Sagar Island

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  ?Sagar Island
West Bengal • India
Coordinates: 21°48′N 88°06′E / 21.8, 88.1
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
District(s) South 24 Parganas

Coordinates: 21°48′N 88°06′E / 21.8, 88.1

Sagar Island (also known as Gangasagar) lies on the continental shelf of Bay of Bengal about 150 km (80 nautical miles) south of Kolkata. It belongs to the Republic of India and is governed by the State government of West Bengal. The island is large — with an area of around 300 sq km. It has 43 villages and a population of over 160,000.[1]

The island is home to the endangered Royal Bengal Tiger. It is also rich in mangrove swamps, waterways and small rivers.This island is a famous Hindu pilgrim place.Every year on the day of Makar Sankranti (mid of January),millions of Hindus gathered to take a holy dip in the confluence of Ganga and offered puja in Kampil Muni Temple.

Kolkata Port Trust has a pilot station and a light house.[1]

West Bengal government is planning to build a deep water port in Sagar Island.

Contents

[edit] Pilgrimage centre

Gangasagar pilgrimage and fair is the second largest congregation of mankind after the holy Kumbha Mela. The latter is observed once in four years at alternate locations in north, central and central-west parts of the country, Gangasagar fair and pilgrimage is held annually on the Sagar Island’s southern tip in the Ganges delta atop the Bay of Bengal. That makes Gangasagar all the more distinctive.[2]

In 2007, about 300,000 pilgrims took the holy dip where the Hooghly meets the Bay of Bengal on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. The figure was lower by around 200,000 because of Kumbh Mela. For the rest of the year about 50,000 people come to the island. [3]Almost five lakh pilgrims thronged Sagar Island in 2008.[4]

[edit] Proposed bridge

Government of West Bengal is planning to connect Sagar Island with the mainland with a 3.3 km bridge costing around Rs. 6,000 million. Delhi-based Consulting Engineering Services have been appointed to carry out a feasibility study for it. The study is expected to be complete by the end of 2007.[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Sagar bridge on study table. The Telegraph, 12 September 2007. Retrieved on 2007-09-12.
  2. ^ Makar Sankanti festival. Sun’s Transition from Sagittarius to Capricorn: Time to visit Gangasagar. Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
  3. ^ Chattopdhyay, Debashis. Bridge plea for Sagar tourism. The Telegraph, 15 January 2007. Retrieved on 2007-09-12.
  4. ^ Dip, deaths mark Sagar mela finale. The Statesman, 16 January 2008. Retrieved on 2008-01-16.

[edit] External links

[edit] See also

Sagar Island travel guide from Wikitravel Template:Major templates in West Bengal