Tongi, Bangladesh ? Some 3 million Muslim devotees raised their hands in prayer for global peace, putting aside their country’s sometimes violent struggle with political corruption and Islamic extremists, at one of the world’s largest religious gatherings.

The final prayer Sunday capped a three-day Islamic gathering on the sandy banks of the River Turag in a small industrial town just north of Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital.

Pilgrims, many of whom left work early to join the prayer, streamed into the site stretching 190 acres along both banks of the river. As the crowd overflowed the space, people arrived at the site on packed boats or climbed on to the rooftops of nearby buildings.

The annual gathering shuns politics, which have become increasingly bloody in Bangladesh, and focuses on reviving the tenets of Islam and promoting peace and harmony. Participants discuss the Quran, Islam’s holy book, pray and listen to sermons by Islamic scholars from around the world.

Though extra buses and trains were sent to ferry devotees to and from the prayer site, there was standing room only, even atop the train cars, and many passengers hung on to the sides through open windows. Many others simply walked the 12 miles back to the city.

Kaium Biswas, a local police official, said police estimated the number of pilgrims at 3 million, a significant increase over the 2.5 million thought to have attended last year.

“Each year more and more people are joining the mass prayer. This shows how Bangladeshi Muslims love peace and are opposed to those who propagate militancy,” said Abul Kalam, an Islamic scholar.

Though Sunday is a work day in predominantly Muslim Bangladesh, many devotees closed their shops or left their offices early to join the prayer.

“It’s a great feeling. I feel proud that I’m among millions of people seeking divine blessings for peace in the world,” said Abdul Malek, who closed his convenience store in Dhaka to join the festival.

Female devotees, with the exception of high-ranking officials, were not allowed to attend, but hundreds gathered in nearby villages to take part in the event.

Abdur Rahim, a spokesman for Tablig Jamaat, an organization of Islamic preachers that sponsored the event, added that several thousands of the worshippers were from outside Bangladesh.

The annual World Congregation of Muslims, or “Bishwa Ijtema,” has been put on each year since 1966 on the banks of the River Turag in Tongi, just north of the capital, Dhaka.

Nearly nine-tenths of Bangladesh’s 144 million people are Muslims.