Akbar is said to have been impressed with both the strategic location of Allahabad due to confluence of two of the mightiest rivers Ganga and Yamuna there and the religious significance of the place. During his visit to Allahabad, he named it Illahabas (Abode of God) in the year 1575. Before Akbar rechristened it, Allahabad was known as Prayag. Some medieval texts, including Akbar’s court historian Abul Fazl called it Piyag. Rig Veda and some of the Puranas mention about this place giving it a high religious value in India.

It is believed that Brahma, the creator of universe, performed or attended a sacrificial ritual at Prayag. Some texts relate this place with the son-in-law of Lord Shiva and Parvati who ruled over this place before moving to the Sapta Saindhav region. His name was Yayati. He was married to Ashokasundari, the daughter of Parvati and Lord Shiva. When the British colonial rulers established their rule over the region, Illahabad became Allahabad in English written in Roman script.