Turag River ( bn, তুরাগ নদী; ) is the upper

tributary A tributary, or affluent, is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream or main stem (or parent) river or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries and the main stem river drain the surrounding drai ...

of the Buriganga, a major river in

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

. The Turag originates from the

Bangshi River Bangshi River (also spelt Bansi) ( bn, বংশী নদী) is an important river in central Bangladesh. It originates in Jamalpur, from the course of the old Brahmaputra and flows past the Madhupur tract. It flows through Tangail and meets ...

, the latter an important ''tributary'' of the Dhaleshwari River, flows through

Gazipur Gazipur ( bn, গাজীপুর) is a city in central Bangladesh. It is located in the Gazipur District. It is a major industrial city north of Dhaka. It is a hub for the textile industry in Bangladesh. Its other name is Joydebpur. Demogr ...

and joins the Buriganga at Mirpur in Dhaka District. It is

navigable A body of water, such as a river, canal or lake, is navigable if it is deep, wide and calm enough for a water vessel (e.g. boats) to pass safely. Such a navigable water is called a ''waterway'', and is preferably with few obstructions against di ...

by boat all year round. Turag suffers from infilling along its banks, which restricts its flow. It also suffers from acute

water pollution Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of water bodies, usually as a result of human activities, so that it negatively affects its uses. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and groundwater. ...

. While attempts have been made to marginally widen the river, the majority of industry has made little effort to follow environmental law and the water has become visibly discolored.

History

Earlier this river was called as (Bengali: "Kohor Doriya"), "Kohor river".

Religious significance

Tabligh Jam'at, a popular Islamic movement originating in

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...

, initially took hold in Dhaka in the 1950s as Maulana Abdul Aziz and other leaders set up the regional headquarters at the

Kakrail Mosque Malwali Masjid/Mosque, Kakrail Markaz ( bn, মালওয়ালী মসজিদ, কাকরাইল মারকাজ) is a mosque in the Kakrail neighbourhood of Ramna Dhaka, Bangladesh. Located near Ramna Park, it is the centre of ...

near

Ramna Park Ramna Park ( bn, রমনা উদ্যান, ''Rômna Uddan'') is a large park and recreation area situated at the heart of Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. This forested park with pond near its center is one of the most beautiful are ...

. An initiative of the movement is an emphasis on the six ''uṣūl'' or "basic principles," two of which include ''ilm'', the pursuit of knowledge, and ''dhikr'' or ''zikr'', a method of prayer involving repetitive invocation of

hadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approva ...

and

Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...

passages. To this end, the movement places importance on ''ijtema'' or assembly, where members gather to practice and participate in ''dhikr'', hear religious sermons and discuss their activities. The largest of these, the

Bishwa Ijtema The Bishwa Ijtema ( bn, বিশ্ব ইজতেমা , meaning Global Congregation) is an annual gathering of Muslims in Tongi, by the banks of the River Turag, in the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is one of the largest peaceful ...

, is situated by the Turag River in Tongi and attracts estimates of between two and four million Muslims annually as well as representatives from over sixty countries, making it the second biggest Islamic congregation after the Hajj.

References

External links

* {{coord, 23, 46, N, 90, 20, E, display=title, region:BD_type:river_source:GNS-enwiki Rivers of Bangladesh Sacred rivers Rivers of Dhaka Division