The first phase of Biswa Ijtema, or the World Congregation of Muslims,
is set to conclude on Sunday through seeking peace and harmony.
The bank of the river Turag has turned into a sea of people as tens of thousands of people have been streaming into the scene to join the final prayer.
Devotees were seen walking towards the venue as traffic was halted. Many traveled overnight.
The gathering, which began on Friday, is considered as the second largest Islamic gathering after the Hajj.
Organisers usually say the congregation's final prayer attracts not less than two million devotees.
A blanket security has been in place for a peaceful holding of the meet, which shuns politics and is devoted to revival of Islamic values that advocate peace and harmony.
President Zillur Rahman, prime minister Shekh Hasina, opposition leader Khaleda Zia and Jatiya Party chairman Hussein Muhammad Ershad are expected to join the final prayer.
Gazipur police superintendent Abdul Baten told reporters that they arranged special security for the political leaders who would remain beyond the reach of the common people.
Hundreds of thousands of devotees were seen sitting on the streets --Kumarpara road near Ashulia and the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway beside the ground.
The gathering had hosted the ritualistic dowry-less weddings prior to the Asr prayers on Saturday.
Thousands of devotees had thronged the Ijtema grounds on Saturday, making their way from various parts of the country to attend the congregation, which is totally informal and is not presided over by anyone.
Tablig Jamaat, a non-political religious group, organised the gathering.
Saturday had started with Pakistani religious scholar Mohammad Ehsan's lectures after the Fazr prayers at dawn.
Bangladeshi cleric Maulana Nurul Haque had addressed the congregation after the Zohr prayers, followed by Indian scholar Zobayerul Hasan after the Asr prayers and Ahmed Latt after the Magrib prayers.
Before the Asr prayers, Hasan had married off couples who enlisted their names in the wedding register through a traditional ceremony of the Tablig Jamaat.
Hasan will conduct the final prayers while Indian maulana Sa'ad will address the congregation from dawn.
Dressed in traditional robes and prayer caps, huge columns of devotees from far-flung villages and towns in Bangladesh, as well as across the world, made way towards the gathering site on Friday, braving overcrowded buses and ferries, and enduring long delays and a dense fog.
Ijtema's appeal has grown largely over the years among those who cannot afford to go to Meccah for the Hajj.
The second phase will begin after a four-day gap on Jan 20. The final prayer is on Jan 22.
Biswa Ijtema has been taking place since the 1960s when it used to take place at Dhaka's Kakrail mosque.
In 1948, it took place at the Haji Camp in Chittagong, and shifted to Narayanganj's Shiddhirganj in 1958.
With a steady increase in the number of devotees attending, Ijtema was shifted to the banks of Turag in Tongi in 1966 and has been taking place there since then.
The bank of the river Turag has turned into a sea of people as tens of thousands of people have been streaming into the scene to join the final prayer.
Devotees were seen walking towards the venue as traffic was halted. Many traveled overnight.
The gathering, which began on Friday, is considered as the second largest Islamic gathering after the Hajj.
Organisers usually say the congregation's final prayer attracts not less than two million devotees.
A blanket security has been in place for a peaceful holding of the meet, which shuns politics and is devoted to revival of Islamic values that advocate peace and harmony.
President Zillur Rahman, prime minister Shekh Hasina, opposition leader Khaleda Zia and Jatiya Party chairman Hussein Muhammad Ershad are expected to join the final prayer.
Gazipur police superintendent Abdul Baten told reporters that they arranged special security for the political leaders who would remain beyond the reach of the common people.
Hundreds of thousands of devotees were seen sitting on the streets --Kumarpara road near Ashulia and the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway beside the ground.
The gathering had hosted the ritualistic dowry-less weddings prior to the Asr prayers on Saturday.
Thousands of devotees had thronged the Ijtema grounds on Saturday, making their way from various parts of the country to attend the congregation, which is totally informal and is not presided over by anyone.
Tablig Jamaat, a non-political religious group, organised the gathering.
Saturday had started with Pakistani religious scholar Mohammad Ehsan's lectures after the Fazr prayers at dawn.
Bangladeshi cleric Maulana Nurul Haque had addressed the congregation after the Zohr prayers, followed by Indian scholar Zobayerul Hasan after the Asr prayers and Ahmed Latt after the Magrib prayers.
Before the Asr prayers, Hasan had married off couples who enlisted their names in the wedding register through a traditional ceremony of the Tablig Jamaat.
Hasan will conduct the final prayers while Indian maulana Sa'ad will address the congregation from dawn.
Dressed in traditional robes and prayer caps, huge columns of devotees from far-flung villages and towns in Bangladesh, as well as across the world, made way towards the gathering site on Friday, braving overcrowded buses and ferries, and enduring long delays and a dense fog.
Ijtema's appeal has grown largely over the years among those who cannot afford to go to Meccah for the Hajj.
The second phase will begin after a four-day gap on Jan 20. The final prayer is on Jan 22.
Biswa Ijtema has been taking place since the 1960s when it used to take place at Dhaka's Kakrail mosque.
In 1948, it took place at the Haji Camp in Chittagong, and shifted to Narayanganj's Shiddhirganj in 1958.
With a steady increase in the number of devotees attending, Ijtema was shifted to the banks of Turag in Tongi in 1966 and has been taking place there since then.
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