Sagar Island
Also called: Gangasagar · Topic: Drainage System of India: Rivers, Basins and Patterns · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 3 "Drainage System"
Meaning
Sagar Island is an island at the mouth of the Hugli river in West Bengal. Here the Bhagirathi–Hugli branch of the Ganga flows into the Bay of Bengal. Because it is where the Ganga meets the sea, the island is a major pilgrimage site, also known as Gangasagar.
Example
The Gangasagar Mela is held on Sagar Island, West Bengal, at Makar Sankranti in mid-January. Lakhs of pilgrims bathe where the river meets the sea.
Don't confuse with
- Sagar (Madhya Pradesh): a town and district on the plateau, with no link to the Ganga's mouth.
- Padma: the Ganga's other branch. It enters Bangladesh and reaches the sea as the Meghna, not at Sagar Island.
Related concepts
- Ganga river
- Bhagirathi river
- Gangotri Glacier
- Alaknanda river
- Panch Prayag
- Confluence
- Ganga basin
- Padma river