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A Map showing major rivers in Bangladesh including Padma.

This article is about the river. For other uses, see Padma (disambiguation).

The Padma (Bangla: পদ্মা Pôdda) is a major trans-boundary river in Bangladesh. It is the main distributary of the Ganges (Gôngga), which originates in the Himalaya. The Padma enters Bangladesh from India near Chapai Nababganj. It meets the Jamuna (Jomuna) near Aricha and retains its name, but finally meets with the Meghna River near Chandpur and adopts the name 'Meghna' before flowing into the Bay of Bengal.

Rajshahi, a major city in western Bangladesh, is situated on the north bank of the Padma.

Originated in the Gangotri Glacier of the Himalaya, the Ganges runs to the Bay of Bengal through India, entering Bangladesh at Shibganj in the district of Chapai Nababganj. Just west of Shibganj, the distributary Bhagirathi emerges and flows southwards as the Hooghly. After the point where the Bhagirathi branches off, the Ganges is officially referred to as the Padma.

Further downstream, in Goalando, 2200 km away from the source, the Padma is joined by the mighty Jamuna (Lower Brahmaputra) and the resulting combination flows with the name Padma further east, to Chandpur. Here, the widest river in Bangladesh, the Meghna, joins the Padma, continuing as the Meghna almost in a straight line to the south, ending in the Bay of Bengal.

River Padma in Rainy Season

The Padma is numerously mentioned in Hindu Mythology including the Vedas, the Puranas, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. In all myths, the river is mentioned as a Goddess though the origin differs.

In Valmiki’s Ramayana, Ganga (Sanskrit for Ganges) is described as the daughter of Lord Himalaya and Menaka who was abducted to the heavens by the deities and started to live in heaven from then, inside Karmandala, a spout shaped vessel.

In Vishnu Purana, Ganga is said to be issued from the toe of Lord Vishnu’s left foot. And was falling down. The pole star caught her in the middle of descent and kept her on his head round the clock.

Most myths agree on the incident how Ganga came down to earth.. By a special favour of Lord Shiva, King Sagara had sixty thousand sons, all of who were burnt into ashes as they disturbed the Mighty Kapila in his meditation. King Sagara, being informed by the heavenly wanderer Narada, sent his grandson Ansuman to Kapila to ask for his mercy. Kapila granted that the souls of the sixty thousand sons of King Sagara can be retrieved, but only by the mighty waters of the Ganga. Ansuman’s grandson Bhagiratha approached Ganga and made her agree to come down. To balance such great force of impact of Ganga falling to earth from heavens, Lord Shiva used his matted hair.