 The Bhagirathi river originally flowed down the west of Nabadwip in the past, forming a natural boundary between the districts of Purba Bardhaman and Nadia.With time it has shifted its course to where it is at present, cutting the city off from the rest of the Nadia district.The name of the city is derived from the conjugation of the Bengali words /naba/ (new) and /dwipa/ (island) meaning New-island.