| Jalangi River | |
| River | |
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| State | West Bengal |
| Cities | Krishnanagar, Tehatta, Mayapur |
| Source | Padma |
| - coordinates | |
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Jalangi River (Bengali: জলজ্ঞী নদী), is a branch of the Ganges in Murshidabad and Nadia districts in the Indian state of West Bengal. The Jalangi and the Mathabhanga flow into the Bhagirathi-Hooghly and strengthens its lower channel, the Hooghly.[1]
The river below the point where the Jalanagi meets the Ganges is known as Hooghly and the course above it from the point of its separation from the main flow of the Ganges to its confluence with the Jalangi, it is called Bhagirathi.[2]
Ghurni, a neighbourhood of Krishnanagar, a centre for the production of clay dolls, often referred to as Krishnanagar clay dolls, is located on the banks of the Jalangi. Mayapur is located at the confluence of the Jalanagi and Ganges.
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The Jalangi is a modern stream, but its age is not known. Apparently it opened up long after the Bhairab ran as a strong stream in a south easterly direction. Although it is generally believed that the river has opened up within the last few hundred years, there is no direct evidence of this.[3] It is shown in Van den Brouck’s map.[4]
The Bhairab once flowed from the Ganges, across the present beds of the Jalangi, and further eastwards towards Faridpur. The Bhairab is no more a very active river. The Mathabhanga is a younger stream than Jalangi and it was not till very recently that the river completed its junction with the Hooghly by adopting the Churni (now its lower reaches) for its main course. Earlier most of the water of the Mathabhanga ran off to the east down the Kumara, Chitra, Coboduk (Bhairab), and Ichamati, but all these escape routes have been shut off, except a small amount for the Ichamati.[3]
The point to note is that while earlier the rivers in the region flowed in a south-easterly direction, but later some force pulled the Jalangi and the Mathabhanga in a south-westerly direction. The inference is that it occurred because of a local subsidence, which was active for some period prior to 1750 and which has since become inactive.[3]
Erosion of the banks is not only a problem for the more turbulent rivers such as Padma and Bhagirathi, but also comparatively smaller rivers such as Jalangi. In 2006, the state government sanctioned Rs. 7 crore for anti-erosion work in the Jalangi River.[5][6]
A sum of Rs 10.76 crore has been sanctioned for the construction of a bridge across the Jalangi at Radhanagar from additional central assistance funds. Besides connecting the districts of Murshidabad and Nadia, the proposed bridge would be an alternative connection to National Highway-34, which links North Bengal with Kolkata.[7]
The Jalangi is emotionally referred to by the modern Bengali poet Jibanananda Das in his poem abar asibo phire:[8][9]
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