The lands on both sides of the river were extremely fertile. Its alternative name-the Bhagirathi-evokes its divine origin and the earthly ruler responsible for its descent.įrom prehistoric times, the Hooghly attracted people for secular as well as sacred reasons. The Hooghly was venerated as the Ganges’s original and most sacred route. Source: Wikimedia Commons, by Ssriram mt, at. Detail from The Descent of the Ganga, life-size carved rock relief at Mahabalipuram, Tamil Nadu, India. Many of the temples became famous pilgrimage sites. Hindus from across India established temples on the river’s banks, often at its confluence with other waterways, and used the river water in their ceremonies. Its alternative name- the Bhagirathi-evokes its divine origin and the earthly ruler responsible for its descent. 1 The Hooghly was venerated as the Ganges’s original and most sacred route. According to the story narrated in the Ramayana and Mahabharata-among the most important of Hindu sacred texts-the king Bhagiratha, with the help of the god Shiva, brought its waters down to earth to nourish the land. Hindus revere the Ganges as a river descended from the heavens. From its source in the high Himalayas, the Ganges flowed in a broadly southeasterly direction across the Indian plains before descending to the loose alluvial soil of Bengal and charting a southward course through what would become known as the Hooghly basin. Until the seventeenth century, when the main course of the Ganges shifted decisively eastward, the Hooghly was the major channel through which the Ganges entered the Bay of Bengal. Nevertheless, through history, the Hooghly has been a waterway of tremendous sacred and secular significance. At just 460 kilometers (approximately 286 miles), its length is modest in comparison with great Asian rivers like the Yangtze in China or the Ganges itself.
The Hooghly weaves through the Indian state of West Bengal from the Ganges, its parent river, to the sea. (Above) Dakshineswar Kali Temple near Kolkata, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River. Re-envisioning Asia: Contestations and Struggles in the Visual Arts.Distinguished Service to the Association for Asian Studies Award.Distinguished Contributions to Asian Studies Award.Striving for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Asian Studies: Humanities Grants for Asian Studies Scholars.Gosling-Lim Postdoctoral Fellowship in Southeast Asian Studies.Cultivating the Humanities & Social Sciences Initiative Grants.Key Issues in Asian Studies Book Series.AAS Takes Action to Build Diversity & Equity in Asian Studies.
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