Lying on the eastern bank of the Narasunda River, Sholakia is renowned for hosting the largest Eid-ul-Fitr congregation in the country. The prayer ground was founded around 1828 by Dewan Sayeed Ahmed, with folklore relating that 125,000 worshippers attended an early gathering, giving rise to its name from the Bengali phrase shoa-lakh. The open field is bordered by a long brick boundary wall with minarets and arched entrance portals. Outside festival days, it is a quiet, tree-shaded public green where locals walk.
- Best time
- Eid-ul-Fitr morning, or November to February
- Give it
- About an hour
- Cost
- Free to visit; rickshaw from town centre roughly ৳30
How to get to Sholakia Eidgah Maidan
On the eastern side of Kishoreganj town, roughly 2 km from the rail station. A rickshaw from Station Road takes around 10 minutes.
Kishoreganj town is about 130 km from Dhaka, around 3.5 hours by road. Every way to get there is in the Kishoreganj guide.
Extremely tight security checkpoints are enforced during Eid morning prayers.
More to see in Kishoreganj
Photo: Aashaa, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Nikli Haor নিকলী হাওর
A vast freshwater wetland that transforms into an inland sea each monsoon, with wooden boats touring submerged villages.
- Best time
- July to October
- Give it
- Half a day
- Cost
- Engine boat hire roughly ৳800–1,500 for two hours; CNG from town about ৳70–100 per seat
Photo: Generalrafiq, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Chandrabati Temple চন্দ্রাবতী শিব মন্দির
A 16th-century terracotta Shiva temple built on the Phuleshwari River by Chandrabati, the first woman poet in Bengali literature.
- Best time
- November to March
- Give it
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Entry free; auto-rickshaw from town centre about ৳40–60 each way
Photo: Tarunno, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons Qutub Shah Mosque কুতুব শাহ মসজিদ
A five-domed 16th-century Sultanate brick mosque standing deep in the haor country of Austagram beside a saint's tomb.
- Best time
- July to October by boat, or December to February by road
- Give it
- Half a day
- Cost
- Entry free; boat or auto across the haor roughly ৳300–500