LUCKNOW: Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government on Friday confirmed that they are going to change the name of Allahabad to Prayagraj.
State’s Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya confirmed to ANI that for a long time the identity of Allahabad has been formed by Prayag and hence the state government has decided to change the city’s name to Prayagraj.
“The place (Allahabad) has always been recognized by its place Prayag since ages”, Maurya said.
#YogiAdityanath -led #UttarPradesh government may rechristen #Allahabad as #Prayagraj and a decision in this regard could be taken before next year's Kumbh Mela in the holy city.https://t.co/1ptIIyCf93 pic.twitter.com/OtThZmtr6T
— ANI Digital (@ani_digital) May 24, 2018
The city will be named after Prayag, which is a famous holy place in Allahabad, where three main rivers flowing across the state namely Ganges, Yamuna, and Sarasvati meet. Further, the place is also known for hosting Kumbh Mela once in every 12 years.
According to some media reports, the banners for the upcoming Kumbh Mela in 2019 mention the name of the city as Prayagraj instead of Allahabad.
In 1580, Prayag was renamed as Allahabad by Mughal emperor Akbar as he maintained that it was a place of Allah (God).
ANI inputs