(Adds quotes, details)

By Azad Majumder

DHAKA, Jan 25 (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands Muslims from around the world converged on Bangladesh on Friday for the annual Bishwa Ijtema (world congregation), Islam's second biggest pilgrimage after the Haj, as police and troops tightened security against possible militant attacks.

Defying the cold and rain, devotees arrived on a bank of the Turag river at Tongi, a northern suburb of the capital, Dhaka, to discuss Islamic teachings at the three-day festival.

Swathed in thick woollen shawls and headscarfs, they braved the bitter winter chill to attend an event that is expected to draw more than two million Muslims, including believers from the Middle East, South Asia, the United States, Russia and Europe.

Islamic scholars lectured on various aspects of Islamic law and life, their words being simultaneously translated in several languages including English, Arabic, Urdu and Bangla. "I have come here to seek the blessings of Allah and to purify my heart," said Mohammad Ali Asgarh, a businessman from Chittaong.

Moslem Uddin, 70, came with his two grandsons from the far northern district of Dinajpur and was shivering in cold.

"Allah is testing my faith and willpower (in bad weather) but I am defiant," he told a Reuters cameraman. "I am old and sick, who knows if I will have another chance to attend the Ijtema."

The devotees traveled in overcrowded buses, trains and boats. many also walked for milies to reach the Ijtema venue, where authorities set up tents, toilets and drinking water facilities.

Several health centres were also operating to treat the elderly and sick.

Security was visibly tight, with troops, police and members of the country's elite rapid response force stationed around the river bank.

Three years after Islamist militants set off bomb blasts that killed 30 people and wounded at least 150, Bangladesh still faces security threats from the outlawed groups.

The Bishwa Ijtema has been held at the same site since 1966, and is organised by World Tablig Council, which preaches teachings of Islam and Prophet Mohammad.

The gathering ends on Sunday. (Additional reporting by Ruma Paul; Writing by Anis Ahmed; Editing by David Fox)

AlertNet news is provided by