BHAGIRATHI RIVER

river in West Bengal state, northeastern India, forming the western boundary of the Ganges (Ganga) Delta. A distributary of the Ganges, it leaves that river just northeast of Jangipur, flows south, and joins the Jalangi at Nabadwip to form the Hooghly River after a total course of 120 miles (190 km). Until the 16th century, when the Ganges shifted eastward to the Padma, the Bhagirathi formed the original bed of the Ganges. Its banks sheltered the great ancient capitals of Bengal, and the river is held sacred by the Hindus.