Situated at the confluence of the Ganga, the Yamuna and the mystical Saraswati, Allahabad is a sacred town of great antiquity. Abundant natural resources, perennial rivers, good rainfall and salubrious climate made the mid Gangetic Valley a cradle of culture and civilization since pre-historic times. Emperor Ashoka caused his edicts to be enshrined here on stone columns. Jain, Buddhist and Dev temples flourished when the Chinese pilgrim Fa-Hsien travelled by. Another Chinese Buddhist scholar Hsieun-Tsang was awe-struck when he saw the great congregation of Mahakumbha at Sangam being presided over by Emperor Harsh. Successive dynasties of Northern India contributed to its growth. During the Sultanate period, this region made its own contribution to Bhakti and Sufi movements. Akbar, recognizing its strategic and administrative importance, built a massive fort here. He named the town 'llahabad'. The British anglicized it as Allahabad. They introduced western legal-administrative-educational system, industries and railways. During the First half of the 20th century, Allahabad acquired pre-eminence on account of its contribution to education, jurisprudence and political activities.
Despite occasional unhappy interludes in history, such as incursions made by the Huns, medieval vandalism and British brutality after 1857, Allahabad has maintained an unbroken record of glorious intellectual and spiritual tradition.
b Allahabad, along with Varanasi, both situated on the river Ganga are an integral part of India's cultural and religious traditions, Prayag, which was Allahabad's Vedic name, is among the most sacred destinations of Hindu pilgrimage. Both Fa-Hsien and Hsieun Tsang had visited Allahabad during their travels across India. Hsieun Tsang had visited the Kumbha-Mela in Allahabad held in the 7th century A.D. and was a witness to Emperor Harsha participating in the Kumbh
This book briefly narrates the history of Allahabad and the regions around. The book is primarily meant to bring forth the beauty of the sculptures and the artefacts collected over the years and positioned in the Allahabad Museum.
The Allahabad Museum itself owes its origin to Jawaharlal Nehru, who was then the Chairman of the Allahabad Municipal Board in 1923-24. Jawaharlal Nehru, the family of Nehrus and their beautiful mansions Swaraj Bhavan and Anand Bhavan, were the centre of India's independence movement. Some of Jawaharlal Nehru's collections are also retained in the Museum. The Museum also has some rare and beautiful paintings of the legendary Russian artist Nicholas Roerich.
The Allahabad Museum is not as big as the National Museum at Kolkata or even that of Delhi, but the ancient heritage and history have bestowed a special halo on the Allahabad Museum. I thank the officers of Raj Bhavan, Lucknow. Dr. Rai Umapat Ray and staff of the Allahabad Museum who have contributed to this publication.
Vedas (1209)
Upanishads (504)
Puranas (631)
Ramayana (751)
Mahabharata (365)
Dharmasastras (166)
Goddess (511)
Bhakti (249)
Saints (1529)
Gods (1300)
Shiva (386)
Journal (181)
Fiction (61)
Vedanta (371)
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Visual Search
Manage Wishlist