Prayag

Triveni Sangam, the confluence of rivers, is sacred for Hindus and one of the most important of these confluences is the Prayag or Sangam at Allahabad. A bath here is said to wash off all sins and free one from the cycle of rebirth. Not surprisingly, the Prayag―the meeting place of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Sarasvati, is Allahabad’s prime draw for pilgrims and tourists. Located near the edge of the fort, mud banks and flood plains lead to beaches and ghats where devotees give offerings to the river. On the riverfront, devotees approach priests to assist them perform prayers and rituals. Boats can be rented near the fort to reach the Sangam where the differently coloured waters of rivers meet. Vendors on the river shores sell tilak powder, coconuts, flowers and other ritual offerings. Beaches and ghats are littered with the shorn hair of pilgrims who come to offer `pind’ for their deceased parents, and women sit around selling cone-shaped pyramids of bright red and orange tilak powder.

Boats can be rented at the ghat immediately east of the fort. On the way to the Sangam, vendors in boats and wading through shallow waters try to sell you coconuts and flowers. At the Sangam, the point at which the brown, forceful and clear Ganges meets the calm and greenish Yamuna, priests perch on small platforms to perform puja and guide devotees through their ritual ablutions in the shallow waters. Many national leaders have visited this site for rituals and Mahatma Gandhi’s ashes were also immersed here.