Prayagraj Travel Guide: the Sangam, Allahabad Fort and Anand Bhawan

UP Tourism says the city is known in the scriptures as Prayag and Tirtharaj, the king of pilgrimage places. The sights fall into three groups: the river end of town, with the Sangam, the fort and the Daraganj temples; the Civil Lines quarter, with the museum, Anand Bhawan and the cathedral; and a few older sites further out.

Triveni Sangam

The Sangam is where the brown water of the Ganga meets the green water of the Yamuna, with the mythical Saraswati believed to flow unseen underground. The district puts it about 7 km from Civil Lines, overlooked by the eastern ramparts of Akbar's fort. Priests sit on small platforms in mid-river to perform puja and help pilgrims bathe in the shallow water, and boats to the Sangam can be rented by pilgrims and tourists alike at the ghat near the fort. The Kumbh is held here once in twelve years and the Magh Mela every January and February.

Allahabad Fort and the Akshaya Vat

Emperor Akbar built the fort in 1583 on the bank of the Yamuna, close to the confluence. The army uses it today, and the district says only a limited area is open to visitors, listing the Ashokan Pillar, the Saraswati Koop, a well said to be the source of the Saraswati, and Jodhabai's palace. The Patalpuri temple and the Akshaya Vat, an ancient banyan tree said to be eternal, lie inside the fort, and the district adds that permission has to be sought from Army officials to visit the tree. Confirm access before you plan a day around it.

Bade Hanuman Temple (Lete Hue Hanumanji)

On the bank of the Ganga in Daraganj, this temple holds a reclining Hanuman that the district describes as south-facing and about 20 feet long, known locally as Bade Hanuman. The district records the belief that the temple is at least 600 to 700 years old and a story that Hanuman lay down here, at Sita's request, on his way back from Lanka. Shrines to Shiva and Parvati, Ganesh, Durga and Kali stand in the compound, and the Ram-Janki and Harit Madhava temples are close by.

Anand Bhawan and Swaraj Bhawan

Anand Bhawan is a house museum of the Nehru family, built by Motilal Nehru in the 1930s. It became the family home when their earlier mansion, Swaraj Bhawan, was given to the Indian National Congress, which the district dates to the 1920s; Swaraj Bhawan then became a launch point for independence movements. The district says the Jawahar Planetarium is part of the Anand Bhawan complex. It gives no opening hours for either building, so check the day's timings before you set out.

Khusro Bagh

Khusro Bagh is a large walled garden in the Lukarganj area, holding Mughal tombs of the 17th century. One is the tomb of Prince Khusro, the eldest son of Emperor Jahangir, who the district says was held here after rebelling against his father. Another is an elaborate mausoleum built for his sister that stands empty. The district says its arches, domes and chhatris are worth the time, and the garden is open to wander after a morning at the Sangam.

Allahabad Museum and Chandra Shekhar Azad Park

The Allahabad Museum stands in Chandra Shekhar Azad Park, the former Alfred Park, in Civil Lines, about 3 km from the railway junction according to the district. The Ministry of Culture declared it a museum of national importance in 1986. Its sixteen galleries hold paintings, sculpture, coins, manuscripts, arms and armour, textiles and natural history, together with personal collections tied to Gandhi, Nehru and Allahabad's writers. The district describes the park as 133 acres, with a statue of the freedom fighter Chandra Shekhar Azad outside the museum.

All Saints Cathedral

Known as Patthar Girja, the Stone Church, All Saints Cathedral is an Anglican church in Civil Lines, designed in Gothic style by the architect Sir William Emerson in 1870. The district singles out its marble altar, stained glass, pulpit and pale sandstone arches. It adds that the church is open only on Sundays, from dawn to dusk, so a visit has to be planned around that day.

Bharadwaj Ashram

The district describes the ashram, in the Colonelganj area near Anand Bhawan, as the place where the sage Bharadwaj set up a Shiva linga, now among hundreds of images that include Ram and Lakshman, Surya and Mahishasuramardini. In the Ramayana tradition Ram visited the sage here to seek his blessing, though the district notes that the ashram's original site is a matter of research. A Shiva temple stands in the compound alongside statues of Bharadwaj, Yajnavalkya and other sages.

Alopi Devi Temple

This old temple stands in the Alopibagh locality, west of Daraganj. In the sanctum, devotees pay their respects at a round platform on which a coloured cloth covers a small cot. The district says it is counted as one of the Shaktipeeths and that a big fair is held during Navratri; a Shiva image and a Shiva linga are also enshrined there. It lies just west of Daraganj, so it combines easily with the Hanuman temple.

Shringverpur

Shringverpur lies about 45 km from Prayagraj on the Lucknow road. Local folklore says Ram, Sita and Lakshman crossed the Ganga here on their way into exile, and the district describes it as the capital of Nishadraj, the king of the fishermen, mentioned at length in the Ramayana. Excavations have uncovered a temple of the sage Shringi Rishi. The district calls it an otherwise sleepy village that is gaining prominence, and it suits travellers following the Ramayana trail beyond the city.

According to the legend the district gives, drops of nectar fell at four tirthas, Prayag, Haridwar, Nasik and Ujjain, and the Kumbh is held at each in turn. At the Sangam it comes once in twelve years, and the district calls the Maha Kumbh there the largest religious congregation in India, a month-long fair raised on a tented township, where the Naga sadhus are the first to bathe once the astrologers fix the auspicious hour. Between Kumbhs, the Magh Mela is held at the Sangam every year in January and February, UP Tourism says.

The bathing days follow the lunar calendar, so take the dates from the fair's official notices, not from a guide. Crowds, transport and rooms all need booking well ahead during a mela. Our pages on the Kumbh Mela and on Kumbh pilgrimage experiences explain what a visit involves.

• By air: the airport at Bamrauli is on the city's edge, 12 to 14 km out according to the district and UP Tourism, with regular flights to Delhi; the district says it serves a limited number of cities. Varanasi and Lucknow airports are the alternatives.
• By train: Prayagraj is the headquarters of the North Central Railway zone and the district counts eight stations within the city. The district lists four main ones: the junction, which it still calls Allahabad Junction, then Rambagh, Prayag and Naini. The train booking guide covers how visitors from abroad reserve seats.
• By road: Varanasi is roughly 120 km away, Ayodhya roughly 160 km, Lucknow roughly 190 km and Delhi more than 580 km. The district names three bus stands and local taxis, cabs, auto-rickshaws, e-rickshaws and city buses for getting around.