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The city of Allahabad
or 'Prayag' as it used to be called in the ancient times, is a city
blessed by Lord Brahma, the creator who is believed to have performed
a sacrifice here.
The city of Allahabad
is 135km west of Varanasi at the confluence of two of India's holiest
rivers - the Ganges and the Yamuna. The mythical Saraswati River(said
to be underground - there is even some scientific research being
carried out on that front), the River of Enlightenment, is also
believed to join them here. The confluence, known as the 'sangam',
is considered to have great soul-cleansing and sin-wiping powers
thus making it a popular pilgrimage centre.
The city is most
known for the 'Koombh' mela held once in twelve years and it is
a belief that every Hindu must take a dip in the Holy Ganga river
once in his lifetime in this mela. This holy city is also a land
of the Triveni Sangam where the three holy rivers Ganga, Yamuna
and Saraswati meet.
Allahabad is among
one of the largest cities in Uttar Pradesh. And according to Hindu
mythology, Lord Brahma, the creator God of the Trinity, chose a
land on earth, to perform the Prakrishta Yaina, the land on which
the three rivers would flow in confluence. Brahma also referred
to it as `Tirth Raj or the `king of all pilgrimage centres.
Recorded evidence
also exists in the revered scriptures the Vedas and the grand
epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, as also in the Puranas
of this holy place formerly called Prayag. Thousands of pilgrims
bathe here every January-February and once every 12 years the Kumbh
Mela, the world's largest gathering of pilgrims, drawing millions
to the confluence for a holy dip.
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