Allahabad, city in northern India, in Uttar Pradesh State, capital of the Allahabad District, at the confluence of the Yamuna and Ganges rivers. An important railroad junction, Allahabad is a trading center for agricultural products, notably rice, pulse, wheat, tobacco, cotton, and sugarcane. Known originally as Prayag, it is one of the oldest and holiest cities in India, visited annually by thousands of Hindu pilgrims. The Mughal emperor Akbar gave the city the present name in 1575. Points of interest include a stone pillar dating from the reign of the Indian king Ashoka, a fort and the ruins of a palace, both built by Akbar, and the Jama Masjid (also known as the Great Mosque). The city is the site of the University of Allahabad, an institute for teachers, and several technical schools. Allahabad was formerly the capital of the United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, now Uttar Pradesh State. The ashes of the assassinated Indian leader Mohandas K. Gandhi were consigned to the sacred Ganges at Allahabad in 1948. Population (1991) 792,858.
