A city of many dimensions is what befits a description of Allahabad. In addition to being a major pilgrimage centre, the city has played an important part in the formation of modern India. Hindu mythology states that Lord Brahma, the creator god, chose a land for 'Prakrishta Yajna'. This land, at the confluence of three holy rivers - Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati, blessed by gods, came to be known as 'Prayag' or 'Allahabad'.
Foreseeing the sanctity of the place, Lord Brahma also called it as 'Tirth Raj' or 'King of all pilgrimage centres.' The Scriptures - Vedas and the great epics - Ramayana and Mahabharata, refer to this place as Prayag.
Centuries followed. Allahabad became the headquarters of North Western Provinces, after being shifted from Agra. Well preserved relics of the British impact includes the Muir College and the All Saints Cathedral.
Many important events in India's struggle for freedom, took place here - the emergence of the first Indian National Congress in 1885, the beginning of Mahatma Gandhi's non-violence movement in 1920.
The original native name of this city is Prayaga, representing the sacred union of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati. The name is still used by Indians to refer to the city.
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 Kannauj empire.
Allahabad became a part of the Mughal Empire after the Mughal invasion of India in 1526. The Mughal emperor Akbar built a magnificent fort in Allahabad. The city was the scene of Maratha incursions before colonial rule was imposed over India.
In 1765, the British established a garrison at Fort Allahabad. In 1857, Allahabad was active in the Indian Mutiny
The annual convention of the Indian National Congress was held on the extensive grounds of Darbhanga Castle, Allahabad in 1888 and 1892.
n 1931, at Alfred Park in Allahabad, the revolutionary Chandrashekhar Azad killed himself when surrounded by the British Police. In the years of the struggle for Indian independence, the Nehru family homes of Anand Bhavan and Swaraj Bhavan, both in Allahabad, were at the center of the political activities of the Indian National Congress. Thousands of satyagrahis (nonviolent resistors) went to jail. The first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, was from Allahabad.