Those questioning renaming of Allahabad as Prayagraj have ‘zero understanding of history’, says CM Yogi Adityanath

Justifying the decision, he said: “Prayagraj was named Allahabad during the Mughal era, around 500 years ago. The place is a confluence of three holy rivers namely the (invisible) Saraswati, Yamuna, and Ganga, hence the name Prayagraj. People who have zero understanding of our history and traditions would question the move.”

Earlier today, the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet had cleared a proposal to rechristen Allahabad as Prayagraj. The meeting was presided over by Chief Minister himself. Last week, Adiyanath during Allahabad visit had said that ‘if a broad consensus is reached, the city will be renamed as Prayagraj’.

The reaction from Chief Minister Adityanath came in the wake of opposition parties targeting the government. Both the Congress and Samajwadi Party have called the decision a part of BJP’s larger strategy to polarise the voters ahead of the general elections that will be held in April-May next year.

Allahabad is still the second administrative capital of Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow. The city is located in the southern part of the state and stands on the holy confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati, thus giving it a religious importance among the Hindus.

It is widely believed that the place was known as Prayag before the third Mughal Emperor Akbar founded the city in 1575 and named it ‘Illahabas’ which literally meant ‘The City if Allah’. The city served as the provincial capital of the Mughals for a long time before it was captured by Marathas. In 1801, the Nawab of Oudh ceded it to the British government. In 1858, the British government named it Allahabad and made the capital of United Provinces of Agra and Oudh.