Allahabad

Allahabad, also known as Prayagraj, is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of Allahabad District and the most populous city in the state with a population of 1,197,819 in 2011. The city is the judicial capital of Uttar Pradesh and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. The city is situated at the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna, and Sarasvati rivers. The Kumbh Mela, a religious festival that occurs every 12 years, is hosted by Allahabad at the Triveni Sangam. Allahabad is also the site of the Allahabad High Court. Allahabad is the anglicized version of the local name Prayag. It is believed that the city was originally called Prayaga, meaning "place of sacrifice" in Sanskrit. Prayaga is mentioned in the Hindu epic Mahabharata as the southernmost point where the Ganges descends from the Himalayas and is joined by the Yamuna and Sarasvati rivers. The city was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Kashi. The kingdom was divided into two parts, the eastern and the western, by the river Sarasvati. The western part was known as Kashi and the eastern part as Prayaga. Prayaga was an important center of Hindu culture and learning during the Vedic period. The Vedic hymns mention it as the "place of the cosmic sacrifice". The city was the seat of the Prayaga Mahavira, an important Jain monk. The city was visited by the Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang in the 7th century. He described it as a great city with many temples and monasteries. The city was the capital of the Muslim kingdom of Allahabad during the Mughal period. The city was visited by the M