DHAKA, Feb 4: Some three million Muslim devotees raised their hands in prayer seeking global peace and harmony at one of the world's biggest mass religious congregations, police and organisers said on Sunday.

The final prayer capped a three-day Islamic gathering on the sandy banks of the River Turag outside Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka.

''We estimate at least three million people are at the prayer. There were about 2.5 million devotees at the final prayer last year,'' local police official Kaium Biswas told The Associated Press.

Many of the pilgrims were on boats or on the rooftops of nearby buildings as the crowd overflowed the designated venue.

President Iajuddin Ahmed, the country's interim leader Fakhruddin Ahmed and two former Prime Ministers -- Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina -- joined the prayer on the final day of the gathering.

Female devotees are not usually allowed to attend, but hundreds of women gathered in nearby villages to take part in the event.

Volunteers set up tents and troops installed seven temporary bridges over the river. Security officials watched entry points from watchtowers, and used metal detectors to search for weapons.

More than 50 security cameras were installed.—AFP