(Redirected from Hoogli River)
Boats and men on the banks of the Hooghly river, 1915.
The 'Hooghly River' (
Bengali হুগলী, Huglī; Anglicized alternatively spelled ''Hoogli'' or ''Hugli'') or the 'Bhāgirathi-Hooghly', is an approximately 260 km long
distributary of the
Ganges River in
West Bengal,
India. It splits from the Ganges as a
canal in
Murshidabad District at the
Farakka Barrage. The town of
Hugli-Chinsura, formerly Hooghly, is located on the river, in the
Hooghly (district). The origins of the ''Hooghly'' name are uncertain, whether the city or the river was named first.
Course
The Farakka Barrage is a dam that diverts water from the Ganges into a
canal near the town of
Tildanga in
Murshidabad District. The canal provides the Hooghly with water even in the
dry season. It parallels the Ganges, past
Dhulian, until just above
Jahangirpur where the canal ends and the river takes its own course. Just south of Jahangirpur it leaves the Ganges area and flows south past
Jiaganj Azimganj,
Murshidabad, and
Baharampur. South of Baharampur and north of
Palashi it used to form the border between
Bardhaman District and
Nadia District, but while the border has remained the same the river is now often east or west of its former bed. The river then flows south past
Katoya,
Navadwip and
Kalna. At Kalna it originally formed the border between Nadia District and
Hooghly District, and then further south between Hooghly District and
North 24 Parganas District. It flows past
Halisahar,
Chunchura,
Rishra, and
Kamarhati. Then just before entering the twin cities of
Kolkata (Calcutta) and
Howrah, it turns to the southwest. At Nurpur it enters an old channel of the Ganges and turns south to empty into the
Bay of Bengal. Two of its well known tributaries are
Damodar and
Rupnarayan.
The nexus formed by the Hooghly River (Ganga) and the Bay of Bengal, called ''Ganga Sagar''. This is a sacred place for Hindus. A dip in the ocean, where the river drains into the sea is considered to be of great religious significance particularly on the Makara Sankranti day when the sun makes a transition to Capricorn from Sagittarius and this place becomes home to vast fairs, drawing visitors and recluses from all over the state.
Hugli tidal bore
The tide runs rapidly on the Hugli, and produces a remarkable example of the fluvial phenomenon known as a "
tidal bore." This consists of the head-wave of the advancing tide, hemmed in where the estuary narrows suddenly into the river, and often exceeds 7 ft. in height. It is felt as high up as
Calcutta, and frequently destroys small boats. The difference from the lowest point of low-water in the dry season to the highest point of high-water in the rains is reported to be 20 ft. 10 in. The greatest mean rise of tide, about 16 ft., takes place in March, April or May - with a declining range during the rainy season to a mean of 10 ft., and a minimum during freshets of 3 ft. 6 in.
History
In its upper reaches the river is generally known as the Bhāgirathi, until it reaches Hooghly. The word Bhāgirathi literally means "caused by
Bhagiratha", a
mythical Sagar Dynasty prince who was instrumental in bringing the river Ganga from the heavens on to the earth,
in order to release his 60,000 grand-uncles from a curse of the saint
Kapila.
The river was an important transportation channel in the early history of
Bengal, and later with the colonial trading ports. The river's presence is one of the reasons chosen by the
British to settle there at Calcutta. The Dutch/French colony at
Chandannagar on the Hooghly was once the rival of British Calcutta, but was eclipsed by Calcutta in the colonial wars of the
18th century. The river banks hosted several battles and skirmishes towards the start of the colonial era, including the
Battle of Plassey Palashi, as well as earlier wars against
Maratha raiders. On eastern bank lie many historic and wealthy towns like
Murshidabad,
Jangipur and
Ziaganj.
In 1974 the
Farakka Barrage began diverting water into the Hooghly during the dry season so as to reduce the silting difficulties at Kolkata's port.
Like the rest of the Ganges, the Bhāgirathi-Hooghly is considered sacred to
Hindus, and its water is considered holy.
Economics
Aerial picture of the Calcutta Port in 1945, on the banks of River Hooghly
The Bhāgirathi-Hooghly is an essential lifeline for the people of Kolkata. The fish from the river are important to the local economy. The modern container port of
Haldia, on the intersection of lower Hooghly and Haldi River, now carries much of the region's maritime trade.One new port will be built in the deep sea to reduce load on Kolkata port.
Hooghly river valley was the most important industrial area of erstwhile state of Bengal. Due to declining jute industry, the prime industry of this region, it lost its glory. But still it is one of the biggest industrial areas of India. Except Kolkata and Howrah it has number of small cities which forms the Greater Kolkata Agglomeration, the second biggest Indian city and former capital.
Several bridges run over the Hooghly at Kolkata; the
Howrah Bridge, the
Vidyasagar Setu and the
Vivekananda Setu bridges.
External links
★
★
Hugli River at
NASA Earth Observatory
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