Which City Is Called California of India? The Real Story Behind Prayagraj’s Nickname

• by Seraphina Durand
• Nov 5, 2025
• 1 Comments

Which City Is Called California of India? The Real Story Behind Prayagraj’s Nickname

Ask anyone in India which city is called the California of India, and you’ll hear a surprising answer: Prayagraj. Not Mumbai. Not Bangalore. Not even Pune. It’s Prayagraj - a city better known for its ancient ghats, spiritual gatherings, and historic forts. So why does a place famous for the Kumbh Mela get compared to the land of Silicon Valley and Hollywood?

Why Prayagraj Got the California Nickname

The nickname didn’t come from sunshine or beaches. It came from ambition. In the 1980s and 1990s, Prayagraj became a hub for education, law, and entrepreneurship in Uttar Pradesh. Its universities churned out lawyers, engineers, and civil servants who moved to big cities - but many stayed back to build something local. The city’s middle class grew fast. New apartments went up. Private colleges opened. IT startups began appearing near the railway station, not in Delhi or Hyderabad.

By the mid-90s, local newspapers started calling it the "California of India" because of its energy - the sense that anything was possible. People worked long hours. Young graduates started businesses. Families saved to send kids to engineering colleges. It wasn’t about wealth. It was about upward mobility.

Education: The Engine Behind the Name

Prayagraj is home to one of India’s oldest and most respected universities: the University of Allahabad, founded in 1887. Today, it’s still a top choice for law and humanities students. But it’s not just the university. Over 50 private engineering and medical colleges operate in and around the city. More than 120,000 students enroll every year.

What makes this unique? Unlike other cities where education is dominated by coaching centers, Prayagraj has a culture of self-study and debate. Students gather in parks like Company Bagh to discuss philosophy, law, and politics. The city has produced more than 300 IAS officers since 1970 - more than most state capitals. That’s why parents still say, "Send them to Allahabad - they’ll learn how to think."

The Legal Capital of North India

Prayagraj’s High Court is one of the largest in the country. Over 15,000 lawyers practice here. Every year, more than 200,000 cases are filed. The court building, built in 1916, still stands as a symbol of colonial-era justice - but the energy inside is modern. Young lawyers from small towns come here to start their careers, often working 14-hour days for years before they make a name.

This legal culture spilled into business. Many startups in Prayagraj are founded by people with law degrees. They know contracts, compliance, and how to navigate bureaucracy. That’s why you’ll find more registered startups per capita here than in Lucknow or Kanpur. The city doesn’t have Uber or Swiggy headquarters, but it has dozens of local delivery apps, legal tech tools, and education platforms built by people who grew up here.

Where the Comparison Falls Apart

Don’t expect electric cars or tech campuses. Prayagraj doesn’t have a single unicorn startup. No venture capital firms have offices here. The roads are still crowded with auto-rickshaws and bullock carts. Power cuts happen. Internet speeds are slow outside the city center.

The California comparison is emotional, not economic. It’s not about GDP or patents. It’s about aspiration. People in Prayagraj believe hard work leads to change. They don’t wait for government schemes. They start tuition centers, small clinics, repair shops, online coaching - anything to climb. That’s the same spirit that drove early entrepreneurs in California.

There’s no Silicon Valley here. But there’s something rarer: a city where a 19-year-old from a village can open a coaching center for UPSC aspirants and make enough to buy a house by 28.

Modern Prayagraj: Beyond the Nickname

The nickname stuck, but the city has moved on. Officially, Allahabad was renamed Prayagraj in 2018. The government invested in new roads, riverfront development, and digital infrastructure. The city now has 5G coverage in key areas. The airport connects to Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.

But the real change is quieter. A new generation of entrepreneurs is using social media to sell handloom sarees, Ayurvedic oils, and organic spices. A group of women started a co-op to train rural girls in digital marketing. A former law student built an app that helps farmers get fair prices for sugarcane.

These aren’t headline-grabbing innovations. But they’re real. And they’re growing. The California of India isn’t a place with fancy tech. It’s a place where ordinary people refuse to stay stuck.

What Visitors Should Know

If you visit Prayagraj looking for beaches or startups, you’ll be disappointed. But if you want to understand how India’s middle class is changing from the ground up - without big funding or global brands - this is the place.

Walk along the Sangam at sunrise. Watch students debate in the park. Talk to a shopkeeper who runs a coaching center in the back of his store. You’ll see the same hustle that made California what it is - just without the billboards.

Prayagraj doesn’t need to be Silicon Valley. It’s already something else: a city where dreams are built slowly, quietly, and stubbornly.