Prayag / Illahabad / Allahabad

As I was stepping on the platform of Allahabad City railway station, I was sooooo excited about seeing the Ganges that I almost missed my footing. The warning about minding the gap between the train and the platform was on, which probably saved other careless passengers like me.

After a good bath, my friend and I walked to the banks of the Ganges for the boat ride to Triveni

Boat Jetty for Triveni Sangam

Sangam. Now our boatman or 'kevat' as he liked to be referred to was quite the treasure-trove of tales of yore which he had absolutely no problem in sharing with us.
He started with telling us the story of Lord Rama and the kevat. Lord Rama revered in Hinduism as the seventh avatar of God Vishnu was sent to exile for fourteen years. It was at this time that he arrived at the banks of the Ganga with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana. He wished to cross the Ganges for which he enlisted the help of a kevat. After the kevat ferried them across, he refused to accept payment for his services from Lord Rama. The kevat is said to have told Lord Rama that it would be unethical for him to accept payment from a fellow-kevat. Lord Rama asked him to explain this to which the kevat said that while he ferried people in this world, Lord Rama ferried people from this world to the next. The kevat just requested that Lord Rama ferry him across to the other world when his time in this world had ended. Lord Rama was impressed with the kevat' devotion and blessed him. Lord Rama then spent quite a lot of time in the ashram of Rishi Bharadwaj who was one of 'saptarshis' (Seven Great Sages of the Hindu religion) situated there.

Enroute to Triveni Sangam

Our kevat always referred to the city as Prayag. Prayag is the original name of this city; the word "prayaga" means junction and indeed we were proceeding to Triveni Sangam where the rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the invisible Saraswathi. Our kevat had a tale to explain the 'invisible' Saraswathi. I had my hair in a braid ('veni' in Hindi) and so did many of the other women on the boat. He said that at the onset of creating the braid the women make 3 parts of the hair but once the braid is completed, there are only 2 distinct parts with the third part blending quite beautifully into the other 2 parts. Similarly, Saraswathi is invisible but its presence can be felt by the believers. Some of the other people on the boat said that the power of Saraswathi may be felt once you step into the water. As we neared Triveni Sangam, we could see the graceful rivers retaining their own color even at the point of merging - the shallow yet forceful Ganga had muddy color whereas the calm and deep Yamuna retained its greenish color. The boat docked and most people got into the water to take a dip. This dip is sacred to the Hindus as it is believed to grant absolution of sins and 'moksha' / salvation from the
cycle of rebirth.
I sat and listened to the kevat's other tales about Prayag while the others went to do some rituals after the dip in the Ganga.
He pointed to one of the banks where the Kumbh Mela is held. Not only Hindus, but people of other faiths come here to experience the Kumbh Mela. That is something to plan for.
Prayag has been referenced in the Vedas (one of the oldest Hindu religious texts) and is believed to be the place where Lord Brahma did the rituals after creating 'Manu' (mankind).
Our kevat then pointed to a gigantic fort in the distance. He recounted as to how Emperor Akbar conquered Prayag and built the Allahabad fort at the banks of the Triveni Sangam. He rechristened the city to Illahabad (where Allah resides). His Hindu bride spent quite a lot of time in this fort and the Patalpuri temple which is housed inside the fort.

Allahabad Fort

He then pointed to a tree inside the Allahabad fort (there were so many trees so I really could not figure out which specific one he was referring to until we came close while returning from the Sangam). Now, this tree is believed to be indestructible ("Akshayavat") and thus sacred to the Hindus. It is referred to ancient Hindu texts as the tree where Lord Rama rested with Sita and Lakshmana. The kevat said that the tree is Kalpavriksha ("wish-fulfilling tree") which has special significance in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism too.
After the Marathas conquered Prayag, they built beautiful temples and subsequently when the British took over the then city of Illahabad, they anglicized the name to "Allahabad". They established the High Court, the Police Headquarters thus transforming it into an administrative center. To see these, you have to go over to Civil Lines. We went first to Allahabad Jn. railway station by a moped-converted-rickshaw and decided to follow Google Maps and walk down. Big mistake as we realized later because the locals will show you some shortcuts that could cut that walk time into half. We first

All Saints Cathedral, Allahabad

Tombs at Khusrau Bagh

saw the All Saints Cathedral built by the British and then Chandrasekar Azad Maidan where he shot himself while being surrounded by the British. We were advised to see Khusrau Bagh; believe me it was very good advice. The park has such a lot of trees and amidst all that stands the tombs of his mother Shah Begum, sister Nithar Begum and his own. Khusrau was the son of Prince Salim aka Jahangir and the grandson of Emperor Akbar. The mausoleums are majestic and their architecture and designs are simply out of this world.
I rode the cycle rickshaw around Allahabad; just for the experience inhuman though it may have been. You can also negotiate a fair price for those moped-converted-to-rickshaws and those may be used to travel around other notable sites of Allahabad - Allahabad University, New Yamuna Bridge, Amitabh Bachchan' childhood home. Tip: You should get into rickshaws only if your group has 8 or more people; otherwise simply skip it even if they literally try to sweep you off your feet into the rickshaw. Safety first please!

Cycle Rickshaw Ride