Padma River
Encyclopedia
Trans-boundary river
A trans-boundary river is a river that crosses at least one political border, either a border within a nation or an international boundary. The country of Bangladesh has the greatest number of these rivers, almost all of which cross national boundaries....
in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. It is the main distributary
Distributary
A distributary, or a distributary channel, is a stream that branches off and flows away from a main stream channel. They are a common feature of river deltas. The phenomenon is known as river bifurcation. The opposite of a distributary is a tributary...
of the Ganges
Ganges River
The Ganges or Ganga, , is a trans-boundary river of India and Bangladesh. The river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. By discharge it...
( Gôngga), which originates in the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
. The Padma enters Bangladesh from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
near Chapai Nababganj. It meets the Jamuna ( Jomuna) near Aricha and retains its name, but finally meets with the Meghna
Meghna River
The Meghna River is an important river in Bangladesh, one of the three that forms the Ganges Delta, the largest on earth fanning out to the Bay of Bengal. Being a part of the Surma-Meghna River System, Meghna is formed inside Bangladesh by the joining of different rivers originaing from the hilly...
near Chandpur and adopts the name 'Meghna' before flowing into the Bay of Bengal
Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
.
Rajshahi
Rajshahi
The city of Rajshahi is the divisional headquarters of Rajshahi division as well as the administrative district that bears its name and is one of the six metropolitan cities of Bangladesh. Often referred to as Silk City and Education City, Rajshahi is located in the north-west of the country and...
, a major city in western Bangladesh, is situated on the north bank of the Padma. Its maximum depth is 1571 feet (478.8 m) and average depth is 968 feet (295 m).
Course
Originated in the Gangotri Glacier of the Himalaya, the Ganges runs to the Bay of BengalBay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal , the largest bay in the world, forms the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. It resembles a triangle in shape, and is bordered mostly by the Eastern Coast of India, southern coast of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka to the west and Burma and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the...
through India, entering Bangladesh at Shibganj in the district of Chapai Nababganj. Just west of Shibganj, the distributary Bhagirathi emerges and flows southwards as the Hooghly. After the point where the Bhagirathi branches off, the Ganges is officially referred to as the Padma and the river Bhagirathi uses the name of Ganga. Later the British started calling it the Hoogly river.
Brahmaputra River
The Brahmaputra , also called Tsangpo-Brahmaputra, is a trans-boundary river and one of the major rivers of Asia. It is the only Indian river that is attributed the masculine gender and thus referred to as a in Indo-Aryan languages and languages with Indo-Aryan influence...
) and the resulting combination flows with the name Padma further east, to Chandpur
Chandpur
Chandpur is one of the most important city in Bijnor district, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.Chandpur is 140 km from the capital of New Delhi, 110 km from Meerut, and 38 km from Gajraula on National Highway 24 ....
. Here, the widest river in Bangladesh, the Meghna
Meghna River
The Meghna River is an important river in Bangladesh, one of the three that forms the Ganges Delta, the largest on earth fanning out to the Bay of Bengal. Being a part of the Surma-Meghna River System, Meghna is formed inside Bangladesh by the joining of different rivers originaing from the hilly...
, joins the Padma, continuing as the Meghna almost in a straight line to the south, ending in the Bay of Bengal.
Mythology
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
Mythology
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
including the Vedas, the Puranas, the Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
and the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
. In all the epic stories, the river is mentioned as byname for the Goddess Lakshmi
Lakshmi
Lakshmi or Lakumi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity , light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. Representations of Lakshmi are also found in Jain monuments...
though the origin differs.
Damming
After building of Farakka BarrageFarakka Barrage
Farakka Barrage is a barrage across the Ganges River, located in the Indian state of West Bengal, roughly from the border with Bangladesh near Chapai Nawabganj District. Construction was started in 1961 and completed in 1975. Operations began on April 21, 1975. The barrage is about long...
on the upstream of the river in Indian West Bengal the capacity of the river was reduced significantly.
Bridge
A road-rail bridge is proposed in 2009.Padma bridge is the largest bridge of Bangladesh(proposed). It will cost ৳3000 kuti to finish. It will be used in 2013.
Early History
Pabna DistrictPabna DistrictPabna District is a district in north-western Bangladesh. It is the southern most district of Rajshahi Division. Its administrative capital is eponymous Pabna town.-Geography:Pabna forms the south-east boundary of Rajshahi Division...
The Padma forms the whole of the southern boundary of the district for a distance of about 90 miles. The name Padma is given to the lower part of the course of the Ganges below the point of the off-take of the Bhagirathi (India). Padma had, most probably, flown through a number of channels at different times. Some authors contend that each distributary of the Ganges in its deltaic part is a remnant of an old channel and that starting from the western-most one, the Bhagirathi (in West Bengal, India) each distributary of the east marks a position of a newar channel than the one to the west of it.It would be worthwhile to mention here the views of Rennell
James Rennell
Major James Rennell, FRS was an English geographer, historian and a pioneer of oceanography.-Early life:Rennell was born near Chudleigh in Devon...
, who referred to a course of the Ganges in the north of its present channel. "Appearances favour very strongly" says Rennell, "that the Ganges had its former bed i,n the tract now Occupied by the lakes and morasses between Natore and Jaffargunge, striking out of the present course by Dhaka to a junction of Brahmapooter or Meghna near Fringybazar, where accumulation of two such mighty streams probably scooped out the present amazing bed of the Meghna". The places mentioned by Rennell proceeding from west to east are Rampur
Rampur
The name Rampur, together with the variations Ramapur, Ramapura and Ramapuram, may refer to:-Bangladesh:* Rampur Boalia, a medieval region near the present city of Rajshahi, in northwestern Bangladesh west of bangladesjh-India:...
Boali
Boali
Boali is a town located in the Central African Republic prefecture of Ombella-M'Poko.Boali is noted for its waterfalls and for the nearby hydroelectric works. The Boali Waterfalls are 250 m wide and 50 m high, and are a popular tourist destination. The hydroelectric works, Boali I and Boali II,...
, the headquarters of Rajshahi district
Rajshahi District
Rajshahi District is a district in north-western Bangladesh. It is a part of the Rajshahi Division. The metropolitan city of Rajshahi is in Rajshahi District.-Geography:...
, Puthia and Natore in the same district and Jaffarganj in the district of Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
. The place last named were shown in a map of the Mymensingh
Mymensingh
Mymensingh , pronounced moy-mon-shing-haw, is a city of Bangladesh situated on the river Brahmaputra. It is the headquarters of the administrative unit Mymensingh District. Mymensingh is the anglicized pronunciation of the original name Momenshahi, referring to a ruler called Momen Shah. The cadet...
district dated 1861, as a thana headquarters. about 6 miles south-east of Bera
Bera
Bera may refer to:People* Bera , king of Sodom in Genesis 14* Bera, Count of Barcelona , the first count of Barcelona from 801 to 820* Bera, a Surname among the Mahishya community of West Bengal state of IndiaPlaces...
Police Station. It is now known as Payla Jaffarganj and is close to Elachipur opposite Goalunda. According to Rennell's theory, therefore, the probable former course of the Ganges would correspond with that of the present channel of the Baral
Baral
Baral is a surname found in people from Nepal, India, and individuals of Jewish ancestry.There are over 100,000 Nepalese Barals who mainly constitute of the chetriya, brahmin and magar castes in Nepal. The surname Baral is found predominantly in India in individuals from Orissa and Bengal. Many...
.
Although conclusive proofs of what has been stated above are lacking, authorities more or less agree that the Ganges has changed its course and that in different times, each Or the distributary might have been the carrier of its main stream.
The bed of the Padma is wide, and the river is split up into several channels flowing between constantly shifting sand banks and islands. During the rains the current is very strong and even steamers may find difficult in making headway against it. It is navigable at all seasons of the year by steamers and country boats of all sizes and until recently ranked as one the most frequented waterways in the world. It is spanned near Paksey by the great Hardinge Bridge
Hardinge Bridge
Hardinge Bridge is a steel railway bridge over the river Padma located in western Bangladesh. It is named after Lord Hardinge, who was the Viceroy of India from 1910 to 1916. The bridge is 1.8 kilometers long.-Construction:...
over which runs one of the main lines of the Bangladesh Railway
Bangladesh Railway
Bangladesh Railway is the state-owned rail transport agency of Bangladesh. It operates and maintains the entire railway network of the country...
.