Where the sacred rivers meet — Kumbh Mela and the Triveni Sangam
Prayagraj (formerly Allahabad) sits at the Triveni Sangam — the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the mythical underground Saraswati river — making it Hinduism's most sacred geographical point. Every twelve years this city hosts the Kumbh Mela, the largest peaceful gathering of human beings on Earth (the 2019 Kumbh Mela drew an estimated 240 million visitors over 49 days). Between Kumbh Melas the city is a major administrative, academic, and legal centre — home to one of India's oldest universities (Allahabad University, 1887), the Allahabad High Court, and the birthplace of Jawaharla…
Prayagraj has been a sacred site since the Vedic period — the Rigveda mentions the confluence as a pilgrimage destination. Emperor Akbar built a massive fort here in 1583 at the confluence itself, and the city served as a key British administrative centre throughout the colonial period as 'Allahabad.' The Nehru family — Motilal Nehru, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Indira Gandhi — all lived at Anand Bhawan in Allahabad, making it the birthplace of India's independence movement leadership. The city was renamed Prayagraj in 2018. The Kumbh Mela, held every six years (Ardh Kumbh) and every twelve years (…