Prayagraj

"Allahabad" redirects here. For other uses, see Prayagraj (disambiguation) and Allahabad (disambiguation).

Prayagraj
Allahabad
Metropolis
Clockwise from top left: All Saints Cathedral, Khusro Bagh, the Allahabad High Court, the New Yamuna Bridge near Sangam, the skyline of Civil Lines, the University of Allahabad, Thornhill Mayne Memorial at Chandrashekhar Azad Park and Anand Bhavan
Clockwise from top left: All Saints Cathedral, Khusro Bagh, the Allahabad High Court, the New Yamuna Bridge near Sangam, the skyline of Civil Lines, the University of Allahabad, Thornhill Mayne Memorial at Chandrashekhar Azad Park and Anand Bhavan
Etymology: King of the Prayagas
Nicknames: 
The Sangam City[1] and City of Prime Ministers[2]
Prayagraj is located in Uttar Pradesh
Prayagraj
Prayagraj
Location of Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh
Prayagraj is located in India
Prayagraj
Prayagraj
Prayagraj (India)
Coordinates: 25°26′09″N 81°50′47″E / 25.43583°N 81.84639°E / 25.43583; 81.84639
Country India
State Uttar Pradesh
DivisionPrayagraj
DistrictPrayagraj
Earliest mentionc. 1200–1000 BCE[3]
Established as Ilahabas1584
Established as a city1801
Named forPanch Prayag
Government
 • TypeMunicipal Corporation
 • BodyPrayagraj Municipal Corporation
 • MayorGanesh Kesarwani (BJP)
 • Lok Sabha MPUjjwal Raman Singh (INC)
Area
[4]
 • Total365 km2 (140.9 sq mi)
 • Rank10
Elevation
98 m (321.52 ft)
Population
 (2020-2011 hybrid)[4]
 • Total1,536,218
 • Rank7th in Uttar Pradesh
36th in India
 • Density4,200/km2 (11,000/sq mi)
 • Metro rank
40th
DemonymsAllahabadi
Ilahabadi[5]
Language
 • OfficialHindi[6]
 • Additional officialUrdu[6]
 • RegionalAwadhi[7]
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
211001–211018
Telephone code+91-532
Vehicle registrationUP-70
Sex ratio852 ♀/1000♂
Websiteprayagraj.nic.in

Prayagraj (/ˈpreɪəˌɡrɑːdʒ, ˈpraɪə-/; ISO: Prayāgarāja), formerly Allahabad is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.[8][9] It is the administrative headquarters of the Prayagraj district, the most populous district in the state and 13th most populous district in India and the Prayagraj division. The city is the judicial capital of Uttar Pradesh with the Allahabad High Court being the highest judicial body in the state. As of 2011, Prayagraj is the seventh most populous city in the state, thirteenth in Northern India and thirty-sixth in India, with an estimated population of 1.53 million in the city.[10][11] In 2011, it was ranked the world's 40th fastest-growing city.[12][13] The city, in 2016, was also ranked the third most liveable urban agglomeration in the state (after Noida and Lucknow) and sixteenth in the country.[14] Hindi is the most widely spoken language in the city.

Prayagraj lies close to Triveni Sangam, the "three-river confluence" of the Ganges, Yamuna, and the mythical Sarasvati.[1] It plays a central role in Hindu scriptures. The city finds its earliest reference as one of the world's oldest known cities in Hindu texts and has been venerated as the holy city of Prayāga in the ancient Vedas. Prayagraj was also known as Kosambi in the late Vedic period, named by the Kuru rulers of Hastinapur, who developed it as their capital. Kosambi was one of the greatest cities in India from the late Vedic period until the end of the Maurya Empire, with occupation continuing until the Gupta Empire. Since then, the city has been a political, cultural and administrative centre of the Doab region.

Akbarnama mentions that the Mughal emperor Akbar founded a great city in Allahabad. Abd al-Qadir Badayuni and Nizamuddin Ahmad mention that Akbar laid the foundations of an imperial city there which was called Ilahabas or Ilahabad.[15][16] In the early 17th century, Allahabad was a provincial capital in the Mughal Empire under the reign of Jahangir.[17] In 1833, it became the seat of the Ceded and Conquered Provinces region before its capital was moved to Agra in 1835.[18] Allahabad became the capital of the North-Western Provinces in 1858 and was the capital of India for a day.[19] The city was the capital of the United Provinces from 1902[19] to 1920[20] and remained at the forefront of national importance during the struggle for Indian independence.[21]

Prayagraj is one of the international tourism destinations, securing the second position in terms of tourist arrivals in the state after Varanasi.[22] Located in southern Uttar Pradesh, the city covers 365 km2 (141 sq mi).[4] Although the city and its surrounding area are governed by several municipalities, a large portion of Prayagraj district is governed by the Prayagraj Municipal Corporation. The city is home to colleges, research institutions and many central and state government offices, including High court of Uttar Pradesh. Prayagraj has hosted cultural and sporting events, including the Prayag Kumbh Mela and the Indira Marathon. Although the city's economy was built on tourism, most of its income now derives from real estate and financial services.[23]

  1. ^ a b Mani, Rajiv (21 May 2014). "Sangam city, Allahabad". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  2. ^ "City of Prime Ministers". Government of Uttar Pradesh. Archived from the original on 13 August 2014. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
  3. ^ Krishnaswamy & Ghosh 1935, pp. 698–699, 702–703.
  4. ^ a b c "Prayagraj City". allahabadmc.gov.in. Archived from the original on 2 August 2020. Retrieved 21 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Poets' 'Allahabadi' Surnames Changed To 'Prayagraj' After UP Website Hack". NDTV.com. 29 December 2021.
  6. ^ a b "52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India" (PDF). nclm.nic.in. Ministry of Minority Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  7. ^ "Awadhi". Ethnologue. Archived from the original on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  8. ^ "Metropolitan Cities of India" (PDF). cpcb.nic.in. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  9. ^ "Six cities to get metropolitan status". The Times of India. 20 October 2006. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
    The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares).
  10. ^ "Allahabad City Population Census 2011 | Uttar Pradesh". Census2011.co.in. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  11. ^ "Allahabad Metropolitan Urban Region Population 2011 Census". Census2011.co.in. Archived from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  12. ^ "The world's fastest growing cities and urban areas from 2006 to 2020". City Mayors Statistics. Archived from the original on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 11 February 2014.
  13. ^ "10 Twin Towns and Sister Cities of Indian States". walkthroughindia.com. 26 September 2013. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2014.
  14. ^ "Liveability Index". Institute for Competitiveness, India. Archived from the original on 12 September 2015. Retrieved 1 August 2015.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference Ujagir was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference Kumbh67 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Pletcher, Kenneth (15 August 2010). The Geography of India: Sacred and Historic Places. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 128. ISBN 978-1-61530-142-3. Archived from the original on 15 November 2018. Retrieved 21 March 2014.
  18. ^ H.S. Bhatia (2008). Military History of British India: 1607–1947. Deep and Deep Publications'. p. 97. ISBN 978-81-8450-079-0. Archived from the original on 15 November 2018.
  19. ^ a b Ashutosh Joshi (2008). Town Planning Regeneration of Cities. New India Publishing. p. 237. ISBN 978-81-89422-82-0. Archived from the original on 15 November 2018.
  20. ^ Kerry Ward (2009). Networks of Empire: Forced Migration in the Dutch East India Company. Cambridge University Press. p. 340. ISBN 978-0-521-88586-7. Archived from the original on 23 May 2013.
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference Desai1986 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ "With over 32 cr tourist arrivals in 9 months, UP turns top tourist destination". The Statesman. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  23. ^ Mani, Rajiv (10 February 2011). "City generates 5,34,760 kg domestic waste daily". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 18 December 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2015.