Prayagraj is a city in Uttar Pradesh and falls in the administrative headquarters of the Prayagraj district. It is also known as 'Prayag', which means the place of offerings. It is the seventh most populous city of Uttar Pradesh and was ranked 130th fastest-growing city in the world in 2011. The metropolitan region of the city covers an area of 63.07 sq km and the population of the city as per Census 2011 is more than one million. The Prayagraj district is located at 25° 26' N / 81° 50' E at an elevation of 98 m.
Prayagraj is considered as a sacred place because the sacred rivers; namely, Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati unite here. Being one of the oldest cities in the country, it houses many historical Hindu temples. 'Maha Kumbh Mela' is the biggest religious event organised in Prayagraj after every 12 years in which Hindus gather to bathe in a sacred river as it is believed that when Lord Vishnu, embodied as Mohini, was flying away with Amrita (the nectar of immortality), he spilled four drops of it at four places: Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik and Ujjain. Thus, this mass Hindu pilgrimage of faith started. It is reckoned as the largest peaceful gathering in the world. The event is the main attraction of the city and draws numerous pilgrims and tourists. Apart from that, Prayagraj Fort, Thornhill Mayne Memorial, Khusro Bagh and Jawahar Planetarium are some of the tourist attractions in the city.
Prayagraj is also called the 'City of Prime Ministers' as many Indian prime ministers belong to the city. They were either born there or had studied at Allahabad University or were elected from the Prayagraj constituency. Some of those prime ministers were Jawaharlal Nehru, Gulzarilal Nanda, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Chandra Shekhar.
Agriculture is the main industry of the city and crops like pigeon peas (arhar), pearl millet (bajra), green gram (moong) and black gram (urd) have a great amount of share in the industry. More than 10,000 unregistered small scale industries are present in the city that contribute to its economy. The city also houses many educational institutions.
How to Reach?
Allahabad Airport or Bamrauli Airport connects Prayagraj to other major cities in the country. Other nearest airports are in Varanasi, Kanpur and Lucknow. It is well-connected through railways to other parts of India. The city has many railway stations such as Chheoki, Naini, Allahabad City, Allahabad Junction, Bamrauli, Subedarganj and others. The Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation plies regular buses connecting Prayagraj to the other cities of Uttar Pradesh.
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Last Updated on : February 14, 2019