Kishoreganj, Dhaka
A historic Eid ground on the Narasunda river in Kishoreganj town, known for one of the largest Eid congregations in the country.
Eid in Kishoreganj centres on Sholakia: families come from nearby districts, and the town fills with visitors, fairs and food stalls in the days around the holiday.
Sholakia has been an Eid ground for close to two centuries. According to local tradition, the name comes from “sowa lakh”, a hundred and twenty-five thousand, after the number of worshippers who once gathered here.
Today, on the mornings of Eid-ul-Fitr and Eid-ul-Adha, people travel from across the region, and special trains have run for the occasion. The congregation fills the field and spills into the surrounding streets.
On other days it is a quiet open ground by the river, and a visit is mostly about its place in the town’s life and history.
Start at the Eid ground by the Narasunda river.
Take a CNG to Patuari to see the temple of the poet Chandrabati.
Rice with haor fish in the town centre.
Walk along the Narasunda in the evening.
Eid morning to see the congregation; any dry-season day for a quiet visit.
In the Sholakia area of Kishoreganj town, a short rickshaw or battery auto-rickshaw ride from the centre. On Eid morning roads are closed and crowded, so come early and walk the last part.
