Allahabad Fort
Encyclopedia
Allahabad
Allahabad , or Settled by God in Persian, is a major city of India and is one of the main holy cities of Hinduism. It was renamed by the Mughals from the ancient name of Prayaga , and is by some accounts the second-oldest city in India. It is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh,...
, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
was built by Emperor Akbar in 1583. The fort stands on the banks of the Yamuna
Yamuna
The Yamuna is the largest tributary river of the Ganges in northern India...
near the site of confluence
Confluence
Confluence, in geography, describes the meeting of two or more bodies of water.Confluence may also refer to:* Confluence , a property of term rewriting systems...
with the river Ganges. It is the largest fort built by Akbar. In its prime, the fort was unrivaled for its design, construction and craftsmanship. This huge fort has three galleries flanked by high towers.
Zenana
Zenana , refers to the part of a house belonging to a Muslim family in the Middle East and South Asia reserved for the women of the household. The Zenana are the inner apartments of a house in which the women of the family live...
, Palace of Mariam-uz-Zamani and the 3rd century BC
3 BC
Year 3 BC was a common year starting on Wednesday or Thursday of the Julian calendar and a common year starting on Tuesday of the Proleptic Julian calendar...
Ashoka pillar
Pillars of Ashoka
The pillars of Ashoka are a series of columns dispersed throughout the northern Indian subcontinent, erected or at least inscribed by the Mauryan king Ashoka during his reign in the 3rd century BCE. Originally, there must have been many pillars but only nineteen survive with inscriptions. Many are...
and Saraswati Koop as well, said to be the source of the Saraswati river
Saraswati River
Saraswati River can refer to:*Sarasvati River*Saraswati River , a distributary of the Hooghly River which was active till around the 16th century AD*Ghaggar-Hakra River...
. The Patalpuri temple is also here.
Allahabad Fort is the location of the much revered Akshayavat
Akshayavat
Akshayavat or Akshay Vat is a sacred fig tree mentioned in the Hindu mythology.According to a legend, once the sage Markandeya asked Lord Narayana to show him a specimen of the divine power...
or "immortal tree." Legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
s say that if anyone jumps from this centuries-old banyan
Banyan
A banyan is a fig that starts its life as an epiphyte when its seeds germinate in the cracks and crevices on a host tree...
tree he will attain immortality
Immortality
Immortality is the ability to live forever. It is unknown whether human physical immortality is an achievable condition. Biological forms have inherent limitations which may or may not be able to be overcome through medical interventions or engineering...
. Civilians are not allowed to see this tree. It is near the southern wall and is one among the many trees seen from outside the southern wall of the fort.
In the fort one railway track comes from Allahabad Railway Station. This railway track was made by the East India Company to use during the war.