Trip to ancient Akshayavat Patalpuri temple hidden beneath surface must for completion of Kumbh snan

PRAYAGRAJ: When Chinese pilgrim Hiuen-Tsang visited India during the reign of emperor Harshavardhan in AD 644, he chronicled the Allahabad Fort, presently under the jurisdiction of Army Ordnance Depot, as a magnificent fortified edifice encompassed by two rivers Ganga and Yamuna, situated in a verdant garden to the south and west of the kingdom of Po-lo-ye-Kia, now referred as Prayag city. He documented the existence of a temple including the shrine of Shiva inside the fort adjacent to a sacred banyan tree.
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Presently, the temple is recognised as Akshayavat Patalpuri, a subterranean temple accessed through a tunnel situated beneath an elevated mound in the centre of a courtyard. The temple connects from the west to its altar, buttressed by pillar tops fashioned in ancient temple architecture. There are seven rows of pillars, each row comprising 12 columns.
The temple houses over 40 exquisitely embellished ancient statues of deities and sages arranged systematically along the periphery. The present structure of the temple was erected by Emperor Akbar in the 16th century as part of fort construction.
“The temple is located around the roots of Akshayavat—the undecaying holy banyan tree. Patalpuri means beneath the earth. This is a unique temple, which is not below the adjacent flowing river, and nor above the land surface. As per folklore, there is no meaning to Sangam snan until one visits this temple and prays to all deities. Lord Rama came here from Ayodhya to perform Pind Daan of his father Raja Dashrath after completing 14 years of his exile,” said Mahant Ashok Goswami of the temple.
Life events of all the deities and sages in the temple are illustrated through intricate murals on the exterior walls of the temple complex. In 2024, Kumbh Mela administration renovated the Akshayavat Patalpuri temple corridor for pilgrims, and illuminated the tunnel of the cavern temple which is now predominantly refurbished with red stones, and wall carvings portraying various Hindu mythological narratives.
Speaking to TOI, Hemendra Nath Yojeshwar, who was part of Akshayavat Patalpuri temple management, said, “After renovation, the Akshayavat Patalpuri temple is now more easily accessible to pilgrims who come for Sangam snan. However, the other side of the holy Akshayavat tree is still under Army jurisdiction and thereby a restricted area. Currently, pilgrims can watch the holy tree from a distance while walking through the newly developed corridor. The corridor culminates with a visit to Saraswati koop temple.”