Mauni Amawasya and Allahabad.

Mauni Amawasya and Allahabad.

Today is Mauni Amawasya. The main bathing day of Kumbh Mela. Please, read its significance, and the brief history of Allahabad 

Mauni Amavasya occurs on the 15th day of the dark fortnight of Magh (January-February). Mauni Amavasya is believed to be the day of conjunction of the sun and the moon. Fasting is observed on this day. The devotees do not talk to each other during the observance.  Mauni Amavasya also has a symbiotic relationship with the Kumbh Mela at Allahabad, being one of its major bathing days. This is reinforced in the annual Magha Mela of the Kalpavasis which views bathing on this day as extremely rewarding.

On this day, large number of Hindu devotees join Kalpavasis at Sangam in Prayag (Allahabad) and meditate the whole day. Thousands of Hindus from all around the world converge at Sangam to take bath. According to Hindu mythology, ‘Mauna’ (silence) is one of the most important aspects of spiritual discipline. Derived from the word Muni, a Sanyasi or Saint, who practices silence, mauna ideally symbolizes a state of oneness with the self.

Apart from its festive and religious import, Mauni Amavasya is a call of the inner self, of the need for initiating an inner ‘dialogue’ with oneself, of the need to start the spiritual journey. Swami Sivananda sees the vow of silence as one of the basic spiritual disciplines for the evolution of the ‘divine life’ of man, starting with the mauna of speech which will lead to mauna of mind. Mauni Amavasya is an opportune time to learn to control the vikshepa, freeing ourselves of distractions so that we can focus within. This is the most important day for Shahi Snaan by Akhadaas.

Allahabad,  also known as Prayag, is a city of Uttar Pradesh in India. The city's original name—Prayaga, or "place of sacrifice"—comes from its position at the sacred union of the rivers Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati. It is the second-oldest city in India and plays a central role in the Hindu scriptures. The city contains many temples and palaces.

Allahabad was originally founded as Kaushambi (Now a separate district) by the Kuru rulers of Hastinapur, who developed it as their capital. Since then, Allahabad has often being the political/ cultural/ administrative head of the entire Doab area and beyond. First as Kaushambi, then as Prathisthanpur. Later, the Mughal emperor Akbar renamed Prayag as Allahabad and made it a prominent administrative centre again.

The name is derived from the one given to the city by the Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1583. The city was known earlier as Prayaaga - a name that is still commonly used.Prayaaga existed during the Vedic period, and is mentioned in theVeda as the location where Brahma, the Creator of the Universe, attended a sacrificial ritual.Excavations have revealed Northern Black Polished Ware that dates to 600–700 BCE.The Puranas record that Yayati left Prayag and conquered the region of Saptha Sindhu.His five sonsYadu, Druhyu, Puru, Anu and Turvashu became the main tribes of the Rigveda. Bhagwaan Ram, spent some time at the Ashram of Muni Bharadwaj before proceeding to nearby Chitrakoot

When the Aryans first settled in what they termed the Aaryaavarta , Prayaag (or Kaushambi) was an important part of their territory.The Kuru Kingdom, rulers of Hastinapur (near present day in Meerut), established the town of Kaushambi near Prayaag.They shifted their capital to Kaushambi when Hastinapur was destroyed by floods.

The Doabaa region, including Allahabad, was controlled by several empires and dynasties in the ages to come.The area became a part of the Mauryan and Gupta empires of the east and the Kushan empire of the west before becoming part of the local Kannauj empire in 15th century.The city was the scene of Maratha incursions before colonial rule was imposed over India In 1765, the British established a garrison at Allahabad fort.

Allahabad became a part of the Delhi sultanate when the town was annexed by Mohammad Ghori in A.D. 1193.Later, the Mughals took over from the slave rulers of Delhi and under them Prayag rose to prominence. Akbar built a magnificent fort, on the banks of the holy sangam in 1575.

In 1765, the combined forces of the Nawab of Awadh and the Mughal emperor Shah Alam II lost the Battle of Buxar to the British. Although the British did not yet establish direct rule, they realized the strategic position of Allahabad as the gateway to the northwest and established a garrison at the fort. In 1801, the Nawab of Awadh ceded the city to the British East India Company. Gradually the other parts of Doaba and adjoining region in its west (including Delhi and Ajmer-Mewara regions) were won by the British. The north western areas were made into a new Presidency called the "North Western Provinces of Agra", with their capital at Agra.  Allahabad remained an important part of this state. In 1834, Allahabad became the seat of the Government of the Agra Province, and a High Court was established—but a year laterz both were relocated to Agra.

In 1857, Allahabad was active in the Indian Mutiny. After the mutiny, the British truncated the Delhi region of the state, merging it with Punjab, and transferred the capital of North west Provinces to Allahabad, where it remained for 20 years. Later, In 1877 the two provinces of Agra (NWPA) and Awadh were merged to form a new state which was called the United Provinces. Allahabad served as the capital of United Provinces until 1920.

During the 1857 mutiny, Allahabad had a significant presence of European troops. Maulvi Liaquat Ali freedom fighter of 1857, unfurled the banner of revolt. After the Mutiny was quelled, the British established the High Court, the Police Headquarters and the Public Service Commission in the city. This transformed Allahabad into an administrative center.

The fourth session of the Indian National Congress was held in the city in 1888. By the turn of the century, Allahabad was a nodal point for the revolutionaries. The Karmyogi office of Sundar Lal in Chowk sparked patriotism among youth. Nityanand Chatterji became a household name when he hurled the first bomb at the European club. It was at Alfred Park in Allahabad where, in 1931, the great revolutionary Chandrashekhar Azad killed himself when surrounded by the British Police.