In the Context of Farakka Barrage

A Barrage has been constructed across the Ganges at Farakka with a view to supplying 40000 cusecs of water to maintain navigability in the lower portion of the Hooghly during the lean period. From the right hand side of the barrage, water is supplied to a feeder canal leading to the Bhagirathi, which takes off from the Ganges about 40 Kilometers below the barrage. The Ganges flows to the south-east under the name of the Padma from the take-off point of the Bhagirathi and falls into the Meghna in Bangladesh. The course of the Ganges in India from above Rajmahal has been shown in the satellite picture taken in 2003.

Since the flood-water of the Ganges carries a heavy charge of silt, so much siltation has occurred in the up-stream of the barrage that out of 109 gates, only 54 from the right were in operation about 7 years ago. The impounding capacity of the barrage is on the wane, but the commitments have to be fulfilled. No matter, whether the people of the districts of Maldah and Murshidabad suffer or not. Erosion and flooding of the banks have been matters of great concern. It seems that the river has been allowed to erode its left bank up-stream of the barrage to make up or
the deficiency in the impounding capacity of the barrage.

In place of the former straight course between Rajmahal and Dhulian, the Ganges has created two large bends eroding the banks. The right bank of the river down-stream of the barrage is getting eroded, as the direction of the flow has been oblique to the alignment of the barrage. Simultaneously, the current is getting deflected towards the right bank owing to the construction of spurs along the left bank in Bangaldesh.

Bending almost at right angles to its path and rounding the fringes of the Rajmahal hills, the Ganges is flowing past Rajmahal, Farakka and Dhulian. Up-stream of the barrage, the right bank is higher than the left bank, and whereas the stiffer materials have constituted the right bank, the deposit of the Ganjetic alluvium has caused the formation of the left bank. The left bank has, therefore, become subject to severe erosion and inundation.

In order that the people of the district of Maldah do not clamour much, the left bank has been strengthened by massive protective works, and Bhutni, which looks like an island above Rajmahal, has been encircled by protective works. There is a limit up to which excess water may be passed through the feeder canal. Take-off points of some of the effluents have been closed. Exit of excess quantity of flood-water from the barrage is keeping the people of the district of Murshidabad in distress. Over and above those, the barrage has lost its capacity to discharge as much flood-water as was originally contemplated. The question is now about what may happen, if a heavy flood rushes down the Ganges from above.In 2008 a heavy flood induced the Koshi to breach its embankment to open its old silted up course leading to the south-east.

It is stated that water resists water far better than the earth does. It is also stated that the rivers of the Ganges - Brahmaputra delta do not forget their old courses. Those possess secular temperament and pay hardly any regard to the political boundaries or parties. Those have been assigned the task of building the delta by the nature.

In the event of a heavy flood rushing down, the Ganges may either by-pass the present channel from above Bhutni to Goalanda and open its oldest course past Dhaka or intersect the present channel and open the course of the Bhairab, the terrible. That portion of the present channel will be reduced to a spill channel of the Ganges . It will then be very hard for the City of Kolkata to prolong its existence. There will be either acute scarcity of water or inundation by excessive flood-water. In case of the latter occurring, the city may meet the fate of Pataliputra(modern Patna), or the Hooghly may even by-pass its present channel past Kolkata and flow in the course of the medieval Saraswati or the ancient Saraswati. If the course of the Bhairab is opened, the low areas of the districts of Jessore, Faridpur and Khulna in Bangladesh will be under water until the Bhairab finds its outlet into the sea by the Haringhata estuary. In fine, the existing river system of Bengal will be disturbed.

Supply to the Bhigarathi from the barrage during the lean period has been much less than the quantity required for maintaining navigability in the estuary of the Hooghly. There has been an increase in the dredging operation in the estuary on account of the less supply of water. It has been difficult to fulfill an obligation for the release of a specific quantity of water from the barrage during the lean period as per a treaty with Bangladesh. Moreover, it is the vested interests which are gaining manipulating the situation.

Apparently, the decision for the construction of the barrage was taken without turning over the pages of the ‘Rivers of Bengal’ and ignoring the old maps of the river system of Bengal. Means to get out of the precarious situation may be found out, if the following well-known old maps are read carefully in conjunction with the Maps No. 1 and No. 2 of the Volume II of the ‘Rivers of Bengal’ ---

1. Map of Ptolemy ( 2nd Century A.D )
2. Map of Joan De Barros (1552 A.D )
3. Map of Van Den Broucke ( 1660 A.D)
4. Maps of Major Rennell
(i)Cossimbazar Island ( 1765 A.D)
(ii)River system of Bengal (1764-1777 A.D)

The map drawn by Ptolemy, the famous Greek Geographer and astronomer, shows the Ganges debouching into the sea by 5 mouths after bifurcating at the top of the delta, the right branch by 3 mouths and the left one by 2 mouths. The right one was identified with the Bhagirathi, but the rest of the map was all Greek to the Historians and the Experts. However, it has been disclosed in a previous article dealing with the problems of the port of Haldia and the flood in the districts of Medinipore that the mouths of the Subarnarekha(Kambyson), the Rasulpur(Mega) and the Hooghly(Kamberikhon) rivers were the mouths of that right one.

Historically it is known that the the ancient city of Gauda was situated on the east bank of the Bhagirathi and the Kalindri flowed away from that city by its east. The bifurcated branches of the Ganges were named accordingly. The map No. 1 shows the approximate point of bifurcation of the Ganges . With the erosion of the left bank of the Ganges and appearance of the Fulhar on the scence, the off-takes of those two branches have subsequently changed.

There are two rivers which are known as the Bhagirathi, one is in the district of Maldah and the other from Geria in the district of Murshidabad to the sea. The former falls into the Ganges and the latter emanates from the Ganges practically opposite the mouth of the former. The alignment of both the rivers is essentially one which a river would follow. There would have been one river had not the Ganges flowed eastwards under the name of Padma. The former is called the upper or Gaudiya Bhagirathi and the latter the lower Bhagirathi.

The Map of De Barros shows the upper Bhagirathi flowing past Rajmahal, Farakka and Dhulian following the present course of the Ganges upto Geria and thereafter following the present course of the lower Bhagirathi to the sea. The upper Bhagirathi may now be called the Bhagirathi(Rajmahal). That Map also shows that the Padma as a major river did not exist when that was drawn.

Hardly any reliance has been shown on the Map of De Barros, as because it is very difficult to read that unscaled Map. But the authenticity of that Map cannot be impugned. The Portuguese had control over the ports of Satgaon(Saptagram) and Chatigaon(Chittagong), which were the major ports of the then Bengal. They fought against Sher Shah on behalf of the Sultan of Gauda on the Ganges from two battle-ships under the leadership of Joan De Villalobos and Joan Corier for about a month in 1539 A.D. near Teliagari and Sakrigali. They had enough knowledge of the navigable waterways of Bengal.

The shifting of the upper Bhagirathi from Gauda to Rajmahal did not occur due to any natural cause. A river in that region cannot make a sharp turn on its own, unless that is turned. Historically it is known that Ramabati, the capital city of Rampala(1077-1130 A.D) of the Pala dynasty, was situated on the bank of the Ganges to the south-west of Gauda. It is obvious that a canal was dug from the Ganges from above Bhutni and was joined with the original Bhagirathi at Geria, corroboration of which may be found in the Ramayana of Krittibasa. Sir Willam Wilcox has said :‘ Your ancient writers described the physical facts they were writing about in spiritual language, but the facts were there all the same.’ Major Hurst has said :‘ when once the allegorical aspects of certain statements are eliminated the residue is often incontrovertible fact.’

As per the Ramayana of Krittibasa, Bhagirath took rest after the Ganges joined near Gauda. When he was resting, the Ganges went to the east to join the Bhairab on hearing the sound of conc-shell of one Padma. When Bhagirathi sounded his conc-shell again, the Ganges came back and went towards the sea. Those imply that a canal was dug to connect the Bhagirathi with the Bhairab with the slope from went to east and another canal was dug to connect the Bhairab(kalindri) with the Bhagirathi with the slope from north-east to south-west. The latter canal connecting the Mahananda and the Gaudiya Bhagirathi still exists under the name of the Mahananda (Satellite picture). The former having been dug under the leadership of someone having the name of Padma was named ‘The Padma’.

The Map of De Barros shows a watercourse emanating from the Bhagirathi (Rajmahal) and connecting the Adi Ganga after touching the lower end of the Saraswati. There is a tale of another Bhagirath in the ‘Matsya Purna’ about taking the Ganges to the sea. The course followed by this Bhagirath accords with the path of that watercourse. Obviously, that was a feeder canal for sustaining the royal port of Saptagram (Satgaon), which was situated on the bank of the Saraswati. In 1853 there was a proposal from Sir Aurther Cotton for a similar canal from Rajmahal for sustaining the port of Calcutta. The ancients achieved their purpose without contructing a barrage across the Bhagirathi (Rajmahal).

Having been in the alignment of the Ganges , the Kalindri was the major branch in the olden days. A decisive battle was fought between the Pala and Sena dynasties in 1159 A.D on its bank. Having been reinforced by the water of the Koshi, Mahananda, Punarbhaba, etc, the Kalindri became so large and destructive that it was called ‘Bhairab’. It threw off the Baral river below Godagari and the Kumar river at Akheriganj. The modern Jalangi, Churni and Ichamati rivers were originally its distributaries. Flowing past Jessore and Khulna in Bangladesh, it used to discharge its water into the sea near the Swatch of NO Ground flowing through the Haringhata estuary. It was the principal delta-builder of the central portion of Bengal for many centuries. It was the left branch of the Ganges in the Map of Ptolemy and the Greeks used to call its mouth ‘Antibole’.

Portion of the Central Bengal between the Bhagirathi and the Bhairab was known as ‘Banga’ in the ancient days. A place named as Agga, which might be the corruption of Banga, has been shown by the side of the effluent of the Bhairab in the Map of Ptolemy. That place may be identified with the modern Chandraketugarh. Archaeological finds of Chandraketigarh bear correspondence with those of modern Tamluk. It was the Ichamati which was that effluent and its mouth called Roymangal was known as Pseudostomon to the Greeks. Portion of Bengal to the left of the Bhairab comprising the districts of Barisal and Bakharganj and possibly the Dakhin Shabaz Island in Bangladesh was known as ‘Samatata’, when the Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsang visited that Kingdom about 638 A.D.

The Bhagirathi (Rajmahal) was a large river when the Map of the De Barros was drawn. Tanda, which was situated on its left bank and opposite Rajmahal, was an important trading centre of cotton threads and goods. That was also the capital in place of Gauda for about 40 years from 1565 A.D. After Tanda, Rajmahal was made the capital for a few years upto 1612 A.D. That Map also evinces the insignificance of the Gaudiya Bhagirathi and the Bhairab. The Bhagirathi(Rajmal) became larger definitely at the expense of those two.

Major Hurst heard about a tradition that a ruler of Murshidabad, fearing attack from the North, closed the Bhagirathi altogether round about 1500 A.D., by driving in huge piles. But Murshidabad came into the picture about 200 years later, when the capital was shifted from Dhaka to Murshidabad by Murshid Kuli Khan. It was Gauda which used to be attacked by the Sultans of Delhi to punish the defaulting Sultans of Gauda. So, to obstruct the flow of the Gaudiya Bhagirathi was a necessity. According to the account of Iban Batuta, the famous traveler of the 14th century A.D., there was permanent enmity between the Sultans of Sonargaon and Gauda. The former having had much stronger naval forces used to attack Gauda every year in the rainy season. So, there was also necessity for cutting short the Bhairab.

The Map of the Cossimbazar Island shows the Bhairab as a thread of channel draining south from the Culkuli river at Akheriganj. Emerging from the Padma to the east of the old Bhagwangola, the Culkuli used to flow into the Jalangi. The Padma having grasped the portion of this river between Akheriganj and Maricha, the remaining portion exists under the name of the Sialmari river. Major Rennell’s Map of the rivers of Bengal shows the course of the Bhairab past Jessore upto the Haringhata estuary.

In 1874 a heavy flood opened the exit of the Bhairab at Chaklaghat opposite Godagari, with the result that much water crossed the Jalangi and lower Mathabhanga and entered Jessore. Major Hurst said “ The opening up was of course the hand of God and not of man.” If the lower Mathabhanga was not \made stronger at the expense of the lower Kumar at that time, that flood-water could have opened the entire course of the Bhairab once again.Unfortunately, the Padma had grasped the portion of Culcully between Akheriganj and Maricha prior to the occurrence of that heavy flood, otherwise that would have revived the upper Kumar comprising the Culcully between those two places, the Sialmari and the Upper Mathabhanga, instead of the Bhairab

It was necessary to control the flow of the Ganges through the Kalindri in order to obstruct the flow through the Bhairab. The Bhagirathi (Rajmahal) got enlarged on getting more water from the Ganges . Keeping open a certain portion of its channel towards its left bank and enlarging the upper Kumar, the course of the Bhairab was blocked from its right bank towards Akheriganj. The so-called Padma and the Mahananda canals were simultaneously dug to maintain uniformity in the distribution of the Ganges -water. It can be inferred that the changes were made in between 1340 A.D. and 1420 A.D., when the capital was at Pandua in place of Gauda.

At the end of the 16th century A.D. or in the beginning of the next one, when the Koshi flowing past Purnea joined the Ganges near the bend above Bhutni, it made the Ganges flow through the Bhagirathi (Rajmahal). The Ganges flowed to the east following the course of the Padma canal and reduced the Gaudiya Bhagirathi, the Kalindri, the lower Bhagirathi, the Baral and the Kumar to its spill channels. The Mahananda got the opportunity to flow in the course of the Kalindri from above the town of Maldah.

The Map of De Barrows shows bifurcation of the Kalindri into two channels and convergence of those two near Suvarnagram( Sonargaon). The upper channel which flowed past Dhaka comprised two rivers, the Baral-Atreyi and Buriganga rivers. The route to Suvarnagram by the lower channel was by the Kumar upto the Arial Khan. The Map of Van Den Broucke can help ascertain the remaining portion of the lower route.

Like the Portuguese, the Dutch were also conversant with the navigable waterways of Bengal. They came to Bengal in the early part of the 17th century A.D. Apart from other commodities, they used to export from the port of Chittagong to Japan and Holland about Seven thousand bales (about 100 pounds each) of silk goods every year, manufactured in their factory at Kalikapur, situated within the jurisdiction of Cossimbazar, employing about 400 local weavers. The Dutch cemetery at Kalikapur, located near the Cossimbazar Railway Station, bears evidence of their stay in Bengal for over 100 years.

Broucke’s Map shows appearance of the Padma on the scene. That Map also shows bifurcation of the Karatoa into two Channels and convergence of those two at the mouth of the Lakhya river, an effluent of the then Brahmaputra, near Suvarnagram. The upper channel flowing past Dhaka was obviously the Buriganga. The lower channel is shown as having three connections with the Padma, the first one at Goalanda and the last one leading to the Arial Khan river from that point where that lower one has turned to the north-east towards the Lakhya. This latter portion of the lower one was actually the path of the downward flow of the water of the Lakhya and the Buriganga to that point. So the last connection was the means to pass water of the Karatoa, Buriganga and Lakhya rivers to the Arial Khan. The Padma then used to flow in the course of the Bhubaneswar, the lower part of which is known as the Arial Khan.

It comes to light on the scrutiny of the Map no. 1 that it was the Palang Nullah which connected the lower channel of the Karatoa with the Arial Khan. Suvarnagram was situated on the Buriganga in between its confluences with the Lakhya and the Bhahmaputra. The route to Suvarnagram by the lower channel from the Arial khan in the Map of De Barrows in hereby established. The then path of the combined flow of the Brahmaputra and the Meghna having been farther to the east, there was a separate channel,independent of that one connecting the Lakhya with the Palang Nullah, upto the point where the Padma now meets the Meghna. After the channel past Mymensingh was deserted by the Bhahmaputra, the Meghna turned to the west and appropriated that one connecting the Palang Nullah.

Having had connections with the Ganges , Teesta and Brahmaputra, the Karatoa was a very large river in the olden days. The Brahmaputra had several effluents leading to the Karatoa and Buriganga. The channel by which the Brahmaputra now flows under the name of the Jamuma was once a channel of its effluent. As a matter of fact, the effluents were the means for containing the formidability of the Brahmaputra. According to the ‘Vabishya Purana’, the Karotoa had outlet into the sea. Iban Batuta found a large number of ship-building carpenters living on the bank of the Buriganga near Dhaka. He left India for Sumatra from the port of Suvarnagram.

Major Rennell’s Map of the rivers of Bengal shows the Padma flowing in the course of its first connection leading to Goalanda abandoning the course of the Bhubaneswar and thereafter along the course of the lower channel of the Karatoa. But diversion of its course is shown from a point a few miles above from its present meeting point with the Meghna above Chandpur. After its flow parallel to Meghna, its bifurcation is shown near the sea-face, the left branch falling into the Meghna estuary and the right branch bifurcating and falling into the Tentulia estuary. The silted-up last part of its course has been shown near the Tentulia estuary in the Map No. 1. The Padma was unable to meet the Meghna until its was reinforced by the Jamuna.

Broucke’s map shows a peculiar course for the exit from the port of Suvarnagram. Map No. 1 shows a channel emanating from the Meghna at Chandpur, which flowing to the east has turned to the north towards the Devaparbata (Mainamati-Lalmai range of hills), and again flowing to the east which has turned to the south and flowed to the sea. The outlet into the sea is shown to the east of the town of Noakhali and to the west of the mouth of the Fenny. The same channel has also been shown in Major Rennell’s Map. The Map No. 1 also shows a channel intersecting one falling at Daudkandi and that one emanating from Chandpur. That channel falling at Daudkandi, the intersecting channel and the Chandpur channel formed the route to the sea in Broucke’s time.

The route to the sea from the port of Suvarnagram was the same when the Map was drawn by De Barros. Moreover, his map discloses the location of Vikrampur, the capital of the last few rulers of the Sena dynasty. That was situated at the south-eastern corner of the block of land bounded on the north and east by the Chandpur channel, on the south by the sea and on the west by the Meghna estuary. In all probability, Vikrampur having been devastated by a severe cyclone, the capital was shifted to Suvarnagram by Danuj Madhava about 1275 A.D. Having come from Delhi, Gyasuddin Balban met Danuja Madhava in 1282 A.D. to get his assistance for subduing Bughra Khan of Gauda.

Near Comilla, ruins of a cluster of Buddhist establishments were discovered on the Mainamati-Lalmai range of hills, the anicient name of which was Devaparbata. Those were discovered in course of excavations for establishment of a cantonment during the Second World war. The excavations unearthed remains of many Buddhist monastries, out of which one was exceptionally large, which was known as Bhabadeva-Mahavihara, built by the king Bhabadeva in the 8th century A.D. There were one hundred and fifteen dwelling cells for the monks in that Mahavihara. The Chandpur channel having had connection with the sea and other rivers connecting the important Buddhist centres of Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, the Buddhism flourished in the south-eastern corner of Bengal in the distant past.

There is much clamouring about the distribution of the Teesta water between the two neighbouring countries. The original course past Siliguri having been blocked by trunks of large trees, boulders, etc, brought down from above, a very heavy flood in 1787 opened the present course following the course of an old abandoned branch of the river. Since then the river is discharging its water into the Brahmaputra near Bahadurabad in Bangladesh. That diversion influenced the Brahmaputra to switch over to its Jamuna channel from the previous one past Mymensingh. Two barrages have been constructed on the Teesta, one in India and another in Bangladesh. Perhaps, it occurred to none that weakening of the Teesta might disturb the equilibrium that the Brahmaputra had attained.

The Teesta carries a heavy charge of silt. Nobody cares to know about the present state of the impounding capacity of the barrage at Gajaldoba. No doubt, that is continuously waning with the accumulation of silt in the up-stream of the barrage. Like the Koshi, that may induce the river to revert to its original pre-1787 course, the consquences of which may be easily imagined. That may also happen anytime, should a flood of the type of 1968 occur again.

The Teesta used to discharge its water mainly through the Punarbhaba, Atreyi and Karatoa rivers before that diversion. In consequence of that diversion, all those branches have been deprived of the head water supply together with the fertilizing silt-laden flood water from the Himalayas. Bifurcation of the old course occurred a few miles below Siliguri. It is necessary to call off the unfinished portion of the Teesta Barrage Project and pass requisite quantity of water to open the right branch of the old Teesta in order that the Punarbhaba and Atreyi rivers may be resuscitated.

Owing to the heavy rainfall , hardly any irrigation is required for the cultivation of the season-bound indigenous varieties of paddy in North Bengal. The climatic conditions do not normally favour the cultivation of the time-bound high-yielding varieties of paddy in the rainy season. Soils in general favour the cultivation of the Oil-seeds, Pulses and Sugarcane in the post-monsoon periods in North Bengal. The cultivation of those crops does not require as much irrigation as that is required in other parts of the State, owing to the high water table of the underground water, and that also provides scope for intercropping and rotation of the crops. Canals should not be the substitute for dug-wells and tanks in North Bengal. Moreover, It will be difficult to maintain the canals.

Every year the Brahmaputra is causing havoc in the Assam Valley since its connection with the Tsan Po of Tibet. It will continue to do so until it brings the level of the Valley, about 450 miles in length, to the state it will be, if that was originally excavated commensurate with the size and power of the present Bhahmaputra.

The low water and flood water discharges of the Bhahmaputra at Gwahati are about 150000 cusecs and 2000000 cusecs respectively. The river level at Gwahati commences to rise in March. A small flood usually occurs in the beginning of May owing to the early rains. The river level then rises steadily till the middle of July. Old effluents leading to the Karatoa may be revived utilizing the bounty of the nature.

The satellite picture has shown bifurcation of the Padma below Godabari. That has shown the lower channel flowing following the upper parts of the course of the Bhairab and the old Culcully. The lower channel has joined the upper one flowing to the north-east from the point the Sialmari, the lower part of the Culcully, has taken off. The lower portion of the Bhairab has been shown as a spill channel of that lower channel from Akheriganj. Had not the course of the Sialmari been silted up, water of the lower channel would have passed into the Hooghly through the Jalangi. In consequence of that, water of the upper channel might have flowed through the Baral converting the Padma from Sharda into its spill channel. The Baral served as the route to the eastern part of Bengal from time immemorial. In fact, the picture has exposed the channels which existed in the time of Joan De Barros ( 1552 A.D).

On account of the silted up course of the Sialmari, the Jalangi lost the golden chance of becoming perennial. In his journey up from Calcutta to the town of Jalangi in 1764, Major Rennell found the bed of the Jalanga fouled by large sunken boats, many of which were salt boats of 4000 maunds( about 160 tons) burden. The Jalangi and the Culcully had served as the water-route to the old and historical Bhagabangola, the famous trading centre of Bengal in the medieval period. Unfortunately, that Bhagabangola was completely grasped by the Padma after the map of the Cossimbazar Island was drawn by Major Rennell.

In order to get rid of the problems of the flood and erosion in the districts of Malda and Murshidabad completely, it is essential to take recourse to the system which has been shown in the Map of Ptolemy. Besides opening up the Gaudiya Bhagirathi at its former off-take point, as much flood-water of the Ganges as possible must be passed through the Kalindri. There will be continuous flow of water into the Lower Bhagirathi through the Jangipur Barrage, if a large reservour is made on the bed of the Ganges for water coming down the Gaudiya Bhagirathi. The feeder canal has done good and bad simultaneously. Obstructing the courses of 4 rivers and the natural drainage of the Pagla and Bansloi rivers, that has caused permanent water-logging over a large area under the Raghunathganj P.S.

The Padma is a Pseudo river and is at the root of all the evils. It must be reduced to the former Padma canal, so that the kalindri can resuscitate its former branches by supplying enough upland water. The Ganges water may be passed into the Madhumati through the Pangasi and the Gorai from the Lower Kumar. Adequate water may be passed to the Hooghly through the Jalangi and the Churni. It should be remembered that Raja Pratapadipta fought against the Mughals on the Ichamati in December, 1612 with 500 battle crafts.

The earliest Muslim rulers of Bengal preferred Debikote( modern Gangarampur) to Gauda as a place for their settlement. Debikote was a place of importance even before the dawn of history in India. Excavating the bed of the Punarbhaba, skeleton of a very large boat, about 60 feet long and 20 feet wide, was unearthed a few years ago. Those facts point to its having been a large navigable river in the olden days. It continued to maintain its perenniality until it was estranged from the Teesta.

In order that both Siliguri and Kolkata may be saved, it is imperative to pass enough water through the old course of the Teesta, so that one-third of the Teesta-water may pass into the Mahananda through the Punarbhaba. That arrangement will enable all the branches of the former kalindri to sustain themselves effectively. Even the Bidyadhari may be retrieved from the present haggard state. There is hardly any necessity to store the balance of flood-water of the Teesta at Gajaldoba. That must flow to Bangladesh for storing and also for passing on to the Brahmaputra.

Huge sum of money has been allocated recently for the purpose of controlling flood in the sub-division of kandi under the district of Murshidabad. A course emanating from the Bhagirathi from above the town of Lalbag (Murshidabad) and comprising the present Jhum Jhum Nadi, Telkar Bill, Banki Nullah and Babla has been shown as the old course of the Ganges in the Map No. 1. Flowing past the ancient city of Karna Suvarna by its west, that channel used to drain the excess quantity of flood-water of the Dwarka and the Mayurakshi into the Bhagirathi. Until and unless that by-pass channel of the Bhagirathi is revived diverting half of the water of the Bhagirathi.and the system of the Overflow Irrigation, evolved by the ancient Irrigation and Waterways Engineers hundreds of years ago, is re-introduced, the public money will be flowing down the drain.

Sources
1. Rivers of Bengal – Publication of the W.B.D.G, Higher Education Department, Government of West Bengal
2. District Gazetteer, Murshidabad (1914) - - do –
3. History of Bangladesh - Dr. R.C. Mazumder.
4. Buddhist Monuments - Debala Mitra

In the Context of Port of Haldia and Flood in Midnapore

Noticing that the Kolkata Port Trust is finding it very hard to maintain navigability in the estuary of the Hooghly and that the State Government is facing the problem of proper drainage of flood-water in the districts of Midnapore, it should occur to one who is acquainted with the name and fame of Tamralipti that the deviation of the river system from the ancient one in that region has been at the bottom of all the problems. The ancient kingdom of Tamralipti extended over the two districts of Midnapore and part of modern Orissa up to the sea at the least. The kingdom and its metropolis and international port had the same name.

One may get an idea of the ancient river system from the Map drawn by the great Greek geographer and astronomer Ptolemy in the middle of the 2nd century AD. As per accounts of the Greek geographer and historian Strabo, who was born about 63BC, that the Greeks had enough knowledge of our major waterways from Pataliputra (modern Patna) to the sea. It was that system which was instrumental in eliminating the problems of navigation and drainage and in maintaining prosperity of the kingdom of Tamralipti for hundreds of years. The ancients had solved all problems simultaneously.

The Map was drawn by Ptolemy sitting at Alexandria in Egypt and without visiting our country. Having not been drawn to scale, that has hitherto remained enigmatic to the historians as well as to the specialists on rivers. After bifurcation at the apex of the delta, the right hand branch of the Ganges, which was identified with the Bhagirathi, has been shown as discharging its water into the sea by three mouths. The most western mouth was named ‘Kambyson’, the central one Mega and the eastern one Kamberikhon in that Map. Traditionally, Tribeni was the place wherefrom the Bhagirathi trifurcated into three branches, the right hand one was known as the Saraswati. The Saraswati used to discharge its water into the Rupnarayan at the head of its wider portion. It appears from the configuration of the channels leading to those mouths that the division of the Saraswati was shown instead of the Bhagirathi. The Rupnarayan was known as the last part of the Ganges not only to the Greeks and the Romans, but to the foreigners who came to India in the medieval period as well. The map was drawn for the guidance of the fellow Greeks, not for the posterity.

The channel leading to Kamberikhon was obviously the present Rupnarayan. The estuary was that of the Rupnarayan at that time instead of that of the present Hooghli. The Rupnaryan may be looked upon as an inlet of the sea. The Hooghly from Kolkata to the Hooghly Point came into being following the eviction of the Portuguese from the town and port of Hooghly in 1632 by the Mughals, when the Adi Ganga was diverted to the Rupnarayan by digging a canal from Hastings to Sankrail. Having been dug by the ‘Yavanas’, water of this portion of the Ganges was not sacred to the Hindus.

In that Map emanation of two channels from the main channel, Rupnarayan, has been shown; the western one leading to the kambyson from the head of the wider portion and the central one leading to the Mega from a point a little below from that head. In this region there are only two rivers which debouch into the sea, one is the Subarnarekha and the Rasulpur is the other. The mouths of those two rivers were respectively known as Kambyson and Mega to the Greeks.

The Map drawn by Van Den Broucke, a Dutch by birth, in 1660 shows the Kansai falling into the Rupnarayan at the head of its wider portion from the right. Compared to the Saraswati, the Kansai was a minor river. When the former was extant, there was necessity of a channel leading to the Subarnarekha from the junction of the latter with the Rupnarayan to divert the flood-water of the latter to avoid backing up effect. The Map drawn by Joan De Barros, a Portuguese by birth, in the year 1552, shows the existence of such channel. The relics of the central channel leading to Mega exist in the form of segmented Khals or minor rivers up-to the Rasulpur River in the Map No. 5( Nadia to the sea)g of the Volume II of the “Rivers of Bengal.”

It stands out from the name and location of the Mega mouth that the central one was the principal navigation channel for the port of Tamralipti. The circuitous and hazardous route through the estuary was avoided. Even after deterioration of this channel, Hijili, which is situated on the bank of the Rasulpur River, served as an important port in the 16th century A.D. In Periplus Maris Erythraei (The Commerce and Navigation of the Indian Ocean), which was written by an unknown Egyptian Greek about the middle of the 2nd half of the first century A.D, mention has been made of piloting the ships upto the river port of Barygaza (modern Broach). But no such mention has been made for the port of Tamralipti / Gange, although it is stated therein : “there is on it (the Ganges) a mart called after it, Gange, through which passes a considerable traffic consisting of betel, the Gangetic spikenard, pearl, and the finest of all Muslins – those called the Gangetic…”

To the Greeks the kingdom of Tamralipti was known as Gangaridai and its metropolis and port were called Gange by them. Probable location of the metropolis may be obtained with reference to the co-ordinates of those three mouths, which are as follows –

* Gange, the Royal residence – 146OE, 19O15’N
* The Kambyson mouth, the most western 144O30’E, 18O15’N
* The second mouth, called Mega – 145O45’E, 18O30’N
* The third called Kamberikhon – 146O30’E, 18O40’N

It transpires, therefore, that Gange, the metropolis, was definitely situated on the bank of the Rupnarayan and below modern Tamluk. The metropolis was only 10 Chinese ‘Li’ or about 2 miles or at the most 6 kms in circuit. It was unlikely that the metropolis and the port were situated at the same place. The port should have been near the emergence of the channel leading to the Mega and above modern Tamluk.

Relying upon the Sri Lankan Religious books ‘Dipavamsa’ and ‘Mahavamsa’, it can be said that the port was in operation since the pre-historic period. It maintained its operation even after the departure of the Chinese pilgrim I-tsing from this port in 693 A.D. It survived over a period of one thousand years from the dawn of history in the country and there flocked merchants from various parts of the globe for trade. It handled the then largest ships of ‘Kondalia’ class even at low water. There was no question of dredging for maintaining navigability at that time.

The name ‘Tamralipti’ was given by the Aryans for the highly developed copper-industry dating at least from 2000 B.C in that region. In the epic ‘Mahabharata’ mention of Tamralipti has been made several times. Both the Jainism and the Buddhism were firmly established in the Kingdom prior to the beginning of the Christian era. There were Stupas built by Emperor Asoka (272-235 B.C). There were 24 Buddhist monasteries in the Kingdom, when the Chinese pilgrim Fa-Hien stayed there for two years before embarking on a merchant vessel for sailing to Sri Lanka in 414 A.D. According to the account of the well-known Chinese pilgrim Hiuen Tsiang, who visited the kingdom about 638 A.D, the land was regularly cultivated and produced flowers and fruits in abundance; and the people were rich and prosperous owing to their trade, gems and wonderful articles of value being plentiful. Many Chinese and Korean pilgrims visited the Kingdom before the arrival of Fa-Hien, and after the departure of I-Tsing. It was a great seat of learning of the Buddhist text and literature upto the 11th century A.D. Thereafter it passed into oblivion.

The region is now merely a shadow of its past. Major portion of the two districts remain water-logged during the rainy season in spite of there being a maze of embankments of different types. Flood-water is not finding proper out-let to the sea owing to the man-made deviation of the courses of the major rivers and also to the silting up of the former channels leading to the Kambyson and the Mega.

The port of Haldia is now on the verge of abandonment due to the silting up of the Balari channel and to the acute problem of navigability in the Auckland, Jellingham and Haldia channels. Engaging almost all the running dredgers of the Dredging Corporation of India, partially loaded medium sized vessels are being brought to the port incurring much loss of revenue. The Central Government is paying subsidy amounting to Rs. Four hundred Crores every year to meet the expenses of dredging. The quantity of silt carried down by the Hooghly annually is approximately equal to a block of dry earth one mile square and about 69 feet thick. Besides that, the flood tide brings in enormous quantity of silt from the continental shelf twice daily. Moreover, the duration of the ebb tide is longer than that of the flood tide and the former does not follow the paths of the latter. The shape of the estuary is like a funnel, having width of about 1.8kms at the top and at the mouth that is about 30 kms. In the estuary the tidal action predominates. What was reported by Leonard in 1865 may be enough to point out that no permanent navigation channel can exist in the estuary of the Hooghly. The Port Trust is now opting for the Eden channel overlooking the vagaries of that channel, which have been stated in detail in the Volume II of the Rivers of the Bengal.

Van Den Broucke’s that Map shows connection between the Rupnarayan and the Hooghly from a point near Tribeni. That was, in fact, combination of the main Damodar and the Kunti Nadi. A straighter course connecting those two points has been shown as ‘Old Bhagirathi’ in the Map drawn by Major Rennell About 1783, which could not but be the course of the ancient Saraswati. The main Damodar was a tributary of that Sraswati, which, after silting up of the latter, used to discharge its water directly into the Rupnarayan appropriating the last part of the course of the latter. The old course of the Darokaswar has been shown in the aforesaid Map no. 5, which flowing past Arambag used to flow by the Kana Nadi into the main Damodor. The same Map shows the main Damodar falling into the Hooghly opposite Falta Point turning at right angles after flowing past Ampta and Gaighata. The silt carried down by this channel of the Damodar caused formation of the James & Mary shoal between the Falta and Hooghly points.

Piddington in his report of 1854 referred to the then frequently expressed opinion that the diversion of the Damodar into the Rupnarayan would lead to the amelioration of the James & Mary Reach, which was reiterated by Longridge in 1864. The present Rupnarayan is formed at Bunder near Ghatal by the confluence of the Darakeswar and Selai. The Rupnarayan upto Kolaghat is not wide and deep enough to accommodate flood-water of those two rivers and the Mundeswari, the last one coming from the left falls into the Rupnarayan below Bunder. The portion of the present Rupnarayan below kolaghat, where it flows west to east upto the head of its wider portion, is actually the last part of the old Kansai. If the Darakeswar and Damodar are diverted to their former destination, there will be hardly any water-logging in the Ghatal area and in the Buxi basin, and that will simultaneously ameliorate the channel of the Rupnarayan and the navigable channels in the estuary of the Hooghly.

According to the Midnapore Gazetteer of 1911, the Kansai was bifurcated above Panskura in the early part of the 19th century AD. The smaller branch was led to the Selai near Ghatal and the major one was joined with the Keliaghai River to form the Haldi River, which flowing past Haldia debouches into the estuary of the Hooghly. The Haldi carries down huge quantity of silt brought by those two rivers, which has caused formation of the ‘Nayachar’ island in the estuary of the Hooghly. Diversion of that major branch of the Kansai to its silted up old course leading to the Kambyson mouth will cause weakening of the trouble makers, the keliaghai and Kapaleswari and other rivers coming from the north-west, on one hand and on the other that will reduce the Haldi to a minor river. On account of that diversion, much water will be available for irrigation and also for maintaining navigability in the silted up Rasulpur River. The Central Government has given sanction for the construction of a barrage across the Subarnarekha in the district of West Midnapore.

It is not desirable to resuscitate the channel leading to the Mega mouth owing to the difficulty in getting up-land water all the year round. Nearly one hundred and fifty years ago connection between the Rupnarayan and the Haldi was suggested in order to prevent obstruction of flow in the Hooghly above its junction with the Rupnarayan, which is caused by the damming back action of the latter at the junction. The same Map no.5 shows the existence of a tidal creek connecting the Haldi with the Rupnarayan below Geonkhali and opposite Hooghly point. An alternative navigation channel may be created by digging a canal along the course of that creek upto the Haldi and then extending the canal upto the Rasulpur river. Connection with the latter river may be made at that point where turning to the south it flows southwards upto the sea. Ships may be brought to the ports of Haldia and Kolkata by this route conveniently.

The Rasulpur River is now in a badly silted up state owing to the construction of cross-dams in the Khals leading to it and to the reclamation of the Jalpai lands. It may be ascertained from the Map no.11 of the same Volume II of the ‘Rivers of Bengal’, which was drawn in 1780, that the river had depth of at least 2 fathoms at low water and the depth at the entrance from the sea was between 3 and 5 fathoms at low water. The depth at low water was obviously more previously. Hijili, which is situated on the left bank of this River close to the sea, having been the chief seaport of lower Bengal, larger English vessels began to load and unload their cargoes here by 1679. It was an important emporium in the 16th century A.D. In the account of Ralph Fitch, written in 1586, it is said: “To this haven of Angeli (Hijili) come every year many ships out of India, Negapatam, Sumatra, Malacca, and divers other places, and lade from thence great store of rice and much cloth of cotton wool, much sugar and long pepper, great store of butter, and other victuals for India.” The Government is opting for Kalpi setting aside Hijili as the location of a future port in this region, which is highly regrettable.

The Rasulpur River has no influence on the Hooghly’s navigation channels at present, though formerly it helped to maintain the Western channel approach to the estuary of the Hooghly from the Sea. Ships have been using the Eastern one for entry to the estuary for many years. Institution of dredging operation in the Rasulpur River and in the adjoining portion of the estuary, which was known as Hijili Flat, will enable the suggested canal to become tidal. Beside that, there will be entry of more tidal water into the estuary by the Western one, which improving the condition of the Haldia channel may facilitate movement of the ships to the port of Haldia by that channel also.

In order to get rid of the present problems of navigation and drainage in the districts of Midnapore, it is of utmost importance to take resort to the ancient river system as far as possible. Wisdom of the ancients cannot be kept out of reckoning.

Sources :


1. Rivers of Bengal – Publication of W.B.D.G, Higher Education Dept, Govt. of West Bengal.
2. Gazatteer of Medinipore (1911) - - do –
3. The Classical Accounts of India - Dr. R. C. Majumder.