Turag River (; ) is the upper

tributary A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''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 into which they ...

of the

Buriganga Buriganga (; ) is a river in Bangladesh which flows past the southwest outskirts of the capital city, Dhaka. It ranks among the most polluted rivers in the country. Importance The Buriganga is economically very important to Dhaka. Launches a ...

, a major river in

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. The Turag originates from the

Bangshi River The Bangshi (also spelt Bansi) () is an important river in central Bangladesh. "Bangshi" in Bengali, the language spoken in Bangladesh where the Bangshi River is located, translates to "Flute", meaning the river's name likely refers to its gentle, ...

, the latter an important tributary of the

Dhaleshwari River The Dhaleshwari River ( , ''Dhôleshshori'') is a distributary, long, of the Jamuna River in central Bangladesh. It branches off the Jamuna near the northwestern tip of Tangail District into a north branch that retains the name Dhaleshwari and m ...

, flows through

Gazipur Gazipur () is a city in central Bangladesh. Located in Gazipur District in Dhaka Division, it is a major industrial city north of Dhaka. It is a hub for the textile industry in Bangladesh, with 75% of all garment industries situated there. ...

and joins the Buriganga at Mirpur in

Dhaka District Dhaka District () is a Districts of Bangladesh, district in central Bangladesh, and is the densest district in the nation. It is a part of the Dhaka Division. Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, rests on the eastern banks of the Buriganga River ...

. 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. Navigability is also referred to in the broader context of a body of water having sufficient under ...

by boat all year round. The Turag suffers from infilling along its banks, which restricts its flow. Sedimentation that reduces the flow may have begun as early as the

1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake The 1950 Assam–Tibet earthquake, also known as the Assam earthquake, occurred on 15 August and had a moment magnitude of 8.7. The epicentre was located in the Mishmi Hills. It is one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded on land. Occu ...

. It also suffers from acute

water pollution Water pollution (or aquatic pollution) is the contamination of Body of water, water bodies, with a negative impact on their uses. It is usually a result of human activities. Water bodies include lakes, rivers, oceans, aquifers, reservoirs and ...

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

History

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

Religious significance

Tabligh Jam'at, a popular

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

ic movement originating in

South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...

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

Kakrail Mosque The Kakrail Mosque, also known as the Malwali Mosque () or as the Kakrail Markaz (), is a Tabligh Jamat mosque in the Kakrail neighbourhood of Ramna, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Located near Ramna Park, it is the centre of the Tabligh Jamat in Bangl ...

near

Ramna Park Ramna Park (, or ) is a significant urban green space renowned for its historical significance and recreational amenities, situated at the centre of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Described as the "lungs of Dhaka City," the park was built during the Britis ...

. 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 Hadith is the Arabic word for a 'report' or an 'account f an event and refers to the Islamic oral tradition of anecdotes containing the purported words, actions, and the silent approvals of the Islamic prophet Muhammad or his immediate circle ...

and

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

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, is situated by the Turag River in Tongi and attracts estimates of between two and four million

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

s annually as well as representatives from over 60 countries, making it the second biggest Islamic congregation after the

Hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...

References

{{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

History

Religious significance

See also

References