Prayagraj · The Sangam
The Sangam at Prayagraj: Where the Rivers Meet
The Sangam is where the Ganga and the Yamuna meet at Prayagraj, and where, according to tradition, the unseen Saraswati joins them. It lies about 7 km from Civil Lines, below the eastern walls of the fort, and it is the bathing place of the yearly Magh Mela.
Pilgrims reach the water on foot across the wide riverbank, or by boat from the ghats near the fort. Two old shrines stand nearby: the Akshayavat inside the fort, and the Bade Hanuman temple at Daraganj.
The Sangam at a glance
| Topic | What the official sources say |
|---|---|
| Rivers | The Ganga and the Yamuna, which you can see. According to tradition, the Saraswati joins them unseen. |
| Where | About 7 km from Civil Lines, below the eastern walls of the fort built by Akbar |
| By road | Vehicles stop at parking outside the bathing area and the last stretch is on foot. At the 2025 Maha Kumbh, parking was 1 to 2 km from the ghats. |
| By boat | Boats can be hired at the ghat near the fort. In 2025 the mela authority listed boat routes to the Sangam from 14 ghats and crossings. |
| Akshayavat | Inside the fort, in the underground Patalpuri temple. Only part of the fort is open to visitors. |
| Bade Hanuman | At Daraganj, on the bank of the Ganga, with an image of Hanuman lying down |
| Magh Mela 2027 | Expected from 15 January to 6 March 2027, with six main bathing days. See the bathing days. |
Where the Ganga and the Yamuna meet
The district describes the meeting point plainly: the brown water of the Ganga meets the green water of the Yamuna, and the Saraswati, which cannot be seen, is believed to flow underground. The mela authority calls the Saraswati an invisible river.
At the meeting point, priests sit on small platforms in the river and help pilgrims with puja and the ritual bath in the shallow water, according to the district. The district calls the Sangam Tirtharaj, the king of tirthas.
According to tradition, a bath here carries great merit. The mela authority writes that the Brahma Purana compares a bath at the Sangam to the merit of the Ashvamedha yajna, and that the Skanda Purana praises the baths of the winter months, among them Makar Sankranti, Mauni Amavasya, Basant Panchami and Maghi Purnima. These are bathing days of the Magh Mela.
Inside the fort, the district says, is the Saraswati Koop, a well said to be the source of the Saraswati. For the history of Prayag and its Kumbh, read our Prayagraj Kumbh guide.
Reaching the bathing area by road
Each mela lays out its own roads, parking and pontoon bridges on the riverbed. The plan for Magh Mela 2027 has not been published. This is how official sources describe the last two melas.
- Park, then walk. At the 2025 Maha Kumbh, the mela authority put parking zones 1 to 2 km from the bathing ghats, grouped into City, Naini, Jhusi and Phaphamau areas. For the 2026 Magh Mela, All India Radio reported parking at 42 places.
- No vehicles near the river on main bathing days. In 2025, no-vehicle zones and diversions applied from the day before to the day after each main bathing day, and from two days before to two days after Mauni Amavasya.
- Shuttles on other days. In 2025, shuttle buses, CNG autos and e-rickshaws ran on regular days, and walking signs led from every railway station to the mela area.
- Pontoon bridges. Temporary pontoon bridges are laid across the river for the big melas. The 2025 Maha Kumbh had 30 of them, according to PIB. The number for 2027 has not been announced.
- Sectors. The mela ground is divided into numbered sectors. In 2026 the Magh Mela covered about 800 hectares in seven sectors, All India Radio reported.
On a main bathing day, expect a long walk from the parking or the station. Bathe only at the ghats the police and mela staff direct you to, and follow their instructions. Our guide to reaching Prayagraj covers trains, buses and flights.
Reaching the Sangam by boat
The district says boats to the Sangam can be hired at the ghat near the fort. They take pilgrims out to the meeting point in mid-river, where the priests’ platforms stand.
For the 2025 Maha Kumbh, the mela authority published boat routes to the Sangam from 14 ghats and crossings, among them Quila Ghat, Arail Ghat, Saraswati Ghat, Minto Park, Mankameshwar and Someshwar Ghat. It fixed a fare per person for each route, marked two routes (from Ram Ghat at Jhunsi and from Raj Ghat) as closed during the mela, and published a list of verified boatmen.
No boat routes, fares or list of boatmen for Magh Mela 2027 have been published. Until they are, agree the fare and the return trip with the boatman before you step in, and follow the instructions of the boatmen and the mela staff on the water.
Akshayavat and the Bade Hanuman temple
Both shrines stand near the Sangam and are part of the pilgrimage to it. This is how the district and the mela authority describe them; the stories are tradition.
Akshayavat and the Patalpuri temple
The Akshayavat, the ‘immortal’ or ‘indestructible’ banyan, stands in the underground Patalpuri temple inside the fort, which Emperor Akbar built in 1583 on the bank of the Yamuna beside the Sangam. According to tradition, Rama, Lakshman and Sita rested there during their exile. The mela authority notes that the Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang and the archaeologist Alexander Cunningham wrote about the tree.
The fort is used by the army, and the district says only a limited area is open to visitors, including the Ashokan Pillar and the Saraswati Koop. In December 2024 the Prime Minister worshipped at the Akshayavat and said a corridor to it was being built. Check the current entry rules and timings locally before you go.
Bade Hanuman temple (Lete Hanuman)
At Daraganj, on the bank of the Ganga, is the temple the district calls the Sankatmochan Hanuman temple. In the city it is known as Bade Hanuman, Qila (fort) Hanuman, Lete Hanuman and Bandh (dam) Hanuman. Its image of Hanuman lies down; it is believed to face south, to be about 20 feet long and to lie at least 6 feet below the ground.
According to the story the district tells, Hanuman was tired on his way back from Lanka and lay down here, on the bank of the Sangam, at Sita’s request. Another story tells of an image brought by boat from Vindhyachal that sank in the river and was found years later, when the water fell, by Baba Balgiri Maharaj. The temple is believed to be 600 to 700 years old.
In December 2024 the Prime Minister had darshan here and said a Hanuman temple corridor was being built. We found no official notice that it is finished, so check locally.
What is not announced yet
- The layout of the Magh Mela 2027 ground: its sectors, ghats and pontoon bridges.
- Parking areas, shuttle services and the no-vehicle rules for the bathing days.
- Boat routes, fares and the list of verified boatmen for 2027.
- Entry arrangements at the Akshayavat and the Bade Hanuman temple during the mela.
- The mela authority’s own list of 2027 bathing days. The six expected days are on our bathing days page.
We will add each item, with its source, when the Prayagraj Mela Authority or the district publishes it.
Where it is
- 1Triveni SangamGhat · This page
- 2Akshayavat TempleTemple
- 3Bade Hanuman TempleTemple
- 4Allahabad FortPlace
- 5Mankameshwar TempleTemple
A guide to where places are, not a route plan. During the mela, roads and ghats open and close by the official plan; follow police and mela directions.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Some temple locations from Wikidata (CC0). openstreetmap.org/copyright
Questions people ask
Which rivers meet at the Sangam in Prayagraj?
The Ganga and the Yamuna, which you can see. According to tradition, the Saraswati also joins them, unseen and believed to flow underground.
How do pilgrims get to the Sangam?
On foot from the parking areas across the riverbank, or by boat from the ghats near the fort. At recent melas, vehicles were stopped well before the river on main bathing days. The routes for Magh Mela 2027 have not been published.
Can I visit the Akshayavat?
It is in the underground Patalpuri temple inside the fort. The fort is used by the army and only part of it is open to visitors, so check the current entry rules locally before you go.