Allahabad is the English name of a city in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

The name is derived from the one given to the city by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1583. The name in Indian languages or in India generally is Allahbad; Lah illahaillalah being Arabic for "(a) god" (in this context from Din-i-Ilahi, the religion founded by Akbar), and "-abad" is Persian for "to construct or to create"(opposite of "barbad", or "to destroy").

The ancient name of the city is Prayaga (Sanskrit for "place of sacrifice", Prayag in modern Hindi) and is believed to be the spot where Brahma offered his first sacrifice after creating the world. It is one of four sites of the Kumbh Mela, the others being Haridwar, Ujjain and Nasik. It has a position of importance in the Hindu religion and mythology since it is situated at the confluence of the holy rivers Ganga and Yamuna, and Hindu belief says that the invisible Sarasvati River joins here also.

The 2nd Yamuna BridgeAllahabad is one of the fastest developing city of UP. it is also one of the cleanest city of UP. Allahabad is situated on the confluence of river Ganga and Yamuna. It encompasses a large area and is an inland peninsula surrounded by the rivers Ganga and Yamuna from three sides with only one side connected to the mainland. Because of this reason and immense traffic, Allahabad is also famous for its large number of grand and magnificent bridges.

Allahabad is also famous for producing prime ministers of India in some form or another. Jawahar Lal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi, Gulzari Lal Nanda, Vishwanath Pratap Singh and Chandrashekhar were all either born in Allahabad, alumni of Allahabad University or elected from a constituency in Allahabad. In this way Allahabad has produced 7 out of 14 Prime Ministers of India.

Allahabad or Prayagraj is a historian's paradise. History lies embedded everywhere, in its fields, forests and settlements. Forty-eight kilometres, towards the southwest, on the placid banks of the Jamuna, the ruins of Kaushambi, at one time capital of the Vatsa kingdom and later a thriving center of Buddhism, bear silent testimony to a forgotten and bygone era. On the eastern side, across the river Ganga and connected to the city by the Shastri Bridge is Jhusi, identified with the ancient city of Pratisthanpur, capital of the Chandra dynasty. About 58 kilometres northwest is the medieval site of Kara with its impressive wreckage of Jayachand's fort. Sringverpur, another ancient site discovered relatively recently, has become a major attraction for tourists and antiquarians alike.

Prayag is an extremely important and integral part of the Ganga Yamuna Doab, and its history is inherently tied with that of the Doab region, right from the inception of the town.

The city was known earlier as Prayaga - a name that is still commonly used. That it is an ancient town, is illustrated by supposed references in the Vedas to Prayag, where Brahma, the Hindu Creator of the Universe, is believed to have attended a sacrificial ritual. Excavations have revealed Northern Black Polished ware objects in Prayag, further corroborating the conjecture that Prayag existed as a town as early as 600 B.C.

The Puranas record that Yayati left Prayag and conquered the region of Saptha Sindhu. His five sons Yadu, Druhyu, Puru, Anu and Turvashu became the main tribes of the Rigveda.

Surroundings of Allahabad, India.It is located in the southern part of the state, at 25°28'N, 81°50'E, and stands at the confluence of the Ganga (Ganges), and Yamuna rivers. The region was known in antiquity as the vats country. To its south west is the Bundelkhand region, to its east and south east is the Baghelkhand region, to its north and north east is the Awadh region and to its west is the (lower) doab of which it itself is a part.

Allahabad stands at a strategic point both geographically and culturally. An important part of the Ganga-Yamuna Doaba region, it is the last point of the Yamuna river and is the last frontier of the Indian west.

The land of the Allahabad district that falls between the Ganga and Yamuna is just like the rest of Doab --- fertile but not too moist, which is especially suitable for the cultivation of wheat. The non-doabi parts of the district (which were not originally a part of Allahabad but were added later by the British) viz., the southern and eastern part of the district are somewhat similar to those of adjoining Bundelkhand and Baghelkhand regions, viz. dry and rocky.

The Indian GMT longitude that is associated with Jabalpur, also passes through Allahabad, which is 343 km north of Jabalpur on the same longitude.

Allahabad experiences all four seasons. The summer season is from April to June with the maximum temperatures ranging between 40 to 45 °C. Monsoon begins in early July and lasts till September. The winter season falls in the months of December, January and February. Temperatures in the cold weather could drop to freezing with maximum at almost 12 to 14 °C. Allahabad also witnesses severe fog in January resulting in massive traffic and travel delays. It does not snow in Allahabad.

Lowest temperature recorded -2 °C; highest, 48 °C.

Air
Allahabad is served by the Bamrauli Air Force Base (IXD) and is linked to Delhi and Kolkata (Calcutta) by Jet Lite and Air India regional. Other larger airports in the vicinity are Varanasi (147 km) and Lucknow (210 km).

Road
National Highway 2 runs through the center of the city. Allahabad is located in between Delhi and Kolkata on this highway. Another highway that links Allahabad is National Highway 27 that is 93 km long and starts at Allahabad and ends at Mangawan in Madhya Pradesh connecting to National Highway 7. There are other highways that link Allahabad to all parts of the country. Allahabad also has three bus stations catering to different routes - at Zero Road, Leader Road and Civil Lines. Golden quadrilateral four lane highway also passes through it. A new expressway- Danga expressway is also proposed to pass through Allahabad.

Train
Served by Indian Railway. Allahabad is the headquarters of the North Central Railway Zone, and is well connected by trains with all major cities, namely, Kolkata (Calcutta), Delhi, Mumbai (Bombay), Chennai (Madras), Hyderabad, Lucknow and Jaipur. Allahabad has following railway stations with in the city limits- Prayag , Allahabad City (Rambagh), Daraganj, Allahabad Junction, Naini Jn, Prayag Ghat, Subedar Ganj & Bamrauli.