Prayagraj was impressive

A village scene on the way! May soon become rare!

We wisely rested after our return from Sarnath, a long journey was ahead of us. Next morning, it was a smooth ride as the roads are good.  Our escort met us at Prayagraj, just after the long bridge across Ganga.  Triveni Sangam was close by. Our first stop! 

(Interestingly googling for Sangam gave me a link to the movie Sangam!) 

The view as we walked down the sandy shore towards the rivers was incredible. Our guide said that when the rivers are in spate water touched the walls of the Allahabad fort. After a short walk on the sands we were guided into a motor boat and were driven (!) slowly towards the Sangam. The ride was enjoyable with a constantly changing view. 

Looking at the calm Ganga and a frisky Jamuna river moving side by side as they gradually merged felt like nature was giving us a message!

Innovative senior friendly steps to get to the boats!

Ganga and Yamuna have just met😊

A row boat would have been fun!

A sangam of old and new?

The ever patient devotees waiting for their turn!

We returned to the shore and were soon on our way to the fort. I later learnt that the fort is a restricted area and it was indeed a special privilege! Parking  at a point, we walked towards a Banyan tree. Raghu offered pooja to the idols under the tree. The Pandit who officiated in the pooja walked with us as we circumambulated the ancient tree and pointed out a branch and said that Aurangzeb (or it could be Akbar) tried to destroy the tree and failed. Our guide also pointed out a path from which Jodha Bai, wife of Akbar, walked down to the river. 

Later we stopped at an unoccupied but well kept pavilion and also climbed a few steps to see the point from which President of India had viewed the recent Kumbh Mela.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triveni_Sangam

The Presidents'viewpointt

Our next stop was the Anand Bhavan, the home of Nehru and Indira Gandhi. Both the first Prime Minister and the powerful one!

Nehru family and MK Gandhi met in Allahabad. But the history of Prayagraj is not just that. 

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Trying to earn brownie points from Madam Vatasala! Read on the story I borrowed from the web, mostly wikipedia.

The Anand Bhavan is a historic house museum in Prayagraj, India, focusing on the Nehru Family.^[1] It was bought by Indian political leader Motilal Nehru in the 1930s to serve as the residence of the Nehru family when the original mansion Swaraj Bhavan (previously called Anand Bhavan) was transformed into the local headquarters of the Indian National Congress.^[2] Jawahar Planetarium is situated here, which has been striving to inculcate scientific temper among masses through its sky shows on astronomy and science.^[3]

The residence was donated to Indian government in 1970 by the then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi,^[4] the granddaughter of Motilal Nehru^[5] and daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru.^[6]

Allahabad is known as the City of Prime Ministers because seven out of 15 prime ministers of India since independence have connections to Allahabad (Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Gulzarilal Nanda, Vishwanath Pratap Singh and Chandra Shekhar).

The Legend of the 'Akshayavat' Tree 

The "Akshayavat", or "the indestructible tree" is a legendary tree in Hindu mythology. The story of the tree is that once a famous sage asked Lord Narayana to show him his power - as a display of that, the Lord flooded the entire world for a moment. During this, the Akshayavat was the only tree which was still over the water level. For this reason, it is considered to be indestructible. The legend grew even bigger with time, and is actually quite old - some people believe that Rama, Lakshan and Sita rested under this tree during the times of Ramayana.

Another popular local story is that Akbar tried to burn down the tree during the construction of the fort, but was unsuccessful - which is why the tree is conspicuously standing inside the fort. For a long time, people also used to commit suicide by jumping from this tree into the water, believing that they will attain salvation by doing this.

There are quite a few historical references to this tree as well - for example, a few Chinese pilgrims from the 7th century mention the stories of this tree. Unfortunately, there are also quite a few doubts as to where the original tree is - some say that the one on display is just a replica which is maintained by the pundits. This reclaiming of the city’s old Vedic name ‘prayag’ comes just in time for the Ardh Kumbh Mela, which will take place in January next year. The city was called ‘prayag’ during the Vedic period and is also mentioned in the Vedaa as the location where Brahma (the creator of the universe) attended a ritual sacrifice after creation. While the city has reclaimed its old name, Twitterati is left confused about it ....... 

Allahabad Fort, Allahabad Overview 

Allahabad Fort is a splendid work of architecture that was built during the reign of Akbar, the Mughal Emperor in 1583. The marvellous structure is located on the banks of the confluence of the Rivers Ganga and Yamuna and is well-known for being the largest fort ever built by Akbar. 

This famous attraction draws thousands of tourists from all over the world not only for its historical importance but also for its architectural magnificence. However, one should note that quite, unfortunately, access to Allahabad Fort is generally closed to the common public. Tourists are allowed inside only during the Kumbh Mela, which is held once every 12 years. Nevertheless, the glorious architecture and the massive build of the monument as it stands strong on the banks of the confluence of the two rivers is a sight to behold!

The Allahabad Fort holds a huge significance and is managed by the Archaeological Survey of India. The fort is also quite well known for its Akshayavat Tree (Banyan Tree) .. For those who wish to see the Akshayavat Tree, entry is allowed through a small gate to only the area that is occupied by the magnificent tree. Allahabad Fort is also home to the Patalpuri Temple, which is said to be home all the gates of hell. The best way to explore the Allahabad Fort from outside is on a boat ride in the river either during sunrise or sunset. 

It could also be the time to read about Emperor Akbar. 

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