Sholakia Eidgah (Kishorgonj District Town)

Bangladesh / Kishorganj / Kishorgonj District Town
Sholakia (Bengali: শোলাকিয়া) is a locality near Kishoreganj town in Bangladesh. It is famous for its Eidgah where the largest congregation of Eid prayer in Bangladesh is held on the occasion of Eid ul-Fitr, the day of celebration after the Ramadan, the month of fasting. About 300,000 people join the prayer on every Eid. The Eidgah, on the bank of river Narosunda is reported to be 7 acres (28,000 m2) in size, accommodating 250 rows or about 150,000 of participants for every congregation. An equal number of participants take part in the prayer using the adjacent fields, roads and courtyards around the Eidgah.

A small number of elites make use of the two-storied Mimbar (payer hall with towers for Adhan) nearby, which can accommodate about 500 people. The prayer on the occasion of Eid ul-Adha, the festival of Qurbani or sacrifice, is also comparably large. The regular population of Sholakia is 1,026, consisting 180 households.

Syed Ahmed, a local Zamindar, a saint (peer) and an Islamic leader of Kishoregonj lived in Sholakia, Shaheb bari and organized the first Eid congregation in 1828 in the fields of his own Taluk. Syed Ahmed came from Saudi Arabia through Yemen to India. He preached Islam in 24 Parganas of India and protested against the Subversive activities of British against the country. He then migrated to Comilla and to Mymensingh. Ha participated in Fakir movement from Mymensingh. Afterwards, he came to Sholakia, Shaheb Bari in the fag end of 1700 and settled there. He began spreading the message of Islam and founded the Mosque of Kishoregonj at Sholakia Shaheb Bari in 1827. He also observed the Islamic activities at the MAJAR of Bora Pir (Hazrat Shah Monnoon , other opinion the name was Moyezuddin Moznu) of Kishoregonj at Sholakia, Shaheb Bari. The local myth says that 125,000 people turned out at that congregation, hence the name Sholakia ('shoa' meaning one and a quarter, and 'lakh' meaning a hundred thousand). Zaminder of Jangalbari and Hybathnagor helped Syed Shaheb during foundation of Eidgah. Dewan Mannan Dad Khan of Hybathnagor, who was a descendant of Isa Khan, donated 4.35 acres (17,600 m2) of land to the Eidgah in 1950.

Ref: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sholakia
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sholakia
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Coordinates:   24°26'5"N   90°47'33"E

Comments

  • Syed Ahmed, a local Zamindar, a saint (peer) and an Islamic leader of Kishoregonj lived in Sholakia, Shaheb bari and organized the first Eid congregation in 1828 in the fields of his own Taluk. Syed Ahmed came from Saudi Arabia through Yemen to India. He preached Islam in 24 Parganas of India and protested against the Subversive activities of British against the country. He then migrated to Comilla and to Mymensingh. Ha participated in Fakir movement from Mymensingh. Afterwards, he came to Sholakia, Shaheb Bari in the fag end of 1700 and settled there.
This article was last modified 11 years ago