Bagerhat, Khulna
The domed tomb of the saint who founded Bagerhat, beside the great tank of Thakur Dighi — a place of pilgrimage for over five centuries.
Khan Jahan Ali is remembered as both a saint and a builder. Devotees tie threads and make vows at the shrine, offer food to the fish and to the crocodiles of the tank, and come in large numbers on Thursday evenings and at the yearly gatherings in his honour.
Khan Jahan Ali founded the town of Khalifatabad in the fifteenth century, building mosques, roads and tanks across what is now Bagerhat. He died in 1459, and was buried in a square, single-domed tomb he is said to have built for himself on the bank of a large tank.
The tomb stands on a raised platform, its brick walls once faced with glazed tiles; inside, the grave is covered with inscribed stone. Beside it is a small mosque, and below lies Thakur Dighi, the great tank, whose crocodiles have long been part of the shrine’s lore.
The shrine is one of the most visited in southern Bangladesh. Pilgrims come all year to pray, make vows and feed the pond’s fish, and the tomb is part of the UNESCO-listed Mosque City.
Visit the tomb in the morning, when it is calmer.
Walk along the tank and see the small mosque beside the tomb.
Take an easy-bike west to the great mosque and its museum.
Eat in Bagerhat town before heading on to Khulna or Mongla.
November to February; mornings are calmer, Thursdays and Fridays are the busiest days
Just outside Bagerhat town, a short rickshaw or easy-bike ride from the centre; from the Sixty Dome Mosque it is a few kilometres east by easy-bike.
