Timeline of Prayagraj

This is a timeline of the history of the city of Prayagraj , Uttar Pradesh, India.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

7th century BCE

c. 600

• Excavations have revealed Northern Black Polished Ware dating to Indian Iron Age. ^[1]

4th century BCE

312

• A strong fortification at Prayaga was recorded by Seleucus I Nicator at the junction of Ganga and Yamuna river. ^[2]

3rd century BCE

250

• A sculptured monument (Pillars of Ashoka) was erected in Prayaga by Ashoka the Great for inscribing his edicts. ^[2]

7th century CE

612

• Harsha's official coronation and a religious conference took place in the city. ^[3]

644

The Chinese traveler Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang) described a ritual organized by Emperor Shiladitya (identified with Harsha) at the confluence of two rivers, in the kingdom of Po-lo-ye-kia (identified with Prayaga). He also mentions that many hundreds took a bath at the confluence, to wash away their sins. ^[4] According to some scholars, this is earliest surviving historical account of the Prayaga Kumbh Mela, which took place in Prayaga in 644 CE. ^[5] However, Xuanzang's reference is about an event that happened every 5 years (and not 12 years), and might have been a Buddhist celebration (since Harsha was a Buddhist emperor). ^{[6] [7]}

10th century CE

916

• Pratihara Empire including Prayaga and Kannauj was captured and plundered by Indra III under the reign of Mahipala I. ^[8]

12th century CE

1194

• The city was invaded by Shihab ad-Din, the sultan of Ghurid Empire. ^[9]

14th century CE

c. 1300 – c. 1400

• City went under the Khalji dynasty, ruled by Alauddin Khalji. ^[10]

16th century CE

c. 1575 – c. 1583

• Akbarnama mentions that the Mughal emperor Akbar founded a great city in Prayag. `Abd al-Qadir Bada'uni and Nizamuddin Ahmad mention that Akbar laid the foundations of an Imperial City at Prayag which he called Ilahabas. ^[11]

c. 1575 – c. 1583

The Allahabad Fort was built by Mughal Emperor Akbar at Prayag. He had been impressed with its strategic position, as it sat on the confluence of Ganga and Yamuna, with the fort allowing for any movement along both. ^[12]

c. 1574 – c. 1584

• Per Abu'l Fazal, Akbar laid the foundations of a city called Ilahabas at the town of Prayag on 13 November 1583. ^[13]
• Per `Abd al-Qadir Bada'uni, the date of its founding as 14 June 1574. ^[13]
• Nizamuddin Ahmad mentions two different dates, one as 13 July 1574. He also mentioned Akbar laying the foundation in the section about occurrences in the year 1584. ^[13]

1580

• Akbar divides his empire into 12 subahs based on names of the country or their capital. The "Subah of Ilahabas" is created. ^[13]

17th century CE

c. 1602 – c. 1604

• Prince Salim seizes its treasury and establishes himself as a virtually independent ruler. ^[14] In May 1602, Salim had his name read in Friday prayers and his name minted on coins in Illahabas. Akbar reconciled with Salim and the latter returned to the royal court in 1604. ^[15]

c. 1622

• Prince Khusrau died that year. ^{[16] [17]} After his death his father Jahangir built his mausoleum in the city along with his mother and sister at Khusro Bagh. ^[10]

18th century CE

1721

• Muhammad Khan Bangash of the Mughal Empire became the subahdar (governor) of Illahabas Province. ^{[18] [19]}

1735

• City fell into the hands of Maratha Empire until 1750. ^[10]

1750

• Pathans of Farrukhabad sacked the city. ^[10]

1753

• Safdarjung, the Nawab of Awadh seized the city and held it until 1765. ^[10]

1765

• 12 August: Treaty of Allahabad was signed. The Treaty marks the political and constitutional involvement and the beginning of Company rule in India. ^[20]

19th century CE

1801

• Annexation of the city by the British East India Company (beginning the Company rule). ^{[21] [22]}

1803

• The 17th century Jade Terrapin was found at the bottom of a well during engineering excavations. It was bequeathed it to the British Museum in 1830. ^[23]

1821

• Population: 20,000. ^{[24] [25]}

1833

• The city became the seat of Ceded and Conquered Provinces before the capital was shifted to Agra in 1835. ^[26]

1839

• Holy Trinity Church, the first church in the city, was established. ^{[27] [28]}

1856

• Rail transport was introduced to the city; the first railway line between Calcutta and Prayagraj was completed. ^{[29] [30] [31]}

1857

• Prayagraj was a participant in the Rebellion of 1857. ^[32] The city, with a number of European troops, ^[33] was the scene of a massacre. ^[34]
• Civil Lines was built; it was the largest town-planning project carried out in India before the establishment of New Delhi. ^{[35] [36]}

1858

• Earl Canning, at Minto Park, read out the declaration of Queen Victoria's Proclamation which resulted in the complete transfer of control over India from The East India Company to the government of Britain (beginning the British Rule). ^{[37] [38]}
• The city became the seat of North-Western Provinces. ^[39]
• It became the capital of India. ^[39]

1859

• 3 March: First passenger train in North India ran between Prayagraj and Kanpur.

1861

• Population: 105,900. ^{[24] [25]}

1863

• Prayagraj Municipal Corporation established as the Municipal Board of Prayagraj. ^[29]

1864

• Allahabad Public Library was established. ^[40]

1865

• The Pioneer made its first appearance. ^[41]
• 15 August: Construction of the Old Naini Bridge was completed. ^[42]
• Allahabad Bank was established. ^[43]

1866

• 25 November: The Allahabad High Court was inaugurated. Though it sat in Agra till 1868. ^[44]

1869

• The High Court was moved back to Prayagraj from Agra. ^[44]

1870

• The building of Allahabad Public Library was built. ^[40]
• State Police Headquarters established in the city. ^[40]
• Chandrashekhar Azad Park was built. ^[40]

1871

• 10 April: Foundation stone of All Saints Cathedral was laid. ^[45]
• Population: 143,700. ^{[24] [25]}

1877

• A. H. Wheeler was founded. ^{[46] [47]}

1879

• St. Joseph's Cathedral was built. ^[48]
• Mayo Memorial Hall was built. ^[49]

1881

• Population: 148,500. ^{[24] [25]}

1887

• 23 September: University of Allahabad, the fourth oldest University in India, was established. ^[50]

1888

• The fourth conference of the Indian National Congress addressed in the city by George Yule. ^{[51] [52]}

1891

• Population: 175,200. ^{[24] [25]}

1892

• The eighth conference of the Indian National Congress addressed in the city by Womesh Chunder Bonnerjee. ^[52]

1896

• The city was hit by the Famine of 1896. A considerable effect was seen in the decrease of the city population during the Census of 1901. ^{[24] [53] [25]}

1899

• The fifteenth conference of the Indian National Congress addressed in the city by Romesh Chunder Dutt. ^[52]

20th century

1901

• Population: 172,000. ^{[24] [25]}

1902

• The city became the capital of United Provinces till 1920. ^{[39] [54]}
• Curzon Bridge was built; it linked the city, through rail road, to the northern regions of the state ^[55]
• Ewing Christian College was established. ^{[56] [57]}

1909

• 24 October: The Leader was first published. It circulated until 1967. ^{[58] [59]}

1910

• Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences was established. ^[60]

1911

• 18 February: Henri Pequet carried the world's first official airmail from Prayagraj to Naini. ^{[61] [62]}

1913

• Prayagraj Clock Tower was built in Chowk, Prayagraj. ^[63]

1914

• D.A.V College was established.

1919

• Prayagraj Airport was built, it served as an international airport till 1946. ^[63]

1921

• Population: 157,200. ^{[24] [25]}

1926

• Prayag Sangeet Samiti was established.

1930

• 11 April: Salt March carried out by Jawaharlal Nehru. ^{[64] [65]}
• Allahabad Address was made by Muhammad Iqbal. ^[66]

1931

• 27 February: Chandrashekhar Azad died at Alfred Park. ^[67]
• Allahabad Museum was established. ^[68]
• Population: 183,900. ^{[24] [25]}

1941

• Population: 260,600. ^{[24] [25]}

1942

• Prayag Kumbh Mela banned by the British Government due to fears of Japanese bombing the nearby situated Akbar Fort during the World War II ^[69]

1951

• Population: 332,300. ^{[24] [25]}

1954

• First incident of Kumbh Mela stampede occurred. ^[70]

1961

• Population: 412,000. ^{[24] [25]}

1971

• Population: 513,000. ^{[24] [25]}

1980

• Jawahar Planetarium was built. ^[71]

1981

• Population: 642,200. ^{[24] [25]}

1985

• First Indira Marathon was conducted. ^[72]

1991

• Population: 792,900. ^{[24] [25]}

1999

• Indian Institute of Information Technology, Allahabad was established. ^[73]

21st century

2001

• Population: 990,298. ^{[24] [25]}

2004

• New Yamuna Bridge was completed. ^[74]

2011

• Population: 1,117,094. ^[75]

2013

• 10 February: An estimated 30 million people gathered in the city to bathe on Mauni Amavasya during Kumbh Mela. ^{[76] [77] [78] [79]}
• Second incident of Kumbh Mela stampede occurred. ^[80]

2015

• 25 January: MoU signed between the United States Trade and Development Agency and the Government of Uttar Pradesh for developing the city as a smart city. ^{[81] [82] [83]}
• 23 June: Civil Lines Bus Depot became the first public spot in the city to be equipped with free Wi-Fi. ^{[84] [85]}

2016

• 23 April: Completion of renovation and inauguration of Chandrashekhar Azad Park. ^[86]

2017

• 22 April: On Earth Day, the Allahabad Museum, using solar power system, became the first museum in the country to become self-reliant in power generation. ^[87]

2018

• October: Yogi Adityanath-led government officially changed the name of the city to Prayagraj.

2020

• 24 March: City, along with the nation, was put under lockdown due to COVID-19 pandemic.

See also

• History of Prayagraj
• Prayagraj Smart City Project

References

1. Shiva Kumar Dubey (2001). Kumbh city Prayag. Centre for Cultural Resources and Training. pp. 31–41. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
2. Bhatia, H. S. (1 January 2008). Military History of British India, 1607-1947. Deep and Deep Publications. p. 95. ISBN   9788184500790 . Retrieved 2 November 2014.
3. Bhattacherje, S. B. (1 May 2009). Encyclopaedia of Indian Events & Dates. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. pp. A-16. ISBN   9788120740747 . Retrieved 24 March 2014.
4. Buddhist Records of the Western World, Book V Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine by Xuan Zang
5. Dilip Kumar Roy; Indira Devi (1955). Kumbha: India's ageless festival. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. p. xxii.
6. Vikram Doctor (10 February 2013). "Kumbh mela dates back to mid-19th century, shows research". Economic Times. Archived from the original on 13 February 2013.
7. Kama MacLean (August 2003). "Making the Colonial State Work for You: The Modern Beginnings of the Ancient Kumbh Mela in Allahabad". The Journal of Asian Studies. 62 (3): 873–905. doi:10.2307/3591863. JSTOR   3591863. S2CID   162404242.
8. Bhattacherje, S. B. (1 May 2009). Encyclopaedia of Indian Events & Dates. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. p. 21. ISBN   9788120740747 . Retrieved 24 March 2014.
9. The Imperial Gazetteer of India v. 5 (New ed.). Clarendon Press. p. 299. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
10. Bhatia, H. S. (1 January 2008). Military History of British India, 1607-1947. Deep and Deep Publications. p. 96. ISBN   9788184500790 . Retrieved 2 November 2014.
11. Ujagir Singh (1958). Allahabad: a study in urban geography. Banaras Hindu University. pp. 31–32.
12. Kama Maclean (2008). Pilgrimage and Power: The Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, 1765-1954. Oxford University Press. p. 62. ISBN   9780195338942.
13. Surendra Nath Sinha (1974). Subah of Allahabad under the great Mughals, 1580-1707. Jamia Millia Islamia. p. 85.
14. Abraham Eraly (2000). Emperors of the Peacock Throne: The Saga of the Great Mughals. Penguin Books India. p. 223. ISBN   9780141001432.
15. John F. Richards (1995). The Mughal Empire, Part 1, Volume 5. Cambridge University Press. p. 55. ISBN   9780521566032.
16. Mahajan V.D. (1991, reprint 2007) History of Medieval India, Part II, New Delhi: S. Chand, ISBN   81-219-0364-5, pp.126-7
17. Melton, J. Gordon (15 January 2014). Faiths Across Time: 5,000 Years of Religious History. ABC-CLIO. p. 1163. ISBN   9781610690263 . Retrieved 3 November 2014.
18. "Marathas and the English Company 1707-1818 by Sanderson Beck". san.beck.org. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
19. "Giving women their due in history - Bangalore Mirror". bangaloremirror.com. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
20. Bhattacherje, S. B. (1 May 2009). Encyclopaedia of Indian Events & Dates. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. pp. A-96. ISBN   9788120740747 . Retrieved 24 March 2014.
21. Everyman's Dictionary of Dates; 6th ed. J. M. Dent, 1971; p. 32
22. Bhatia, H. S. (1 January 2008). Military History of British India, 1607-1947. Deep and Deep Publications. p. 97. ISBN   9788184500790 . Retrieved 2 November 2014.
23. "figure". British Museum.
24. "INDIA : urban population". www.populstat.info.
25. The Far East and Australasia. Psychology Press. 2002. p. 469. ISBN   9781857431339.
26. H.S. Bhatia (2008). Military History of British India: 1607 - 1947. Deep and Deep Publications'. p. 97. ISBN   978-81-8450-079-0 . Retrieved 16 February 2014.
27. "Lecture on churches of Allahabad". The Times of India. 3 January 2013. Retrieved 3 January 2019.
28. "THE HOLY TRINITY CHURCH, ALLAHABAD". Hindustan Times (Lucknow). 25 December 2012.
29. Joshi, A. (2008). Town Planning Regeneration of Cities. New India Pub. Agency. p. 122. ISBN   9788189422820 . Retrieved 11 January 2017.
30. Jain, P.C. (1986). Hindu Society of North-Western Province, 1801-1856. Puja Publishers. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
31. Bhanu, D. (1957). The Province of Agra: Its History and Administration. Concept. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
32. Visalakshi Menon (9 October 2003). From Movement To Government: The Congress in the United Provinces, 1937–42. SAGE Publications. p. 286. ISBN   978-0-7619-9620-0 . Retrieved 25 September 2012.
33. Edward John Thompson; Geoffrey Theodore Garratt (1962). Rise and Fulfilment of British rule in India. Central Book Depot. Retrieved 16 August 2014.
34. Pletcher, Kenneth (15 August 2010). The Geography of India: Sacred and Historic Places. The Rosen Publishing Group. p. 128. ISBN   9781615301423 . Retrieved 21 March 2014.
35. Jonathan M. Bloom, Sheila Blai (2009). The Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art and Architecture, Volume 3. Oxford University Press. p. 57. ISBN   978-8125013839.
36. Henry George Keene (1875). A Hand-book for Visitors to Lucknow: With Preliminary Notes on Allahabad and Cawnpore. J. Jetley. pp. 14–15. ISBN   81-206-1527-1.
37. Bhatt, S.C. (2005). Land and People of Indian States and Union Territories: In 36 Volumes. Uttar Pradesh. Vol. 28. Kalpaz publ. p. 453. ISBN   9788178353845 . Retrieved 11 January 2017.
38. "Minto Park - Minto Park Allahabad - Allahabad Minto Park - Madan Mohan Malaviya Park Allahabad India". bharatonline.co. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
39. Ashutosh Joshi (1 January 2008). Town Planning Regeneration of Cities. New India Publishing. p. 237. ISBN   978-8189422820.
40. Ashutosh Joshi (1 January 2008). Town Planning Regeneration of Cities. New India Publishing. p. 139. ISBN   978-8189422820.
41. Bhattacherje, S. B. (1 May 2009). Encyclopaedia of Indian Events & Dates. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. p. 142. ISBN   9788120740747 . Retrieved 24 March 2014.
42. "Railway Bridge over Jumna at Allahabad". bl.uk. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
43. Rajesh (2009). Banking Theory Law N Practice. Tata McGraw-Hill Education. p. 8. ISBN   9780070091238 . Retrieved 4 November 2014.
44. Bhattacherje, S. B. (1 May 2009). Encyclopaedia of Indian Events & Dates. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. pp. 142–143. ISBN   9788120740747 . Retrieved 24 March 2014.
45. "All Saints Cathedral celebrates 130th Anniversary today". The Times of India . 31 October 2001. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014.
46. Motihar, Jhilmil (19 August 2011). "The original Wheeler dealers". New Delhi: HT Media. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
47. Sethi, Atul (4 September 2011). "Train of thoughts". The Times of India . Mumbai. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2012.
48. "Churches in Allahabad". allahabadinfo.com. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
49. "Richard Roskell Bayne collection". Archived from the original on 4 July 2013. Retrieved 27 August 2015.
50. Handbook of Universities, Volume1. Atlantic Publishers & Dist. 1 January 2006. p. 17. ISBN   81-269-0607-3 . Retrieved 2 November 2014.
51. Catherine Hall; Sonya O. Rose (2006). At Home with the Empire: Metropolitan Culture and the Imperial World. Cambridge University Press. p. 281. ISBN   978-1-139-46009-5.
52. Aggarwal, R. C. General Knowledge for all Competitive Exams. Bright Publications. p. 94. Retrieved 14 December 2014.
53. The Imperial Gazetteer of India v. 5 (New ed.). Clarendon Press. p. 230. Retrieved 6 November 2014.
54. Kerry Ward (2009). Networks of Empire: Forced Migration in the Dutch East India Company. Cambridge University Press. p. 340. ISBN   978-0-521-88586-7 . Retrieved 3 August 2012.
55. "India Office Select Materials" . Retrieved 24 May 2013.
56. "404 Page Not Found". ecc.ac.in. Archived from the original on 25 July 2013. Retrieved 11 January 2017.{{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
57. Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 5, p. 241
58. "The Leader (Allahabad, India)". Vol. 1, no. 1. (Oct. 24, 1909)-v. 230, no. 20762 (Sept. 6, 1967)
59. "Newspapers and Periodicals: N4787 The Leader". Duke University Library System. Archived from the original on 1 September 2010.
60. Anderson, G.H. (1999). Biographical Dictionary of Christian Missions. W.B. Eerdmans Pub. p. 292. ISBN   9780802846808 . Retrieved 3 July 2015.
61. "The First Airmail Flight in the World". Archived from the original on 5 November 2013.
62. Bhattacherje, S. B. (1 May 2009). Encyclopaedia of Indian Events & Dates. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. pp. B-17. ISBN   9788120740747 . Retrieved 24 March 2014.
63. Ashutosh Joshi (1 January 2008). Town Planning Regeneration of Cities. New India Publishing. p. 121. ISBN   978-8189422820.
64. Khanal, Vinod (9 November 2014). "Nehru defied British, made salt at Allahabad". The Times of India . Prayagraj. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
65. Khanal, Vinod (13 November 2014). "Mahatma Gandhi describes Nehru's arrest in 1930 as 'rest'". The Times of India . Prayagraj. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
66. Sir Muhammad Iqbal’s 1930 Presidential Address, from Columbia University site
67. Bhattacherje, S. B. (1 May 2009). Encyclopaedia of Indian Events & Dates. Sterling Publishers Pvt. Ltd. pp. B-19. ISBN   9788120740747 . Retrieved 24 March 2014.
68. "Allahabad Museum to celebrate Foundation Day". The Times of India . 5 March 2010. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014.
69. "'British scrapped Magh mela in 1942'". The Times of India . Retrieved 11 January 2017.
70. The worst stampede was in Prayagraj in 1954, killing 800. The Guardian , 28 August 2003.
71. Institutions JNMF.
72. "Stage set for Indira Marathon on Nov 19". The Times of India . 16 November 2010. Archived from the original on 7 April 2013.
73. "IIIT Allahabad admissions: M.Tech courses invited". m.indiatoday.in. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
74. "Startseite" (PDF). 13 November 2019.
75. "censusindia 2011: Major Agglomerations" (PDF). Retrieved 25 April 2014.
76. "Over three crore people take holy dip in Kumbh Mela on 'Mauni Amavasya'". NDTV.com. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
77. Omar Rashid (10 February 2013). "3 crore pilgrims expected at Kumbh Mela today". The Hindu. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
78. "Mahakumbh: Over 3 crore devotees expected to take holy dip on Mauni Amavasya". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
79. "Two killed in Mahakumbh stampede as over 3 crore take holy dip". World News. Retrieved 3 November 2014.
80. "Kumbh Mela chief Azam Khan resigns over stampede". BBC. 11 February 2013. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
81. "India, U.S. sign three MoUs on smart cities - The Hindu". thehindu.com. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
82. "Now World Bank wants to turn Allahabad into a Smart City THIS MAY BE POSSIBLE IF PLANS ARE NOT LOCALLY EXECUTED". activeindiatv.com. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
83. "Modi-Obama meet: US to help India develop three smart cities". The Times of India . Washington. 1 October 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
84. "Free wi-fi facility at Civil Lines Bus Depot soon". The Times of India . Retrieved 11 January 2017.
85. "Civil Lines makeover to be as Lucknow's Hazratganj market". The Times of India . Retrieved 11 January 2017.
86. "Azad Park spruced up, to be thrown open on Apr 23 | Allahabad News". The Times of India.
87. "Allahabad Museum switches to solar power, becomes first energy self-reliant museum - ET EnergyWorld". ETEnergyworld.com.