Allahābād

Allahābād, city in northern India, in Uttar Pradesh State, capital of the Allahābād District, at the confluence of the Yamuna and Ganges rivers. An important railroad junction, Allahābād is a trading center for agricultural products, notably rice, pulse, wheat, tobacco, cotton, and sugarcane. Known originally as Prayāg, it is one of the oldest and holiest cities in India, visited annually by thousands of Hindu pilgrims. The Mughal emperor Akbar gave the city the present name in 1575. Points of interest include a stone pillar dating from the reign of the Indian king Ashoka, a fort and the ruins of a palace, both built by Akbar, and the Jama Masjid (also known as the Great Mosque). The city is the site of the University of Allahābād, an institute for teachers, and several technical schools. Allahābād was formerly the capital of the United Provinces of Āgra and Oudh, now Uttar Pradesh State. The ashes of the assassinated Indian leader Mohandas K. Gandhi were consigned to the sacred Ganges at Allahābād in 1948. Population (2001) 1,049,579.