Unlike the other great British cities Bombay and Madras, Calcutta is a riverine city. The Ganga, also called the Bhagirathi, and more famously Hooghly, was the prime reason for the selection and colonization of the site of modern Calcutta. The banks of the Hooghly in Calcutta are dotted with scores of ghats built for trade, transport, ablution and ritual purposes by the rich and famous in the city. While trade became extinct with the advent of the railways, the ghats are still used for transport. Here a ferry waits for passengers at the Shovabazaar Ghat for transporting people to Howrah Station on the opposite bank of the Hooghly. The Howrah Bridge can be seen in the distance.