HOOGHLY or HUGLI, the most westerly and commer cially the most important channel by which the Ganges enters the Bay of Bengal. It takes its distinctive name near the town of Santipur, about 120 m. from the sea. The stream now known as the Hooghly represents three western deltaic distributaries of the Ganges—viz., (I) the Bhagirathi, (2) the Jalangi and (3 ) part of the Matabhanga. The Bhagirathi and Jalangi unite at Nadia, above the point of their junction with the lower waters of the Matabhanga, which has taken the name of the Churni before the point of junction and thrown out new distributaries of its own. These three western distributaries are known as the Nadia rivers, and are the head waters of the Hooghly. Like other deltaic distributaries, they are subject to sudden changes and to silting up. The keeping open of the Nadia rivers, therefore, forms one of the great tasks of engineering in Bengal. Proceed ing south from Santipur, with a twist to the east, the Hooghly river divides Nadia from Hooghly district, until it touches the district of the Twenty-four Parganas. It then proceeds almost due south to Calcutta, next twists to the south-west and finally turns south, entering the Bay of Bengal in 21° 41' N., 88° E.
In the 4o miles of its course above Calcutta, the channels of the Hooghly are under no supervision, and they have silted up and shifted, yet it was upon this upper section that all the famous ports of Bengal lay in olden times. From Calcutta to the sea (about 90 m.) the river is a record of engineering improvement and success. A minute supervision, with steady dredging and constant readjustment of buoys, keeps it a safe waterway for ships of the largest tonnage, and since 1915 65 m. of the lower reaches have been lighted. Much attention has also been paid to the port of Calcutta (q.v.).