Allahabad (population of 1,042,229 as per the 2001) or City of God, also known as Prayag, is a city in Uttar Pradesh and administrative headquarters of Allahabad District. The ancient name of the city is Aggra (Sanskrit for "place of sacrifice") and is believed to be the spot where Brahma offered his first sacrifice after creating the world. It is one of four sites of the mass Hindi pilgrimage Kumbh Mela, the others being Haridwar, Ujjain and Nashik. It has a position of importance in Hindu scriptures for it is situated at the confluence, known as Triveni Sangam, of the holy rivers Ganges and Yamuna, and Hindu belief says that the invisible Sarasvati River also joins here.

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; ilah being Arabic for "(a) god" (in this context from Din-i-Ilahi, the religion founded by Akbar), and "-ābād" is Persian for " ;to construct or to create", which explains the meaning of the name Illahabad as "God's creation" or "City of God".

Climate:
Allahabad experiences three seasons: hot dry summer, cool dry winter and warm humid monsoon. The summer season lasts from April to June with the maximum temperatures ranging from 40 °C (104 °F) to 45 °C (113 °F). Monsoon begins in early July and lasts till September. The winter season lasts from December to February. Temperatures rarely drop to the freezing point. Maximum temperatures are around 22 °C (72 °F) and minimum around 10 °C (50 °F). Allahabad also witnesses severe fog in January resulting in massive traffic and travel delays. It does not snow in Allahabad.
Lowest temperature recorded, −2 °C (28.4 °F); highest 48 °C (118 °F).

Transport:
Air: Bamrauli Airport is 14 Km from Allahabad.
Rail: Allahabad is well connected by trains with all major cities, viz. Calcutta, Delhi, Jaipur, Lucknow and Mumbai. Some of the important trains providing access to Allahabad are:
Road: Allahabad, on National Highways 2 and 27, is connected to all parts of the country by good roads.

Last Updated on Sunday, 22 August 2010 22:20