A Visit to A Place of Historic Importance
I am a student of history. Our History teacher often takes the class to places of historic interest. This year he took our class to Allahabad. I had never seen the city before. I had heard much about it. People call it the brain center of Uttar Pradesh. We reached Allahabad early in the morning. The other name of Allahabad is Prayag. It is looked upon as the holiest—of holy places. The Hindus call it ‘Tirth Raj’, the King of the holy places. It stands on the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna. It was at Sangam here that the ashes of Mahatma Gandhi were immersed in the holy water of the Ganga. It was here that Allauddin stabbed his uncle Jalaluddin. It was here that Akbar built the strong fort. This was the town that the Nawab of Oudh gave to the English as price of the help given to him in defeating Hafiz Rahmat Khan. It was here that Prince Salim stayed for sometime and received the severed head of Abul Fazal. Every inch of Allahabad tells something of historic interest.
Today it is a modernised city. There is a good University also. There is a High Court as well. Eminent lawyers and professors live here. Our teacher showed us the fort. I saw the famous banyan tree, known as Akshai-Bat, a never dying tree. We left the city by the evening train. Really Allahabad is worth-seeing. The sight of Khusru Bagh brought before my mind the picture of the prince after whom it is named.
After every twelve years the Kumbh fair is held here Pilgrims from all over India come to have dip in the holy water of the Ganga at that time. So this city has a religious importance also. Above all this is the home city of our dear Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi. It was here that Pt. Nehru was born in the famous Anand Bhawan. Every Indian must visit this city.
