Sagar Island

Sagar Island is an island in the Ganges delta, lying on the Continental Shelf of Bay of Bengal about 100 km (54 nautical miles) south of Kolkata. This island forms the Sagar CD Block in Kakdwip subdivision of South 24 Parganas district in the Indian State of West Bengal. Although Sagar Island is a part of Sundarbans, it does not have any tiger habitation or mangrove forests or small river tributaries as is characteristic of the overall Sundarban delta. This island, also known as Gangasagar or Sagardwip, is a place of Hindu pilgrimage. Every year on the day of Makar Sankranti (14 January), hundreds of thousands of Hindus gather to take a holy dip at the confluence of river Ganges and Bay of Bengal and offer prayers (puja) in the Kapil Muni Temple. Kolkata Port Trust has a pilot station and a light house.[3][4]

Sagar Island

Sagardwip

Gangasagar
Island
Sagar Island
Location in West Bengal
Sagar Island
Location in India
Coordinates: 21.6528°N 88.0753°E / 21.6528; 88.0753
Country India
StateWest Bengal
DistrictSouth 24 Parganas
CD BlockSagar
Area
 • Total282.11 km2 (108.92 sq mi)
Elevation
4 m (13 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total212,037
 • Density750/km2 (1,900/sq mi)
Languages
 • OfficialBengali[1][2]
 • Additional officialEnglish[1]
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
743606
Telephone code+91 3210
Vehicle registrationWB-19 to WB-22, WB-95 to WB-99
Lok Sabha constituencyMathurapur (SC)
Vidhan Sabha constituencySagar
Websitewww.s24pgs.gov.in

Geography
Places in Kakdwip subdivision (Kakdwip, Sagar, Namkhana, Patharpratima CD blocks) in South 24 Parganas district
R: rural/ urban centre
Places linked with coastal activity are marked in blue
Owing to space constraints in the small map, the actual locations in a larger map may vary slightly

Location

Sagar Island is located at 21°39′10″N 88°04′31″E. It has an average elevation of 4 metres (13 ft).

History
Main articles: Kapila § Birth of the Ganges, and Bhagiratha § Bringing the Ganges to Earth
Kapil Muni Ashram at Gangasagar

A holy man, Kardam Muni, made a pact with Vishnu that he would undergo the rigours of marital life, on the condition that Vishnu would incarnate as his son. In due time Kapil Muni was born as an incarnation of Vishnu and became a great saint. Kapil Muni's ashram was located on the island. One day King Sagar's sacrificial horse disappeared; it had been stolen by Indra.

The king sent his 60,000 sons to find it, and they found it next to Kapil Muni's ashram, where Indra had hidden it. Mistaking Kapil Muni for the thief, the sons accused Kapil Muni, who in his wrath at the false accusation burned the sons to ash and sent their souls to Hell. Later having compassion for the King Sagar's sons, Kapil Muni acceded to the prayers of King Sagar's descendants, agreeing to the restoration of the sons, if Parvati in the form of the river goddess Ganga would descend to Earth to perform the Last Ritual (Hindus also called as"Tarpan") of mixing the ashes with holy water (niravapanjali).

Through deep meditation, King Bhagiratha induced Shiva to order Ganga down from heaven and the 60,000 sons were freed (moksha) and ascended to Heaven, but the river Ganges stayed on the Earth.[3][5] The date of the descent of Ganga was the date, as is at present the 15th Day of January of the Gregorian Calendar which coincides with that of Makar Sankranti (when Surya enters Makar Constellation, i.e. "Uttarayan" of Hindu Panchangam).

Demographics

As per 2011 Census of India, Sagar Island had a total population of 212,037, of which 109,468 (52%) were males and 102,569 (48%) were females. Population below 6 years was 26,212. The total number of literates was 156,476 (84.21% of the population over 6 years).[6]

Pilgrimage
Sunset at Gangasagar.

The Gangasagar fair and pilgrimage is held annually on Sagar Island's southern tip, where the Ganges enters the Bay of Bengal.[7] This confluence is also called Gangasagar or Gangasagara.[8] Near the confluence is the Kapil Muni Temple.[8] The Gangasagar pilgrimage and fair is the second largest congregation of mankind after the triennial ritual bathing of Kumbha Mela.[9]

In 2007, about 300,000 pilgrims took the holy dip where the Hooghly meets the Bay of Bengal on the occasion of Makar Sankranti. Almost five-hundred thousand pilgrims thronged Sagar Island in 2008.[10] For the rest of the year about 500,000 people come to the island.[11] According to reports on 14 January 2018, 18-20 lakh people had visited Ganga Sagar in 2018, against 15 lakh in 2017.[12]

Travel
Gangasagar Fair Transit Camp, 2012

From Kolkata, Diamond Harbour Road (NH-12) runs south around 90 km to Harwood Point, near Kakdwip, where a ferry runs to Kachuberia at the north end of the island.[13] The Panchyat Samity maintains a parking area near the ferry landing. The ferry travels about 3.5 km across a distributary of the Ganges river (also known as Hooghly River or Muriganga river locally) to reach Kachuberia. Small boats also cross from Harwood Point to Kachuberia. Private cars and buses travel the roughly 32 km to the pilgrimage site at Sagardwip.[8] From the pilgrimage parking area the Kapil Muni Temple is about 200 meters and the Gangasagar confluence is about 700 meters.

Train and ferry
Ganga river launch service in Sagar Island

Trains run on the Sealdah South lines from Kolkata through Kakdwip to Namkhana where at Bakkhali there is a ferry across the Muriganga distributary (Channel Creek) to Sagar Island (Gangasagar).

Air

One can reach Gangasagar by availing Helicopter services operated on every Sunday, facilitated by State Government.

Development proposals

The 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.[4][14]

The West Bengal government is also planning to build a deepwater port in Sagar Island.[14] The Indian navy is also interested in using the port on the island.[15]

References
  1. "Fact and Figures". Wb.gov.in. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  2. "52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India" (PDF). Nclm.nic.in. Ministry of Minority Affairs. p. 85. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  3. Dasgupta, Samira; Mondal, Krishna & Basu, Krishna (2006). "Dissemination of Cultural Heritage and Impact of Pilgrim Tourism at Gangasagar Island" (PDF). Anthropologist. 8 (1): 11–15. doi:10.1080/09720073.2006.11890928. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 November 2006.
  4. "Sagar bridge on study table". The Telegraph. Calcutta, India. 11 September 2007. Archived from the original on 25 May 2011.
  5. The Mahabharata translated by Kisari Mohan Ganguli (1883 -1896), Book 3: Vana Parva: Tirtha-yatra Parva: Section 107, Section 108 and Section 109.
  6. "C.D. Block Wise Primary Census Abstract Data(PCA)". 2011 census: West Bengal – District-wise CD Blocks. Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 23 March 2016.
  7. "Makar Sankanti festival: Sun's Transition from Sagittarius to Capricorn: Time to visit Gangasagar". Press Information Bureau, Government of India. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007.
  8. Abram, David, ed. (2011). "Chapter J: Kolkata and West Bengal". The Rough Guide to India. Penguin. p. 766. ISBN 978-1-4053-8583-1.
  9. Dawar, Damini (14 January 2014). "Ganga Sagar Mela in West Bengal : A dip for Moksha". Merinews. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014.
  10. "Dip, deaths mark Sagar mela finale". The Statesman, 16 January 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2008.
  11. Chattopdhyay, Debashis (15 January 2007). "Bridge plea for Sagar tourism". The Telegraph. Calcutta, India. Archived from the original on 2007.
  12. "West Bengal: On Makar Sankranti 2018, Ganga Sagar Mela witnesses record crowds". Home>>India. DNA, 14 January 2018. 14 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
  13. Bindloss, Joseph; et al. (2009). Northeast India. Footscray, Victoria, Australia: Lonely Planet. p. 141. ISBN 978-1-74179-319-2.
  14. Manish, Visakhapatnam (20 September 2013). "Major port at Sagar to be operational by 2019". The Times of India.
  15. Keck, Zachary (22 December 2013). "China to Sell Bangladesh 2 Submarines". thediplomat.com. The Diplomat. Retrieved 22 December 2013.
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