Hundreds of thousands of devotees reached Gazipur's Tongi on the banks of Turag River to attend the final prayers.

It is the second biggest Muslim congregation in the world after the Hajj and is held in winter every year.

Indian cleric Maulana Saad conducted the 30-minute final prayers on Sunday.

The devotees were seen walking down to the Ijtema ground.

As the ground was full, thousands were seen gathering in alleys and roads, while many got on boats in the Turag River to join the Akheri Munajat.

Traffic on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway, leading to Tongi, had been stopped since Saturday midnight.

Holiday has been declared in educational institutions, offices and factories around the venue.

People started heading back home after the prayers, causing traffic snarls on roads and highways out of Tongi.

The second phase of Ijtema will commence after a four-day break -- from Jan 16. It will conclude with the Akheri Munajat on Jan 18.

 

Since 2011, the Ijtema has been held in two phases to accommodate the large number of devotees.

The congregation was first organised at the Kakrail mosque in 1946.

Two years later, it was held at Chittagong's Haji camp followed by one at Narayanganj’s Siddhirganj in 1958.

As the number of participants increased, the congregation was eventually moved to the banks of Turag in Gazipur.

Later, 160 acres of land was acquired and developed as a permanent Ijtema ground.