Allahabad is likely to have a new name before the city plays host to the Kumbh Mela, next year. The Yogi Adityanath led government may rechristen Allahabad as Prayagraj. Uttar Pradesh’s deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya confirmed to ANI that the identity of Allahabad has been ‘Prayag’ and hence the state government has decided to change the city’s name to Prayagraj.
Prayag is a place in Allahabad where three rivers – Ganga, Yamuna, and Sarasvati – meet. The Kumbh Mela is also held here once every 12 years. Taking a dip at the Prayag, especially during the Mela, is supposed to cleanse the person of all his sins.
ALSO READ: Splitting families on flights can be dangerous for passengers
While the of the confluence of the Ganges and the Yamuna is visible to the naked eye, the Sarasvati is an invisible river, which can be traced back to to the Vedic period the Rigveda, an ancient Hindu scripture.
According to some media reports, the banners for the Kumbh Mela in 2019 mentions the name of the city as Prayagraj instead of Allahabad.