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Daraganj | |
---|---|
town | |
Coordinates: 25°26′N81°53′E / 25.433°N 81.883°E | |
Country | India |
State | Uttar Pradesh |
District | Prayagraj |
Languages | |
• Official | Hindi |
Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
PIN | 211006 |
Telephone code | 0532250- |
Vehicle registration | UP-70 |
Coastline | 0 kilometres (0 mi) |
Nearest city | kaushambi |
Daraganj is a prominent suburb and a landmark in the city of Prayagraj. It is the oldest suburb of Prayag at the bank of celestial river Ganges and not far from Triveni Sangam - the confluence of three sacred rivers: the Ganges and Yamuna, and the third invisible river Saraswati. Thus, Daraganj is essentially a theoretical and philosophical reference point of city now called Prayagraj.
Situated on the bank of the river Ganges, Daraganj is cosmopolitan in the sense that a significant mix of Punjabi, Bengali , Marathi , Tamil, Telugu, Kannad and Gujarati communities, apart from natives thrive within a small area. Set up in a small village setting, Daraganj is a mesh of narrow lanes without any road signs. However, all of these lanes inevitably lead to the main road. This is the last bathing Ghat on the river Ganges before it joins the river Yamuna. The name "Daraganj" is presumably derived from the word "Dharaganj" meaning the place of the stream or current of water. Legend also has an alternative explanation that it is named after "Dara Shikoh", the elder brother of Mughal king Aurangjeb who was subsequently killed by Aurangjeb in the power struggle for the throne. Dara Shikoh was known to have studied Hindu Scriptures and translated many of the Upanishads and Puranas into Persian. Presumably, that translation work had taken place at Daraganj.[ citation needed ]
Prayagraj is the king of all pilgrimage centers because Lord Brahma conducted first (pra) ten yajnas (yag) there at Dashaswamedh Ghat also located in Daraganj. Considering that Lord Brahma lives one hundred celestial years- equivalent to 311 trillion 40 billion earth years, and we are currently in fifty-fifth year of Brahma, and assuming that Brahma performed first ten Yajnas when he was twenty years of age, it is established that it happened 110 trillion years ago. "Lord Brahmā's day, consisting of his 12 hours, lasts 4 billion 320 million years, and his night is of the same duration." (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam 12.8.2-5)
Lord Rama visited Prayag twice. The first stay was at Bharadwaj Ashram which still exists near University of Allahabad. Lord Rama, Sita and Lakshmana visited the Veni Madhav Temple during their fourteen-year-long exile and it was at Daraganj where "Nishad", the king of boatsmen, helped them cross the Ganges river. After killing Ravana,the "Pushpak Viman" carrying Lord Rama, Lakshman and Hanuman and the victorious army of monkeys and bears stopped over at Prayag again where Lord Rama and Lakshman did "prayashchit" for having killed Brahmanas. This happened 1.7 million years ago in Treta Yuga. NASA photographs confirm the bridge made of boulders between Sri Lanka and India and predict it to be 1.7 million years old. The famous debate between Shankaracharya and Mandan Mishra and his learned wife Bharati Mishra took place in 700 AD- Bharati Mishra was the judge. When the couple lost the philosophical debate and was about to enter alive in the pyre- according to "rules of engagement" in those days- Shankaracharya granted them pardon and right to live, and preach Vedic knowledge rather than Buddhism.
About 500 years ago, Lord Chaitanya preached the essential principals of devotion to Rupa Goswami for ten days at Dashaswamedh Ghat. There is a plaque bearing the historic marking "Rupa Shikshsthali" at Dashaswamedh Ghat. Not far is another plaque bearing the foot prints of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu at Veni Madhava Temple, where Lord Chaitanya used to sing and dance every day. Lord Chaitanya stayed for three nights at "Naag Vasuki " Mandir. About 500 years ago, Mirabai visited Daraganj and composed famous devotional poem "chalo man Ganga Yamuna teer". In 483 AD, Moghul Emperor Akbar named Prayag as Ilahabad - City of God- also called Prayagraj. Founder of Arya Samaj Dayanand Saraswati too stayed at " Naag Vasuki " Mandir for three nights.
It is an important religious center with hundreds of Hindu temples, such as Dashaswamedh Temple, Veni-Madhav Temple, Naag-Vasuki Temple,"Bhishma Shaiya", Bade Hanumaanji Temple, and Sri Jagannath Temple. Thus, it is considered inappropriate to skip the visit to Dashaswamedh temple after bathing in the holy river of Ganges at the Daraganj Ghat. Next to Daraganj is the "Alopi Devi Mandir", It is a temple dedicated to "Mother Sati", the wife of Lord Shiva. The story as told in Puranas suggests that the Alopi Temple was the place where the last remains of Mother Sati fell, when Shiva was sadly carrying them around the world. To bring Lord Shiva out of his mourning, Lord Vishnu threw his "Chakra" at the remains causing the remains to drop at various places on the earth. The last piece of the remains dropped at this place. Hence the place came to be known as "Alopi" meaning disappearance (of remains).
It has a big Intermediate college named as Radha Raman Inter College in front of Daraganj Railway Station and behind Prayag Ghat (now renamed Prayagraj Sangam) Railway Station. Other Colleges are Maa Saraswati Inter College, Nirala Balika Vidyalaya, Navbharti Public School, Royal House Public School, Handia Baba Inter College and Mordern Nursery Primary School (1982–2000). Fine Classes (1998 – present), Raj Coaching (2000–2010), Akansha Coaching (2000–2012) and Shukla Classes (2003–2007) are big names in Education.
Moreover, Daraganj is a place for festivals. One can see a festival in every 15 days.these festivals are of native types which are celebrated mainly in daraganj and other very few places. Some of these are Vata Savitri, Ganga Dussehra, Dhendia, Bhai Duj, Parewa, Bada Ittwaar etc. Naag Panchami Mela at Naag Vasuki Temple in Daraganj is a unique festival where along with worshipping thousands of serpents, masses participate in shopping for fun and sing songs. Dussehra of Daraganj is famous all over its vicinity. Here Ramlila committee organizes the Dussehra in which Kali dance is famous, which is carried out for three nights of Navratri.
Daraganj is the reference point for "Magh" fairs, held every year during winter and for "Kumbh Mela" fairs held every twelve years. On these occasions, an entirely new temporary town is created in the vicinity of Daraganj to serve the needs of the millions of pilgrims, with its own postoffice, bridges, police station and public services. During the "Kumbh" fairs Daraganj arguably becomes one of the most densely populated place on earth, when millions of pilgrims live within its small borders in the makeshift tents. Daraganj has its own railways station with the same name and has another major railway terminus train station known as "PrayagRaj Sangam" earlier known as "Prayag Ghat Railway Station". The station was awarded the cleanest station award in northern India by Northern Railways.
National Highway 19 (NH 19; previously NH2 ) runs through the middle of the Daraganj via Shashtri Bridge which links it to Allahabad and Varanasi. City buses, Tourist taxis, auto rickshaws (or tempos) are available for local transport. There are also city buses service run by UPSRTC as well as private operators that connects various parts of the city. But the most convenient method of local transport inside the city is the E-rickshaw and cycle rickshaw. Daraganj have two railway stations:- Daraganj and Prayag Ghat Terminus (now renamed Prayagraj Sangam) facing each other although Daraganj station is at much higher level than the ground level, thereby providing the easy passage for trains to the bridge over the river Ganga. The newly reconstructed Prayagraj Sangam railway station now makes Daraganj a more prominent within the city.
Haridwar is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. With a population of 228,832 in 2011, it is the second-largest city in the state and the largest in the district.
The Yamuna is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about 4,500 m (14,800 ft) on the southwestern slopes of Bandarpunch peaks of the Lower Himalaya in Uttarakhand, it travels a total length of 1,376 kilometres (855 mi) and has a drainage system of 366,223 square kilometres (141,399 sq mi), 40.2% of the entire Ganges Basin. It merges with the Ganges at Triveni Sangam, Prayagraj, which is a site of the Kumbh Mela, a Hindu festival held every 12 years.
Prayag is a historical name of the area near the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers in the modern-day city of Prayagraj in northern India.
Prabhas Patan, also known as Somnath Patan or Prabhas Kshetra, historically named Dev Patan, is an suburbs area situated in Veraval, Gir Somnath district in Saurashtra region of Gujarat, India. Somnath temple, a place of pilgrimage due to its importance as Jyotirlinga site dedicated to Shiva, is located here.
Ganga is the personification of the river Ganges, who is worshipped by Hindus as the goddess of purification and forgiveness. Known by many names, Ganga is often depicted as a fair, beautiful woman, riding a divine crocodile-like creature called the makara. Some of the earliest mentions of Ganga are found in the Rigveda, where she is mentioned as the holiest of the rivers. Her stories mainly appear in post-Vedic texts such as the Ramayana, Mahabharata, and the Puranas.
Uttarkashi, meaning Kashi of the north, is a town located in Uttarkashi district in Uttarakhand, India. Uttarkashi town is headquarters of the district. Uttarkashi is also known as Somya Kashi. Uttarkashi is a Hindu religious place for spiritual and adventurous tourism. Uttarkashi town is also called as Shivnagri. The town has number of temples and ashrams. Uttarkashi is known for its religious people, weather, education.
In Hindu tradition, Triveni Sangam is the confluence of three rivers that is also a sacred place, with a bath here said to flush away all of one's sins and free one from the cycle of rebirth.
Alopibagh is a locality/township of Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, India. The locality is close to the Kumbh Mela area, the Sangam, the rivers Ganges and Yamuna, and one of the most ancient Hindu temples of India, the Alopi Devi Mandir, is also in this locality. Alopibagh is adjacent to Daraganj, the oldest suburb of Prayagraj and the most important bathing Ghat on the bank of Ganges.
The Old Prayagraj City, at the south of Prayagraj Junction Railway Station, consists of neighborhoods like Chowk, Johnstongunj, Dariyabad, Khuldabad etc. and was in existence from the time of Akbar. Some magnificent structures erected in this era consist of the Khusro Bagh and the Allahabad Fort. In the north of Railway Station, the New Prayagraj City consists of neighborhoods like Lukergunj, Civil Lines, Georgetown, Tagoretown, Bharadwaj Puram, Ashok Nagar, Mumfordgunj etc., which are relatively new and were built during the British rule. These neighborhoods reflect British architecture like the All Saints Cathedral, Alfred Park and Allahabad High Court. Newer residential areas include neighborhoods like Kareli and suburbs like Naini Jhunsi and Manauri bajar.
Prayagraj, initially named Ilahabad or Allahabad in an anglicized version in Roman script, and anciently Prayag, is a city situated on an inland peninsula, surrounded by the rivers Ganges and Yamuna on three sides, with only one side connected to the mainland Doab region, of which it is a part. This position is of importance in Hindu scriptures for it is situated at the confluence, known as Triveni Sangam, of the holy rivers. As per Rigveda the Sarasvati River was part of the three river confluence in ancient times. It is one of four sites of the Kumbh Mela, an important mass Hindu pilgrimage.
Prayagraj ; formerly Allahabad or Ilahabad or Prayag, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Prayagraj district—the most populous district in the state and 13th most populous district in India—and the Prayagraj division. The city is the judicial capital of Uttar Pradesh with the Allahabad High Court being the highest judicial body in the state. As of 2011, Prayagraj is the seventh most populous city in the state, thirteenth in Northern India and thirty-sixth in India, with an estimated population of 1.53 million in the city. In 2011, it was ranked the world's 40th fastest-growing city. Allahabad, in 2016, was also ranked the third most liveable urban agglomeration in the state and sixteenth in the country. Hindi is the most widely spoken language in the city.
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Alopi Devi Mandir is a temple situated in Alopibagh in Prayagraj in state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is near to the holy Sangam, or confluence, where the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and the legendary Sarasvati meet. Kumbh Mela is near to this place.
Tribeni is a locality in Bansberia Municipality of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal and is currently a part of the area covered by (KMDA). It is an old holy place for the Hindus, the sanctity of which has been recognized for many centuries and had been mentioned in Pavanaduta, a Sanskrit piece of the last quarter of the 12th century. The Muslims took it over during early phases of their conquest of Bengal, also referred to as Turkish conquest in the thirteenth century. The place retains its holiness for multiple centuries, primarily due to the rivers it hosted, corroborated by records of the bathers at different timelines, who thronged during the festival of Makar Sankranti. Of the many odes written on the Ganges in various Indian languages.
Situated in the northern part of India, bordering with the capital of India New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh is one of the most popular and an established tourist destination for both Indians and non-Indians alike in India. The most populous state of India, Uttar Pradesh contains many historical monuments and places of religious significance. Geographically, Uttar Pradesh is very diverse, with Himalayan foothills in the extreme north and the Gangetic Plain in the centre. It is also home of India's most visited sites, Hinduism's holiest city, Varanasi. Kumbh city, Prayagraj. Kathak, one of the eight forms of Indian classical dances, originated from Uttar Pradesh. Uttar Pradesh is at the heart of India, hence it is also known as The Heartland of India. Cuisine of Uttar Pradesh like Awadhi cuisine, Mughlai cuisine, Kumauni cuisine are very famous not only in India but also many places abroad and Pratapgarh is also famous for Rajputana.
Panch Prayag is an expression in Hindu religious ethos, specifically used to connote the five sacred river confluences in the Garhwal Himalayas in the state of Uttarakhand, India. The five prayags - prayag meaning "place of confluence of rivers" in Sanskrit - also termed as "Prayag pentad" are Vishnuprayag, Nandaprayag, Karnaprayag, Rudraprayag and Devprayag, in the descending flow sequence of their occurrence.
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In religion and spirituality, a pilgrimage is a very long journey or search of great moral significance. Sometimes, it is a journey to a sacred area or shrine of importance to innate faith. Members of every major religion participate in pilgrimages. A person who makes such a journey is called a pilgrim.
Uttarakhand is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the "Devbhumi" due to its religious significance and numerous Hindu temples and pilgrimage sites found throughout the state. As a result, religious tourism forms a major portion of the tourism in the state. Uttarakhand is known for the natural environment of the Himalayas. 2019 Tourist Arrivals Domestic – 40,000,000 per/year and Foreigner – 150,000 per year. Tourism business in Uttarakhand generated ₹ 23,000 crores during 2013–14.
Saraswati Ghat is probably the most spectacular ghat in Prayagraj on the bank of Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located close to Mankameshwar Temple of lord Shiva. The name of ghat comes from Hindu Goddess of learning Saraswati. It is a newly built place. Stairs from three sides descend to the greenish water of the Yamuna. Above there is a park which is covered with green grass.