Prayagraj: Confluence, Colonial Allahabad and Kumbh Mela

The sacred confluence

Prayagraj is associated with the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna and, in Hindu tradition, the invisible Saraswati. The site has long-standing pilgrimage significance and is one of the principal locations in the Kumbh Mela cycle.

Allahabad and imperial history

The Mughal emperor Akbar established a major fort at the confluence and the city became widely known as Allahabad. Under British rule it grew as an administrative, educational and judicial centre. It also became closely associated with nationalist politics and the Nehru family.

Prayagraj and changing names

The official name was changed from Allahabad to Prayagraj in 2018. Both names carry historical meaning, and an archive should preserve the name appropriate to the time and source while making the modern identity clear to viewers.

Kumbh as a temporary metropolis

During Kumbh Mela, roads, camps, sanitation, policing, religious institutions, food services and vast flows of pilgrims transform the river plain into a temporary urban system. Photographs made there document not only ritual but infrastructure, labour, crowd movement and extraordinary forms of temporary community.