Major Cities on the Bank of Ganga

Akbar Fort - Allahabad (Major Cities on the Bank of Ganga)

Ganga is the trans-boundary river of Asia. The 2525 km long river is known as the Ganga in India and Meghna in Bangladesh. It has seen several kingdom and cities flourished on its bank and it is seeing some of them still growing day by day. Some of the major cities that grown on the banks of Ganga are

Patlipura (Patna)
Patliputra (modern Patna) was a city established by the Magadha ruler in 490 BCE. It was a major power house during the rule of the Shishunaga Empire, the Nanda Empire, the Maurya Empire, the Gupta Empire and the Pala Empire from 450 BCE to 1200 CE. The Greek historian Megasthenes visited the city during Maurya empire.

Kannauj
Kannauj was one of the most important centres during classical period of India. It first gained prominence during the era of the Maukhari empire around 600 CE. Later it came under the rule of Harsha of Vardhana Empire. And from 7th to 11th century, it became the centre of the Tripartite struggle between the Pala Empire, Rashtrakuta Empire, and Gurjara-Pratihara Empire.

Kara
Kara is an old town on the bank of Ganges, 69 km west of Allahabad. It served as the regional capital under the Delhi Sultanate and Jaunpur Sultanate.

Kashi (Varanasi)
Kashi is said to be oldest inhabitated city. According to the Hindu myths, the city was founded by the Lord Shiva himself. And he is considered as the eternal king of the city. The city is associated with several religious figures such as Gautama Buddha, Kabir and Guru Nanak Dev.

Allahabad (Prayagraj)
According to the 2011 population census, Allahabad is the 7th most populous city of India. It finds its mention in Rigveda as Prayagraj. It is said Lord Brahma performed the very first yajna in the Allahabad. It was Mughal Emperor Akbar mesmerized with the scenic beauty of the city constructed a fort and renamed the city as Illahabas. Later Illahabas became Allahabad.

Kampilya
Kampilya is the ancient city that was mentioned in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. The city served as the capital of Drupada, the father of Draupadi and father in law of the Pandavas.

Other major cities on the bank of Ganga are Rishikesh, Haridwar, Farrukhabad, Kanpur, Chunar, Mirzapur, Varanasi, Ghazipur, Patna, Hajipur, Chapra, Bhagalpur, Ballia, Buxar, Simaria, Sultanganj, Saidpur, and Malda.

At Pakur, near Bhagalpur, the Ganga starts branching away. The branch later became the Hooghly river.

Cities on the bank of Hooghly
Murshidabad
Murshidabad is located on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, a distributary of the Ganges River. During 18th century, it rose to its prominence. The city served as the capital to the Bengal subah of the Mughal Empire. Later when Nawab of Bengal lost his Diwani to the British East India Company, it lost its power to Kolkata.

Kolkata
The City of Joy Kolkata is one of the most important Indian cities. The city is located on the east bank of the Hooghly. The city is known for India's only riverine port.

Other major towns through which Hooghly pass through are Nabadwip and Howarah.