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ALLAHABAD

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Originally appearing in Volume V01, Page 687 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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ALLAHABAD , a See also:

city of See also:British See also:India, the See also:capital of the See also:United Provinces of See also:Agra and Oudh, giving its name to a See also:district and a See also:division. The city is situated at the confluence of the See also:Ganges and the See also:Jumna in 25°26' N. See also:lat. and 81°50' E. See also:long., 564 m. from See also:Calcutta by See also:rail. Its most conspicuous feature is the fort, which rises directly from the See also:banks of the confluent See also:rivers and completely commands the See also:navigation of both streams. Within the fort are the remains of a splendid See also:palace, erected by the See also:Emperor See also:Akbar, and once a favourite See also:residence of his. A See also:great portion of it has been destroyed, and its See also:hall is converted into an See also:arsenal. Outside the fort the places of most importance are the sarai and gardens of Khasru, the son of the Emperor Jehangir, and the Jama Masjid or Great See also:Mosque. When the See also:town first came into the hands of the See also:English this mosque was used as a residence by the military officer commanding the station, and afterwards as an See also:assembly See also:room. Ultimately it was returned to its former owners, but the Mahommedans considered it desecrated, and it has never since been used as a See also:place of See also:worship. Allahabad (Illahabad) was the name given to the city when Akbar built the great fort. To the See also:Hindus it is still known by its See also:ancient name of Prag or Prayag (" place of See also:sacrifice "), and it remains one of the most noted resorts of See also:Hindu See also:pilgrimage. It owes its sanctity to its being the reputed confluence of three sacred streams—the Ganges, the Jumna and the Saraswati. This last stream, however, actually loses itself in the sands of See also:Sirhind, 400 M. See also:north-See also:west of Allahabad.

The Hindus assert that the stream joins the other two rivers underground, and in a subterraneous See also:

temple below the fort a little moisture trickling from the rocky walls is pointed out as the See also:waters of the Saraswati. An See also:annual See also:fair is held at Allahabad at the confluence of the streams on the occasion of the great bathing festival at the full See also:moon of the Hindu See also:month of Magh. It is known as the Magh-See also:mela, lasts for a whole month, and is attended by as many as 250,000 persons in See also:ordinary years, either for religious or commercial purposes. Every twelfth See also:year there is a See also:special occasion called the Kumbh-mela, which is attended by a million of devotees at one See also:time. Allahabad was taken by the British in 1765 from the See also:wazir of Oudh, and assigned as a residence to Shah Alam, the titular emperor of See also:Delhi. Upon that See also:prince throwing himself into the hands of the See also:Mahrattas, the place was resumed by the British in 1771 and again transferred to the See also:nawab of Oudh, by whom it was finally ceded together with the district to the British in 1801, in See also:commutation of the See also:subsidy which the wazir had agreed to pay for British See also:protection. During the See also:Mutiny of 18J7, Allahabad became the See also:scene of one of the most serious outbreaks and massacres which occurred in the North-Western Provinces. The fort was held by a little See also:garrison of Europeans and loyal Sikhs, until it was relieved by See also:General See also:Neill on See also:June 11th of that year. The See also:modern buildings of Allahabad include See also:Government See also:House, the High See also:Court, the See also:Mayo memorial and town hall, the See also:Muir central See also:college, the See also:Thornhill and See also:Mayne memorial library and museum, the Naini central jail, and the See also:Anglican and See also:Roman See also:Catholic cathedrals. The Jumna is crossed by a railway See also:bridge and there are two See also:bridges of boats over the Ganges. The military cantonments contain See also:accommodation for all three arms and are the headquarters of a See also:brigade in the 8th division of the eastern See also:army See also:corps. At Allahabad is published the See also:Pioneer, perhaps the best known English See also:paper in India.

There is an See also:

American See also:mission college. Here is the junction of the great railway See also:system which unites See also:Bengal with Central India and Bombay, and is developing into a great centre of inland and export See also:trade. The See also:population in 1901 was 172,032. The DISTRICT OF ALLAHABAD has an See also:area of 2811 sq. m. In shape it is an irregular oblong, and it is very difficult to define its boundaries, as at one extremity it wanders into Oudh, while on the See also:south the villages of the See also:state of See also:Rewa and those of this district are hopelessly intermingled. The Jumna and the Ganges enclose within their See also:angle a fertile See also:tract well irrigated with tanks and See also:wells. The See also:East See also:Indian railway and the See also:Grand See also:Trunk roadafford the See also:principal means of See also:land communication. In 1901 the population was 1,489,358, showing a decrease of 4% in the See also:decade due to See also:famine. The division of Allahabad has an area of 17,270 sq. m. The population in 1901 was 5,540,702, showing a decrease of 4% in the decade due to the famine of 1896–1897, which was severely See also:felt throughout the division. It comprises the seven districts of See also:Cawnpore, See also:Fatehpur, See also:Banda, See also:Hamirpur, Allahabad, See also:Jhansi and See also:Jalaun.

End of Article: ALLAHABAD

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