Bhavan and Swaraj Bhavan were at the center of the political activities of the Indian National Congress. In the years of the freedom struggle, Allahabad was home to thousands of satyagrahis, led, inter alii, by Purushottam Das Tandon, Bishambhar Nath Pande and Narayan Dutt Tiwari. The first seeds of the idea of Pakistan were sown in Allahabad. On 29 December 1930, Allama Muhammad Iqbals presidential address to the All-India Muslim League proposed a separate Muslim state for the Muslim majority regions of India. Geography[edit] Topography timeline Yamuna river in Allahabad during the rainy season. Allahabad is located in the southern part of the state, at 25°27′N 81°50′E / 25.45°N 81.84°E, and stands at the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers. The region was known in antiquity as the Vats (initially Kuru) country. To its south west is the Bundelkhand region, to its east and south east is the Baghelkhand region, to its north and north east is the Awadh region and to its west is the (lower) doab of which it itself is a part. The city is divided by the railway line running through it. South of the railway line is the Old Chowk area, while the British-built Civil lines is situated in north. Allahabad stands at a strategic point both geographically and culturally. A part of the Ganga-Yamuna Doab, it is the last point of the Yamuna river, and culturally, the last point of the Indian west. As with the rest of Doab, the soil and water are predominantly alluvial in origin. The Indian GMT longitude (25.15°N 82.58°E) also passes near Allahabad. According to a United Nations Development Programme report, its wind and cyclone zone is Low damage risk. Climate[edit] Climate timeline Allahabad climate graph Allahabad is subject to a humid subtropical climate common to cities in the plains of North India, that is designated Cwa under the Köppen climate classification. The annual mean temperature is 26.1 °C (79.0 °F); monthly mean temperatures are 18–29 °C (64–84 °F). Allahabad experiences three seasons: hot dry summer, cool dry winter and warm humid monsoon. Summer lasts from April to June with temperatures in the low 30s Celsius; during dry spells, maximum temperatures often exceed 40 °C (104 °F) in May and June.Monsoon begins in early July and lasts till September. Winter lasts from December to February. Temperatures rarely drop to freezing point. Maximum temperatures are around 22 °C (72 °F) and minimum around 9 °C (48 °F). Allahabad also suffers thick fog in January resulting in massive traffic and travel delays. It does not snow in Allahabad. The highest recorded temperature is 48 °C (118.4 °F), and the lowest is −2 °C (28 °F). Rains brought either by the Bay of Bengal branch of the south-west summer monsoon or by the Arabian Sea from the Arabian Sea branch lash Allahabad between June and September, supplying it with most of its annual rainfall of 1,027 mm (40 in). The highest monthly rainfall total, 296 mm (12 in), occurs in August. The month with the wettest weather is August when on balance 333 mm (13 in) of rain, sleet, hail or snow falls across 21 days; while driest weather is April when on balance 5 mm (0 in) of rain, sleet, hail or snow falls across one day. The city receives 2961 hours of sunshine per year, with maximum sunlight exposure occurring in May. Climate data for Allahabad Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 28.8 (83.8) 35.5 (95.9) 42.3 (108.1) 44.9 (112.8) 47.1 (116.8) 48.6 (119.5) 44.3 (111.7) 42.5 (108.5) 38.3 (100.9) 38.2 (100.8) 35.0 (95) 31.1 (88) 48.6 (119.5) Average high °C (°F) 23.6 (74.5) 27.2 (81) 33.6 (92.5) 39.4 (102.9) 42.3 (108.1) 40.1 (104.2) 34.1 (93.4) 32.7 (90.9) 33.2 (91.8) 33.1 (91.6) 29.7 (85.5) 24.8 (76.6) 32.8 (91) Average low °C (°F) 8.7 (47.7) 11.2 (52.2) 16.5 (61.7) 22.5 (72.5) 26.7 (80.1) 28.5 (83.3) 26.4 (79.5) 25.7 (78.3) 24.7 (76.5) 20.5 (68.9) 13.8 (56.8) 9.3 (48.7) 19.5 (67.1) Record low °C (°F) 1.8 (35.2) 1.0 (33.8) 7.1 (44.8) 14.4 (57.9) 18.8 (65.8) 20.8 (69.4) 18.6 (65.5) 22.1 (71.8) 19.4 (66.9) 12.7 (54.9) 5.9 (42.6) 2.2 (36) 1 (33.8) Precipitation mm (inches) 19.2 (0.756) 15.6 (0.614) 9.2 (0.362) 5.7 (0.224) 9.9 (0.39) 85.4 (3.362) 300.1 (11.815) 307.6 (12.11) 189.8 (7.472) 40.1 (1.579) 11.7 (0.461) 3.4 (0.134) 1,017.7 (40.067) Avg. rainy days 2.0 2.6 1.0 1.2 2.0 5.7 16.3 13.2 10.7 2.1 0.6 1.1 58.5 % humidity 69 57 39 29 33 50 77 81 78 67 61 68 59.1 Mean monthly sunshine hours 224.9 244.2 263.2 274.1 292.3 206.4 143.3 180.6 184.3 259.7 256.7 244.0 2,773.7 Source #1: Indian Meteorological Department, NOAA (1971–1990) Source #2: Hong Kong Observatory Biodiversity[edit] national bird Peacock plumage in Allahabad The Ganga-Jamuna Doab, of which Allahabad is a part, lies on the western part of the Great Indo-Gangetic Plain region. The Doab, including the Terai, is responsible for the citys unique flora and fauna. Since human arrival, almost half of the countrys vertebrates have become extinct. Others are endangered or have had their range severely reduced. The arrival of humans, with associated changes to habitat and the introduction of reptiles, snakes and other mammals, led to the extinction of bird species, including large birds like eagles.Allahabad Museum, one four national museums in India, has undertaken an exercise to document the existing flora and fauna in the Ganga and Yamuna river belt. The most common birds found in the state are doves, peacocks, junglefowl, black partridge, house sparrows, songbirds, blue jays, parakeets, quails, bulbuls, and comb ducks. Other animals in the state include reptiles such as lizards, cobras, kraits, and gharials. During winter, large numbers of Siberian birds are reported in sangam and nearby wetlands. Demographics[edit] Religions in Allahabad Religion Percent Hindus 73% Muslims 23% Jains 1.7% Others† 2.3% Distribution of religions †Includes Sikhs (0.2%), Buddhists (
Posted on: Wed, 30 Oct 2013 13:55:03 +0000
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