Named after the great sage Bhardwaj who lived here, the Ashram finds mention in the Ramayana as the place where Rama sought the sage's blessings during his exile from Ayodhya. During his lifetime, the sage had a school with nearly 10,000 pupils. Today, the tradition of education continues in the immediate neighbourhood, at Allahabad University. Established as an examining body in 1887, it later became a teaching University. The University Archaeological Museum has several finds that had been excavated at Kaushambi.