<Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Physical characteristics </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Length </Th> <Td> 260 kilometres </Td> </Tr> <P> The Hooghly River (Hugli; Anglicized alternatively spelled Hoogli or Hugli) or the Bhāgirathi - Hooghly, traditionally called' Ganga', is an approximately 260 - kilometre - long (160 mi) distributary of the Ganges River in West Bengal, India . The Ganges splits into the Padma and the Hooghly near Giria, Murshidabad . The Padma flows eastward into Bangladesh, whereas the Hooghly flows south through West Bengal . The river flows through the Rarh region, the lower deltaic districts of West Bengal, and eventually into the Bay of Bengal . The upper riparian zone of the river is called Bhagirathi while the lower riparian zone is called Hooghly . Calcutta and Hugli - Chinsura, the headquarter of Hooghly (district), is located on the banks of this river . </P> <P> The vast majority of the water that flows into the Hooghly River is provided by the man - made Farakka Feeder Canal, rather than the natural source of the river at Giria . The Farakka Barrage is a dam that diverts water from the Ganges into the Farakka Feeder Canal near the town of Tildanga in Murshidabad district, located 40 km upstream from Giria . This supplies the Hooghly with water as per agreement between India and Bangladesh . The feeder canal runs parallel to the Ganges, past Dhulian, until just above Jahangirpur where the canal ends and joins the Bhagirathi river . The Bhagirathi then flows south past Jiaganj Azimganj, Murshidabad, and Baharampur . South of Baharampur and north of Palashi it used to form the border between Bardhaman District and Nadia District, but while the border has remained the same the river is now often east or west of its former bed . The river then flows south past Katwa, Navadwip and Kalna . At Kalna it originally formed the border between Nadia District and Hooghly District, and then further south between Hooghly District and North 24 Parganas District . It flows past Halisahar, Chinsurah, Serampore, and Kamarhati . Then just before entering the twin cities of Kolkata (Calcutta) and Howrah, it turns to the southwest . At Nurpur it enters an old channel of the Ganges and turns south to empty into the Bay of Bengal through an estuary about 20 mi (32 km) wide . </P>

Calcutta is situated on the banks of which river