The Prayagraj Heritage Walk

This park was earlier known as Alfred Park. In 1870, Prince Alfred of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha visited Prayagraj. A park, 133 acres in area and situated in the heart of the city's English quarters, Civil Lines, was built to commemorate the event.

In 1931, Chandra Shekhar Azad, a revolutionary freedom fighter was engaged in a fierce gun fight with the British in th this park. Aged 24, Azad died here on 27 February 1931.

The Allahabad Museum was established in 1863, and is one of the first public museums in India. The museum has eighteen galleries that illustrate the development of Indian history. It houses sculptures, the pistol of Chandra Shekhar Azad, a collection of more than six thousand terracotta objects belonging to Kaushambi, Jhusi, stone carvings from Khajuraho, a Gupta period tasseled head of Shiva and the largest collection of prehistoric rock art.

The Museum has on the display the original pocket watch of Mahatma Gandhi and brass caskets in which the Mahatma's ashes were taken to Sangam.

The Prayagraj Public Library was founded by the Government of North-Western Frontier Provinces. The present institution, the Rajkiya Public library is housed in the Thornhill-Mayne Memorial building. It was erected in the memory of C.B. Thornhill and F.O. Mayne, as a testament of their enduring friendship and ascription to the values of scholarship.

The Library provides a wide range of books, magazines, newspapers and gazettes in 8 languages.

Allahabad University was established on the 23 of September, 1887. It is the fourth oldest university in India, after those at Calcutta, Mumbai and Chennai. The central college, which later developed into the university, was conceived by Sir William Muir, then Lt. Governor of the United Provinces.

The Department of Mathematics, established in 1872 is one of the most prominent centres of learning in India. The Department is housed in a double-storied Gothic building with a domed roof and is lined with arches. The Department reflects the University's claims of being the “Oxford of the East.”

The Department of Botany, established in 1923, is housed in a colonial era building, showing classical syncretism with Indo-Islamic styles of architecture, a form that is typical for Prayagraj.

University road in Katra, near Colonel Ganj is an artery between the Arts and Science Faculties of Prayagraj University.

The Senate building houses the offices of the University administration, including that of the Vice-Chancellor. This lofty structure was constructed by Sir Swinton Jacobs in 1910-1915. The building boasts of an imposing clocktower.

The Department of Ancient History, Culture and Archaeology is unique in its contribution to the study of Indian prehistory, religion, philosophy, archaeology and anthropology. It has, under the aegis of its, founder, Professor G.R. Sharma undertaken extensive excavation projects, each of great archaeological significance.

The Central Library had its genesis in the library of the Muir Central College, affiliated to the University, and established in 1872. The present structure was built in 1973. In front of the Library stands a statue of Suryakant Tripathi Nirala, one of Hindi literature's most famous figures. Some of his important works include Parimal and Anaamika.

The Belvedere Printing Works was established by Babu Baleshwar Prasad in 1876. Rudyard Kipling worked as an Assistant editor of The Pioneer and lived in Belvedere House from 1888-89.

Prayagraj is home to some richly ornate and historically significant churches. The Holy Trinity Church was built in 1839 by Lieutenant Sharp and is the oldest church in Prayagraj.

The Bal Bhawan operates from the Swaraj Bhawan complex. It was established by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, who felt that the Bal Bhavan is a movement that can harness the capabilities of the nation's students.

Swaraj Bhawan, in the Anand Bhawan complex, was a palatial mansion owned by the prominent politician Motilal Nehru. In the 1920s, Motilal Nehru donated the house to the Indian National Congress, and it served as the launch pad of several key movements that defined the history of the Independence movement.

The Anand Bhavan is a museum, which belongs to the Nehru family. It was constructed by Motilal Nehru in the 1930's to serve as the residence of the Nehru family, when the original mansion Swaraj Bhavan was transformed into the local headquarters of the Indian National Congress.

Seven out of fifteen prime ministers of India since independence, are associated with Prayagraj. These include Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Gulzarilal Nanda, Vishwanath Pratap Singh and Chandra Shekhar.

Civil Lines was earlier called Cannington or also Canning Town. It is the central business district of the city and is famous for its urban setting, planned roads and high rise buildings. It was built in 1857, under the supervision of C.B. Thornhill. Civil Lines Must visit the Indian Coffee House; sip a cup of steaming hot coffee in the company of lawyers from the Allahabad High Court, deliberating and discussing the day's proceedings! See the Pathar Girijaghar or All Saint's Cathedral; built by William Emerson in a revived Gothic style.

Prayagraj has a literary and artistic heritage; which has attracted visitors from East Asia, including the Chinese travelers Hiuen Tsang and Fa Hien, who found it to be a flourishing and extravagant place. Hindi literature witnessed a transformation here, with the works of noted authors like Mahadevi Varma, Sumitranandan Pant, Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' and Harivansh Rai Bachchan. Urdu and Persian literature too flourished, Firaq Gorakhpuri, Akbar Allahabadi, Shabnam Naqvi hail from Prayagraj.

Explore the Gora Qabristan at Kydganj and see the replica of the Ashokan Pillar at Minto Park near Allahabad Fort.
Feast on the delicious Dehati Rasgullas at Birhana Chowk and the aloo tikkis at Civil Lines

The Mughal Emperor Akbar had once named it Illahabad, or the city of God, which the British changed to Allahabad. Mark Twain, the American author, referred to it as Godville. Recently, Allahabad has been renamed as Prayagraj. Prayagraj became the capital of the North-Western Provinces in 1858, and was the capital of India for a day. The city played an important role in the Revolt of 1857. Subsequently, it played a pivotal role in the freedom movement. The 1888 session of the Indian National th Congress was held in the city, and by the turn of the 20 century Prayagraj became a revolutionary centre.

Bhardwaj Rishi was one of the greatest Hindu sages (Maharshi) descendant of Rishi Angirasa, whose accomplishments are detailed in the Puranas. He is one of the Saptarishis (Seven Great Sages) in the present Manvantra, with others being Atri, Vashishtha, Vishwamitra, Gautama, Jamdagni, Kashyapa. Brahaspatya is the progenitor of the Bhardwaj family and 75 hymns are composed by a member of this family over serval centuries. He is believed to be a contemporary of King Bharata.

Bhardwaj and his descedants were respected and powerful priests/rishis of serval clans/dynasties of the Puru tribe, such as the Bharatas and the Panchalas. Bhardwaj Maharishi was a Sage of the Vedic times.