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The entrance to the Akshayavat and Patalpuri Temple at Prayagraj Fort, with its name board above the doorway
Akshayavat and Patalpuri Temple, Prayagraj Fort. Photo: Nikhil2789, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Prayagraj · Holy places

Akshayavat and Patalpuri Temple during the Prayagraj melas

KumbhMela.info Editorial TeamChecked on Fri 16 Oct 2026

The Akshayavat is a banyan held sacred as the 'immortal' tree, in the underground Patalpuri temple inside the fort at Prayagraj, on the Yamuna beside the Sangam. According to tradition it can never be destroyed, and Rama, Lakshmana and Sita rested near it during their exile.

EvergreenChecked on Fri 16 Oct 2026

The tree and its traditions do not change. Entry rules do: the district's page still says army permission is needed, while later announcements opened the shrine to pilgrims. Entry arrangements and timings for Magh Mela 2027 had not been announced on 16 October 2026.

The fort is used by the army, so entry depends on its rules, and those rules have changed. The army opened the shrine to visitors during the 2013 Maha Kumbh, and in December 2018 the Prime Minister announced that pilgrims at the 2019 Kumbh would be able to visit the tree.

This page covers Akshayavat and Patalpuri Temple during the Prayagraj melas. Its history, darshan timings and year-round visitor details are on the Akshayavat and Patalpuri Temple page on Tirth.com.

Akshayavat at a glance

  • Where

    In the underground Patalpuri temple, inside the fort Akbar built in 1583 on the Yamuna, beside the Sangam.1,2

  • Known for

    The Akshayavat, the 'immortal banyan'. By tradition it can never be destroyed, and prayer at it brings moksha.3,1

  • Steps and access

    The fort is used by the army; only a limited area is open. The district says army permission is needed. Check at the gate.1,3

  • Daily ritual

    Not published yet. No official timings for the shrine.

  • Nearest official help point

    Not published yet for Magh Mela 2027.

  • Magh Mela 2027 status

    2027 is a Magh Mela year, expected 15 January to 6 March 2027. Entry arrangements at the shrine are not announced.4

On a Kumbh day

  • During the 2013 Maha Kumbh, on 16 January, the army opened the Patalpuri temple, the Akshayvat and the Saraswati Koop to the public, PTI reported.
  • At the 2025 Maha Kumbh the mela ran an Akshayavat lost-and-found centre on Akshaywat Road, in Sector 3.
  • At the 2025 Maha Kumbh, vehicles were stopped around each main bathing day, from the day before to the day after, and the last stretch to the river was on foot.
Sources for these facts (4)
  1. District Prayagraj, Government of Uttar Pradesh: Places of Interest (Sangam, Allahabad Fort, Patalpuri and Akshaya Vat)
  2. Uttar Pradesh Tourism, Government of Uttar Pradesh: Allahabad Fort
  3. District Prayagraj, Government of Uttar Pradesh: Places of Interest: Akshay Vat, Nag Vasuki, Mankameshwar, Alopi Devi and Minto Park sections
  4. Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India (listing credited to Uttar Pradesh Tourism): Magh Mela 2027

The tradition of the immortal banyan

According to tradition, the Akshayavat is an eternal tree that will never be destroyed, and pilgrims believe that prayer at it brings moksha, the district says. It is also said that Rama spent a night near the tree on his way to the forest. The district adds that the place is holy for Jains too.

The mela authority writes that Rama, Lakshmana and Sita are said to have rested here during their exile from Ayodhya, and that the Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang and the archaeologist Alexander Cunningham wrote about the tree. The Ministry of Culture calls it a sacred tree mentioned in Hindu texts.

PTI noted in January 2019 that, according to folklore, the tree has the power to fulfil wishes. For the history of Prayag and its Kumbh, read our Prayagraj Kumbh guide.

What you do here

Darshan of the Akshayavat

The tree lies within the underground Patalpuri temple, the district says. Marble was laid around it in 1992, and about 22 metres of cloth are wrapped near its roots.1,2

Saraswati Koop

The open area of the fort also holds the Saraswati Koop, a well said to be the source of the Saraswati. The mela authority says it was refurbished for the 2025 Maha Kumbh.1,3

Akbar's Fort seen across the water at the Sangam in the evening, with boats and a floating jetty below.The fort at the Sangam at dusk. Photo: Rangan Datta Wiki, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A boat to the Sangam

Boats to the Sangam can be hired at the ghat near the fort, the district says. No boat routes have been published for 2027.1,4

Sources for these cards (4)
  1. District Prayagraj, Government of Uttar Pradesh: Places of Interest (Sangam, Allahabad Fort, Patalpuri and Akshaya Vat)
  2. District Prayagraj, Government of Uttar Pradesh: Places of Interest: Akshay Vat, Nag Vasuki, Mankameshwar, Alopi Devi and Minto Park sections
  3. Prayagraj Mela Authority, Government of Uttar Pradesh: Places to see (Maha Kumbh 2025 official website)
  4. Prayagraj Mela Authority, Government of Uttar Pradesh: Sangam Boat Ride (Maha Kumbh 2025 official website)

Patalpuri, the underground temple

Patalpuri is an underground temple inside the fort, close to the tree, the mela authority says. The district and UP Tourism write that the Akshaya Vat lies within this temple, and that Hiuen Tsang saw the temple when he came to Prayag.

The district gives some recent history. Marble was laid around the tree in 1992, and in 1999 a small temple with images of Rama, Lakshmana and Sita was built near it. About 22 metres of cloth are wrapped around the tree near its roots, and its branches reach out over the Yamuna. The fort wall is about 15 feet from the tree.

The fort also holds the Saraswati Koop, a well said to be the source of the Saraswati. The mela authority says it was refurbished for the 2025 Maha Kumbh.

The long sandstone walls of the Allahabad Fort, also called Akbar's Fort, rising above boats moored on the Yamuna bank.Photo: Oo91, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The fort walls on the Yamuna. The Akshayavat and the Patalpuri temple are inside the fort.

How entry to the Akshayavat has changed

The fort is army land: PTI reported in 2013 that an ordnance depot in it came under the Indian Army after Independence. Entry for pilgrims has changed around the big melas. This is what the sources say, in date order.

Entry, in date order

  1. The district’s page (undated)The Prayagraj district’s entry on the Akshay Vat says permission has to be sought from army officials to visit the tree. Its fort entry says only a limited area of the fort is open to visitors.
  2. 16 January 2013, during the Maha KumbhPTI reported that the army had opened the Patalpuri temple, the Akshayvat and the Saraswati Koop, which lie on defence land, to the public. The officer commanding the area said visitors would no longer need special permission from higher authorities, that the arrangement would stay after the Kumbh, and that areas marked out of bounds would stay closed.
  3. 16 December 2018The Prime Minister visited the Akshay Vat and announced that pilgrims at the coming Ardh Kumbh would also be able to visit it, according to the Press Information Bureau.
  4. 15 January 2019, the first bathing day of the 2019 KumbhUttar Pradesh’s religious affairs minister told PTI that the Akshay Vat and the Saraswati Koop had been opened to the public for the first time in centuries. That claim does not match the army’s statement of 2013, so we give both.
  5. 13 December 2024, before the Maha KumbhThe Prime Minister visited the Akshaya Vat and said an Akshaya Vat corridor was being built for devotees, and that Patalpuri and the Saraswati Koop were being renovated (PIB). A Ministry of Culture note of 29 December 2024 listed new Akshayavat, Saraswati Koop and Patalpuri corridors among the works for the mela.

We found no official notice of the current entry rules or timings, or that the corridor works are finished. Before you go, check at the fort gate or with the district administration.

Getting there from the Sangam

The Sangam lies below the eastern walls of the fort, about 7 km from Civil Lines, the district says, so the Akshayavat is one of the nearest shrines to the bathing area. The Bade Hanuman temple is also close by.

Boats to the Sangam can be hired at the ghat near the fort. For the 2025 Maha Kumbh the mela authority listed Quila Ghat, the fort ghat, among its boat points; no boat routes have been published for 2027.

During a mela, vehicles are stopped well before the river around the main bathing days and the last stretch is on foot. In 2025 those rules ran from the day before to the day after each main bathing day. The plan for 2027 has not been published. See how to reach Prayagraj and our Sangam guide.

Akbar's Fort seen across the water at the Sangam in the evening, with boats and a floating jetty below.Photo: Rangan Datta Wiki, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Boats below the fort walls at Prayagraj, where pilgrims hire a boat out to the Sangam

The Akshayavat and the Magh Mela 2027

The next big mela at the Sangam is the Magh Mela 2027, expected from Friday 15 January to Saturday 6 March 2027, with six main bathing days that the mela authority has not yet confirmed. 2027 is not a Kumbh year at Prayagraj; the next Ardh Kumbh is expected in 2031.

Entry arrangements at the Akshayavat and Patalpuri for the mela, and any timings, have not been announced. Main bathing days usually draw the most pilgrims; follow police and mela instructions on the day. See all holy places of Prayagraj.

In pictures

The long sandstone walls of the Allahabad Fort, also called Akbar's Fort, rising above boats moored on the Yamuna bank.
The fort walls on the Yamuna, Prayagraj. Photo: Oo91, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Akbar's Fort seen across the water at the Sangam in the evening, with boats and a floating jetty below.
The fort at the Sangam at dusk. Photo: Rangan Datta Wiki, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
An 1857 engraving from the Illustrated London News showing the walls of the Allahabad Fort rising above the Yamuna.
The fort of Allahabad from the Jumna, engraving, The Illustrated London News, 1857. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Where it is

The Sangam area: Fort, Akshayavat and Bade HanumanGangaYamuna123451 kmN
The Sangam area: Fort, Akshayavat and Bade Hanuman
  1. 1Triveni SangamGhat
  2. 2Akshayavat TempleTemple · This page
  3. 3Bade Hanuman TempleTemple
  4. 4Allahabad FortPlace
  5. 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

Nearby

The reclining image of Hanuman at the Bade Hanuman Temple, Prayagraj, covered in flower offeringsBade Hanuman templeAbout 200 m awayYellow domed shrines in the courtyard of the Mankameshwar Temple by the Yamuna in PrayagrajMankameshwar templeAbout 1.2 km awayThe steps and arched front of the old Nag Vasuki Temple in Daraganj, PrayagrajNag Vasuki templeAbout 2.8 km away

All ghats and placesWhere to stay nearby

Distances are in a straight line between map points, not walking routes.

Questions people ask

Can anyone visit the Akshayavat?

The tree is inside the fort, which the army uses. The army opened the shrine to visitors in January 2013, and in December 2018 the Prime Minister announced that pilgrims at the 2019 Kumbh could visit it. The district’s page still says army permission is needed, so check the current rules locally.

Why is the Akshayavat called immortal?

According to tradition it is an eternal tree that will never be destroyed. The mela authority translates the name as ‘the indestructible banyan tree’.

Where next

How to reachTrains, buses, roads and the last stretch
Where to stayAreas, camps and what to check
Ghats and placesWhere the bathing happens

Sources

15 sources · checked 16 Oct 2026
  1. Places of Interest (Sangam, Allahabad Fort, Patalpuri and Akshaya Vat) · District Prayagraj, Government of Uttar Pradesh ·
  2. Places of Interest: Akshay Vat, Nag Vasuki, Mankameshwar, Alopi Devi and Minto Park sections · District Prayagraj, Government of Uttar Pradesh ·
  3. Places to see (Maha Kumbh 2025 official website) · Prayagraj Mela Authority, Government of Uttar Pradesh ·
  4. Allahabad Fort · Uttar Pradesh Tourism, Government of Uttar Pradesh ·
  5. Patalpuri Temple · Uttar Pradesh Tourism, Government of Uttar Pradesh ·
  6. Prayagraj: Blending Tradition with Modernity (backgrounder, PDF): temples of Prayagraj · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Ministry of Culture) ·
  7. Army opens Fort area under its control for Kumbh visitors · Deccan Herald (PTI) ·
  8. PM at Prayagraj: inaugurates new Airport Complex, Integrated Command and Control Centre for Kumbh Mela; launches development projects · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Prime Minister's Office) ·
  9. Kumbh being held in 'Prayagraj' after 350 years: UP minister · Business Standard (PTI) ·
  10. PM to visit Uttar Pradesh on 13 December · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Prime Minister's Office) ·
  11. English rendering of PM's address at the inauguration and launch of multiple development projects in Prayagraj · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Prime Minister's Office) ·
  12. Maha Kumbh 2025: A Seamless and Spiritually Enriching Journey Awaits Devotees (PDF): corridors and temple renovation · Press Information Bureau, Government of India (Ministry of Culture) ·
  13. Sangam Boat Ride (Maha Kumbh 2025 official website) · Prayagraj Mela Authority, Government of Uttar Pradesh ·
  14. Traffic Plan (Maha Kumbh 2025 official website) · Prayagraj Mela Authority, Government of Uttar Pradesh ·
  15. Magh Mela 2027 · Incredible India, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India (listing credited to Uttar Pradesh Tourism) ·