First it was the Allahabadi guava that put the city on the world map. Now, its the gigantic watermelons that grow a few kilometers outside Allahabad that is tickling taste buds of fruit lovers across the world.
The local variety of watermelon, named Madhuri, grows in Fafamau, a small town located just a few kilometers from Allahabad.
Senior Journalist with an avid interest in local history, Anshuman Shukla told SBS Hindi that this watermelon is so big that at a time, a camel can carry only two of these. One on each side. "If you ask me about their weight, each watermelon weighs approximately 70 to 75 kilos. Its unbelievable but when transported on a camel, a camel can only carry two at a time. You might now understand how enormous they are."
Source: Supplied
He also shares the historical significance of these gigantic watermelons. Shukla mentions how the scriptures depict that Mughal Emporer Akhbar relished these watermelons. "Badshah Akhbar used to drink 5 pots of Ganga water daily. He sourced Ganga water from the river near Allahabad. The watermelons later became a regular just like the ganga water."
Source: For Representation Purpose only
However, Shukla fears that the contemporary lifestyle has forced the local farmers to reduce the production of these unique watermelons. "In olden times, the families had many members. So one watermelon sufficed the whole large family. However, these days the families have shrunk to 3 to 5 members. Plus the dilemma of where to store a gigantic watermelon has forced the local farmers to reduce their size and weight."
The chinese watermelons too have broken the market of local farmers, Shukla says.
