Prayag

Prayag is ancient name of Allahabad. It is one of the ancient pilgrimage centers of India, and it represents the confluence of the rivers Yamuna and Ganga, near (in) the city of Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh.

Prayag is referred to as Triveni Sangamam - it is believed that the subterranian river Saraswati also meets the Ganga along with the Yamuna at this place.

Prayag is also associated with the legend of the celestial nectar of immortality - Amritam. As per another story, Jupiter, the guru of the Devas, picked up the pot of the celestial nectar as it emerged from the milky ocean and made off with it, to prevent the demons from having access to it. The enraged demons chased him. In the course of the chase, the pot Kumbha overflowed, and the nectar fell into four different places on earth, corresponding to Prayag, Nasik, Ujjain and Haridwar.

Bathing at the Sangam is considered special in the Hindu month of Magha - when the sun resides in Capricorn - especially on Makara Sankranti, Ratha Saptami, the full moon and new moon day.