Chapter-6

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN KUMBH MELA

AND CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT OF
ALLAHABAD
Allahabad's reference is as old as the Hindu Puranas. In the, Padam
Puran, Prayag also known as Allahabad has been referred to as the best
among all pilgrimages, as Brahama, the creator god choose this land to
perform the, Prakrista Yog. Prayag is the birthplace of Som, Varuna and
Prjapati. Prayag has been associated with mythological personalities in
Brahmanical (Vedic) and Buddhist Literatures. It was the seat of the
great sage Bhardwaj, sage Durvasa and sage Panas. Sage Bhardwaj
lived here circa 5000 BC and taught more than 10,000 disciples.

The earliest monument of antiques, the Ashok Pillar, has inscriptions of

third century BC – the inscriptions of his directions to his fellow rajas
and praise of King Samudragupta. The Chinese traveller Huan Tsang in
643 BC found Prayag to be inhabited by many Hindus who regarded the
place as holy.

6.1 MUGHAL PERIOD

The great Mughal Emperor Akbar founded the city in 1575 AD by the
name of ILLAHABAD meaning “The City of Allah”. Acknowledging the
immense navigational potential of its rivers and the entrepreneurial
importance of the city as a centre for boat-making, Akbar built a
magnificent fort overlooking the quiet flowing Yamuna. In medieval
India, the city enjoyed the honour of being the religion-cultural centre of
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the country. For a long time, it was the provincial capital of the Mughals.
Later the Marathas captured it. On the south-western extreme of
Allahabad lies Khusrobagh that antedates the fort and has three
mausoleums including that of Jahangir's first wife Shah Begum

6.2 BRITISH PERIOD

The British History of

the city began in the
year 1801AD when the
Nawab of Awadh
ceded it to the British
throne. The British
army used the fort for
their military purposes.
The town was the
centre of the War of
Independence (1857
AD) and later became the crucible of Indian Freedom Movement against
the British. The East India Company officially handed over India to the
British Government here at Minto Park in 1858 AD. After the first war of
independence, the town was named Allahabad and was made the capital
of the United Province of Agra and Awadh. In 1868 AD, it became a seat
of justice when the Allahabad High Court was established.

British architect Sir William Emerson erected a majestic monument All

Saint Cathedral in 1871AD, thirty years before he designed the Victoria
Memorial in Kolkata. To be set up in 1887AD, Allahabad is the fourth

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oldest university. Allahabad has been rich in numerous Victorian and

Georgian buildings made in synthesis with Indian architectural traditions.

1900AD onwards, the Home Rule League became very active in

Allahabad drawing into its fold some of the future leaders of modern
India like Jawaharlal Nehru. With the advent of Mahatma Gandhi, Anand
Bhawan, the home of the Nehrus, became the epicentre for major political
upheavals that were being planned in the country. The transformation of
the freedom struggle into a mass movement in the 1920s made Allahabad
a centre of political pilgrimage as well.

6.3 THE CITY TODAY

The existing urban setting and growth trends of Allahabad can be

classified into three main categories:

 The Old City consisting of Chowk, Ghantaghar, Bans Mandi,

Katghar, Kotwali, Gaughat etc. This shall also include certain
areas, though not contiguous but with similar character, like
Daraganj, Bairhana, and Katra.
 The New City (conceived during British rule and thereafter) – This
includes Civil Lines, Mumford Ganj, Ashok Nagar, and
Cantonment.
 The out grown (OG) areas (satellite towns and ribbon
developments) along the major corridors including Phaphamau,
Jhunsi, Naini, Bamrauli, Manauri, etc.
 The old city is the economic centre of the city. The major arterial
roads are wide, secondary roads and physical development along
these has been fundamentally organic.

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 A major portion of Allahabad city in situated within the two rivers.

The Civil Lines area is one of the oldest cities planned by British
rulers in India. It is planned on a grid-iron road pattern with
additional diagonal roads which make it an efficient city.

The core city area has not grown as it is bound by rivers on three sides.
Over the past decade, major unplanned development has taken place in
Jhusi and Phaphamua. Naini was initially promoted as an industrial area.
Later, a group of housing societies was developed by ADA, which gave
much-needed impetus for growth in Naini.

FIGURE-6.1: Expansion of Allahabad City

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6.4 ALLAHABAD’S CULTURAL PROFILE

The main Cultural Activities of Allahabad are tourism, fishing and

agriculture. There are secondary activities and manufacturing which may
be registered or unregistered. Another aspect is large number of
constructions taking place in Allahabad which again improvises the city's
economy. The Third All India Census for Small Scale Industries shows
that there are more than 10,000 unregistered small-scale industry units in
the city. An Integrated Industrial Township is also proposed in 1200 acres
of area in Allahabad under Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of
India

6.4.1 Education

Allahabad becomes a premier educational centre with first along

vernacular school established in the year 1836. A number of colleges, the
University of Allahabad, MNIT, IIIT and other educational Institutions
came in to being subsequently

6.4.2 Industrial development

Much effort has been devoted in the recent past to boost industrial
development. Naini industrial area was setup with the sole purpose of
promoting industries in the region but these efforts have not been very
successful. The industrial development has come to a standstill.

Of the proposed area of 1217.81 ha (Master Plan 2001) to be developed

for industries only 482.80 hectares exist in year 2001, which is 2.23% of
the proposed area. There are four industrial areas in and around
Allahabad. Most of the existing industries are spread along four main
areas in the city:

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 Along the Kanpur Road

 Naini
 Phaphamau
 Jhusi – near the junction of Saso and Varanasi Road

6.4.3 Trade and Commerce

The commercial structure of Allahabad has its CBD incorporated in the

oldest section of the city, Meerganj, supporting nearly 70% of the total
business of the city. Among the activities being practiced are – utensil
market, cloth market, cycle market, gur mandi, spice market, general
merchandise, oil and ghee mandi, stationery stores, grain market, timber/
furniture mandi, fruit and vegetable market.

Utensil Market: The entire utensil wholesale as well as retail market

occupies the western most section of the Chowk area occupying both
sides of Thatheri Lane from Clock Tower to GT Road.

Cloth Market: The old cloth market (Purana Bazar) specializing in

wholesale trade of all types of garment material is located in close
proximity to Kotwali. Such specialized markets also occur around the
Clock Tower, along Lal Diggi Road, Jawahar Square and Mohammad Ali
Park area.

Cycle Market: The major concentration of cycle shops is along the

Hewett Road crossing, extending from Niranjan Cinema Hall to Hewett
Road crossing and from Moti Mahal Cinema Hall to Allahabad Junction
along the Leader Road. These stores provide for assembling of cycles in
front of the consumer as per his choice.

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Gur Mandi: The Gur Mandi is located between GT National Highway

and the Bharati Bhawan.

Spice Market: The Spice Market is located along the GT National

Highway extending from Church onwards, as well as along the entrance
of the Lok Nath Lane.

6.4.4 Tourism

Allahabad has traditionally been a centre of pilgrimage. It is flocked by

tourists from across the globe. Millions of pilgrims congregate on the
bank of these rivers during famous occasion of twelve yearly Maha
Kumbh Mela and six yearly, Ardh Kumbh Mela yearly Magh Mela and
on many other religious occasions at various sacred periods of the year.

The city is also a premier nucleus of urban, Judiciary, administrative,

educational and industrial activities of the state. The city enjoys a unique
advantage within the transport network in the country as it is well
connected by the both surface and air transport modes with all major
centers of the country and the states.

Allahabad Fort: The massive fort built by emperor Akbar in 1583A.D.,

the fort stands on the banks of the Yamuna near the confluence site. In its
prime, the fort was unrivalled for its design, construction and
craftsmanship. Thus huge, majestic fort has three magnificent galleries
flanked by high towers. At present is used by the army and only a limited
area is open to visitors. The magnificent outer wall is intact and rises
above the water' edge. Visitors are allowed to see the Ashoka Pillar and
Saraswati Kup, a well said to be the source of the Saraswati river and

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Jodhabai Palace. The Patalpuri temple is also here. So is the much

revered Akshaya Vat or Immortal Banyan tree.

The fort is under Army control, so is inaccessible to general population.

A Very small section is open to public.

Ashoka Pillar: This gigantic Ashoka pillar, of polished sandstone stands

10.6 meters high, dating back to 232B.C. The pillar has several edicts and
a Persian inscription of Emperor Jahangir in scripted on it,
commemorating his accession to the throne.

This is another area, which is inaccessible to general public as it is in

Army's control.

Akshaya Vat: The immortal tree within the Patalpuri temple, has found
mention in the description of several ancient scriptures, writers and
historians. The tree stands in a deep niche above an underground shaft,
which is said to lead to Triveni. Visitors need permission to visit Akshaya
Vat.

Hanuman Madir: Near the Sangam, this timple is unique in North

India, for its supine image of Hanumana. Here the big idol of Lord
Hanumana is seen in a reclining posture. When the Ganga is in spate, this
idol gets submerged.

Mankameshwar Temple: Situated near Saraswati Ghat, on the banks of

Yamuna, this is one of the famous Shiva Temples of Allahabad.

Minto Park: It is situated near Saraswati Ghat, it has a stone memorial

with a four-lion symbol on top, the foundation of which was laid by Lord
Minto in 1910.

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Swaraj Bhawan: The old Anand Bhawan, which in the year 1930 was
donated to the Nation by Moti Lal Nehru, to be used as the headquarters
of the Congress Committee. Moti Lal Nehru renamed it as Swaraj
Bhawan. Late Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi was born here.

Anand Bhawan: The erstwhile ancestral home of the Nehru family.

Today it has been turned into a fine museum. Here, many momentous
decisions, events, related to the freedom struggle took place. The main
building houses a museum which displays the memorabilia of the Nehru
family.

Jawahar Planetarium: For a celestial trip of the scientific kind, visit the
Planetarium. It's worth every moment.

Allahabad Museum: The museum has a good collection of sculpture,

especially of the Gupta era.

Chandra Shekhar Azad Park: Adjacent to the museum, this splendid

park was once known as Company Bagh. It has some fine colonial
buildings, including the public library. G.N. Jha Sanskrit research
institute and the statue of Shri Chandra Shekhar Azad, Dedicated to this
great martyr who laid down his life fighting British force here.

All Saints Cathedral (Patthar Girjaghar): This magnificent cathedral,

designed by Sir William Emerson in 1870 and consecrated in 1887, is the
finest of Anglican Cathedral in Asia faced in White Stone with red stone
dressing. No one visiting the cathedral can fail to be impressed by the
beauty of the marble altar with intricate inlay and mosaic work.

Khusro Bagh: A large garden in which tombs of Khusro, son of emperor

Jahangir and Shah Begam are located.

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TABLE-6.1: Tourist Arrival in Uttar Pradesh

Year Indian Foreign Total % Increase in Comparison

to Last Year
2011 15,54,30,364 26,39,872 15,80,69,436 +7.47
2012 16,83,81,276 29,89,347 17,13,70,623 +8.41
2013 22,65,31,091 32,05,760 22,97,36,851 +34.05
2014 18,28,20,108 29,09,735 18,57,29,843 -19.15
2015 20,48,88,458 31,04,062 20,79,92,519 +11.98

TABLE-6.2: Tourist Arrival in Allahabad

Year Indian Foreign Total

2011 31,460,984 102,447 31,563,431
2012 34,907,810 106,081 35,013,891
2013 84,717,964 387,719 85,105,683
2014 35,605,966 107,141 35,71,307
2015 40,001,670 109,281 40,110,951
Note: (1.) Year 2013 of January 2013 to March 2013 of Indian tourist 7,83, 15,500 and foreign
tourist 350,500. (2.) The total Indian and Foreign tourist visit in Uttar Pradesh in year 2014-15
reduced in comparison to year 2013 because of Mahakumbh Mela/ Snan-Allahabad in year
2013.

TABLE-6.3: Estimated attendance of Pilgrims during Kumbh

Year Estimated Attendance (in Million)
1906 2
1919 3
1930 4
1942 1.7
1954 6
1966 7
1977 10
1989 15
2001 80
2013 120

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120

Estimated Attendance (In Million)

100

80

60

40

20

0
1906 1919 1930 1942 1954 1966 1977 1989 2001 2013
Year

GRAPH-6.1: Estimated attendance of Pilgrims during Kumbh

TABLE-6.4: Tourist (Indian+Foreign) arrival on other tourist places in

Allahabad

Places 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015

Swaraj 231194 246846 206807 Closed for Closed for
Bhawan Construction Construction
Work Work
Anand 2588377 2601699 28557188 2614784 458662
Bhawan
Allahabad 97969 104852 122766 128929 72431
Museum/
Azad Park
Jawahar 145917 150807 183988 153823 115764
Planetarium

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6.5 KEY CONCERN AREAS FOR TOURISM DEVELOPMENT

 Sangam is undeveloped and even lacks basic facilities. The site

does not have proper drinking water and sanitation facilities.
Changing rooms are also lacking in the area.
 Sangam has huge potential for development and needs an
Integrated Sangam Area Development Master Plan (ISADM) to
reduce the continuous outflow of the cash from state exchequer in
the name of Kumbh Expenses.
 Lack of tourist information centres. There is only one tourism
information centre.
 Fort and Asoka's pillar are not open to public as they are under
Army's control.

6.6 NEW INITIATIVES

Some new developmental initiatives took place during past 5 years to

transform Allahabad as a major cultural centre in Country.

6.6.1 Allahabad as a Smart City

A MoU was signed on 25 January 2015 between the United States Trade
and Development Agency and the Government of Uttar Pradesh for
developing Allahabad as a smart city. The pact came into existence after
the bilateral meeting between the Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi and the US President Barack Obama in October 2014, where in it
was announced that the US would assist India in developing three smart
cities, Allahabad, Ajmer and Visakhapatnam, in a boost to India's 100
smart city programme. On 27 August 2015 the official list of 98 cities to
be developed as smart cities, including Allahabad was announced by

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the Government of India. Allahabad Task Force was set up by

the Ministry of Urban Development which consists of Divisional
Commissioner (Chairman), Secretaries of Town and Country Planning
and Municipal Affairs, Government of Uttar Pradesh, District Magistrate,
Vice-Chairman, Allahabad Development Authority, Mayor of the city
besides Additional Secretary (Urban Development), Government of India
and representatives of Ministry of External Affairs and USTDA. The
project is being assisted by the U.S.-India Business Council.

Projects

IBM selected Allahabad among 16 other global cities for its smart cities
program to help it address challenges like waste management, disaster
management, water management and citizen services. The company
commenced working on solid waste management and power sector in
generating renewable energy.

As a part of Smart City Project, Civil Lines would be developed on the

line of Lucknow's Hazratganj. `20 crore (US$3,024,000) were sanctioned
to beautify all prominent crossings of the city. As per the 'Hazratganj
plan', the administration proposed uniformity in signage and colour of
buildings and a parking lot to be set up to solve traffic congestion. A 1.35
km long riverfront along Yamuna river would be developed by the
Allahabad Development Authority, irrigation and power departments at a
cost of ` 147.36 crore. The riverfront would be developed in two phases.
In the first phase, around 650 metres at Arail would be developed along
with Yamuna, while in the second phase 700 metres of stretch
between New Yamuna Bridge and Boat Club in Kydganj would be taken
up.

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A housing project worth ` 600 crore was launched in the city. Spanning
over 15 acres, it comprises 1500 housing units and the sensors
installed sewage treatment plants to ensure pollution-free enclave.

Essential features covered in Smart City Plan-

 Assured electricity supply with at least 10% of the Smarty city's

energy requirement coming from solar energy
 Adequate water supply including waste water recycling and storm
water reuse
 Sanitation including solid waste management
 Rain water harvesting
 Smart metering
 Robust IT connectivity and digitalization
 Pedestrian friendly pathways
 Encouragement to non-motorized transport (e.g. walking and
cycling)
 Intelligent traffic management
 Non-vehicle streets/ zones
 Smart parking
 Energy efficient street lighting
 Innovative use of open spaces
 Visible improvement in the Area
 Safety of citizens especially children, women and elderly
 At least 80% buildings (in redevelopment and green-field) should
by energy efficient and green buildings
 In green-field development, if housing is provided, at least 15%
should be in 'affordable housing' category
 Additional 'smart' applications, in any

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Citizen's Priority in Smart City Allahabad

Transport & 20%

ICT & E-Governance 17%
Solid Waste 15%
Safety & Security 9%
Environment & 8%
Tourism 8%
Water Supply & 6%
Electricity 6%
Housing 5%
Education 3%
Conservation 2%
Other 1%
0% 5% 10% 15% 20%

GRAPH-6.2: Citizen's Priority

FIGURE-6.1: Selection of area based development

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FIGURE-6.2: Selection of Retrofit Area

Proposed Solutions

1. Intelligent Traffic Management System

2. ICT & E-Governance

Eased Mobility

 Set up 20 new signals and provide signaling services round the

clock at 20 Junctions.
 Position Cameras at every junction to manage the traffic
intelligently
 Establish 50 Variable Message System (VMS)
 Establish a IT enabled Traffic Command Center (TCC) to
synchronize signals across the city.
 Smart Multi-Level Parking
 Laying Fibre optic cables all around the city to ensure high internet
penetration.
 Shifting to GIS interactive map-based decision making.
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ICT & E-Governance

 Helplines for Women, Children, Elderly including emergency

services
 Government to Citizen (G2C)
o Property tax and water tax
o Utility bill payment
o Vehicle registrations
o Road tax payments
o Traffic Challan Payments
o Encumbrance Certificate Issuance
o Police Verification
 Government to Business (G2B)
o Western Union Money transfer
o Vodafone, BSNL Broadband
 Government to Employee (G2E)
o e-payroll
o e-training
o e-learning
 Government to Government (G2G)
o Interconnected public agencies
o File transfer and search facilities
o e-mail exchange facilities

For example: We can choose the present condition of Old Katra Market,
Which is represented by encroachment, illegal occupation of road. Messy
cable structure, no footpaths today (Figure-6.1, 6.2). The smart city plan
of Allahabad include Katra market and try to solve these permanent
problems of traffic jams in Katra market. as show in the figure 6.3.

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PICTURE-6.1: Present condition of Road in Old Katra

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PICTURE-6.2: Description of Road in Old Katra

PICTURE-6.3: Road of Smart Old Katra

6.6 METRO PROJECT

The Allahabad metro is proposed rapid transit system for the city of
Allahabad. The proposed system consists of two lines, having four routes.
The project is expected to cost `8000 crores. Operations are expected to
be started from 2023-24.

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