Illahabas, Illahabad, Allahabad, Prayag Raj
You can rename the city, but you cannot erase its history.
Every old town in India is ancient
Every city, town, village, or place in India with some mythological or religious significance is considered ancient. It does not matter if you can establish a historical connection or not: we will ascribe divine connections to the place if we deem fit. Our ancestors roamed the Earth for a few million years, and many places on Earth are considered ‘ancient’, but we often overlook this fact.
Now that my sarcastic opening is over, I will talk about Prayagraj, or Allahabad, or Illahabad.
The region is old, and no one should doubt this fact. The town lies nestled between two rivers, the Ganga and the Yamuna, obviously making the site an attractive location. Some say a third river, the Saraswati, joined the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna, but, from all accounts I am familiar with, the river dried up a few thousand years back.
We refer to the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna as the Prayag, and it is also the site of the Kumbh Mela, which takes place every twelve years.
Several tribes and kingdoms ruled Allahabad, and findings indicate that, around the first century CE, Allahabad was part of the Kushan empire. Historical findings also suggest that Prayag was part of the Gupta empire. It also appears that Huien Tsang, the Chinese Buddhist monk who travelled to South Asia, wrote that he visited Prayag around 643 CE. Allahabad is sacred to the Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains.
Historians dispute the historicity of the present site, but I will return to this issue later in this essay.
Illahabas enters modern history with Akbar
In my considered opinion, Allahabad first entered modern history when the Mughal emperor Akbar built his fort there between 1574 and 1583 CE. When his son, Jehangir, rebelled, he made Allahabad his headquarters. The site’s strategic location impressed Akbar, which is why he built his fort at the confluence of the rivers and called it ‘Illahabas,’ the ‘abode of god.’ Note that he named the fort as ‘Illahabas’ and not as ‘Allahabad.’ Some historians believe that he used the word “Illah” to encompass both Islamic and Hindu beliefs. Akbar was an enlightened man, far ahead of his time.
After Aurangzeb’s death, the fort’s status became shaky, especially as the various provinces began breaking away from the central Mughal power center. Even though Delhi symbolically remained the seat of power during the 150 years of Mughal decline, power shifted to regional centers, with many rulers vying for influence.
The British eyed Allahabad
The British East India Company eyed Prayag with greed. Like Akbar, the fort’s strategic location impressed them, and finally, in 1801 CE, the Nawab of Awadh ceded the city to the British East India Company. By this time, the fortunes of the Dutch East India Company had faded into the dustheap of history.
The British elevated the status of Allahabad after the Great Rebellion of 1857-58, establishing a high court and administrative center in the city. They also established a university, and Allahabad University is the fourth-oldest university in India.
My father was posted to an army cantonment, Chheoki, across the Yamuna from Allahabad, and, until a few decades back, both the High Court and University maintained a very high standard for themselves. Since then, like many institutions in India, they have allowed themselves to become politicized and to decline. The decline has been exceptionally rapid in the last decade.
And now, it becomes Prayag Raj
The current Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Ajay Bisht (people call him Yogi Adityanath, but I do not consider him a yogi), decided to rename Allahabad as ‘Prayag Raj,’ claiming that the original name of the city was Prayag Raj. The administration has been wasting money excavating in a vain attempt to locate the mythical Saraswati River.
Rivers do not live for eternity. They flow, they change their course, and often die. When rivers changed their course in ancient times, entire civilizations were wiped out. Today, we pray to rivers and kill them.
There is no historical evidence that the old name of Allahabad, or Illahabad, or Illahabas, was ever Prayag Raj; however, our right-wing government is intent on wasting money in an attempt to erase Muslim names and Muslim influence from India.
We live in interesting times, with right-wing, authoritarian leaders sprouting like rabbits across the world. I assume that, over the next few decades, the pendulum will shift in the other direction. Until then, we must hope that the nutcases who run riot over the world stage do not burn our planet. Repairing the damage will be well-nigh impossible, and I bet that science-fiction writers have peered into the future, which is why apocalyptic stories have become so popular.
I do not know when Illahabas became Allahabad, but we know when it became Prayag Raj.
You can change the name, but you cannot change the history or the culture of a place with just a nameplate. It is possible to destroy culture. My cousin’s wife’s family owned a law book publishing business, and they were sophisticated and elegant people. Such people have become rare, as screeching mobs replace genteel thought.
Some day in the future, sophistication will return.
I lived in Chheoki for a few winters – I used to visit during my school winter holiday break. Jawaharlal Nehru’s old home is in Allahabad and was the site for many discussions that took place during India’s freedom struggle. I left this aspect out when writing this very brief introduction to Allahabad, choosing to keep it for a subsequent post.