There is lot of Tourist Attractions in Kushtia. Known as the cultural capital of Bangladesh, Kushtia district has a lot of historical, natural and heritage places to visit. Here we discuss about top 13 places where you have to visit
Lalon Shah Mazar: a cultural heritage of Bangladesh
When visiting Kushtia, the first place that comes to your mind is the shrine of Fakir Lalon Shah or Lalon Shah Mazar. Lalon Shah’s shrine is located in Chapra union of Kumarkhali upozila of Kushtia district but it is very close to Kushtia city.
The Baul Emperor Lalon Shah established an Akhara in the village of Cheuriya in Kumarkhali, Kushtia, where he imparted moral and spiritual teachings to his disciples. A festival called ‘Bhandara’ was organized in the Akhara every winter. Disciples used to gather from far and wide for that festival. Along with the spiritual talks, Lalan performed his own songs; the disciples also performed various songs of Lalon.
Lalon died here on 1st Kartik of 1297 (17th October 1890). In 1963, the present shrine was built in the Akhara house in Cheuriya, which is named as Lalon Folklore Centre. In 1978 Lalon Folklore Center was renamed as Lalon Academy. In 2004, a modern auditorium and academy building were constructed in Lalon Academy premises.
At the center of the Lalon shrine is the main shrine complex centered around the graves of Lalon and some of his prominent devotees. Lalon Museum, Music School and Academy office premises in a 4 storied building next to the shrine complex. A modern auditorium has been built next to it, under which the devotees who come from far away stay throughout the year.
How to go to the shrine of Lalon Shah?
Regular auto runs from Kushtia Barabazar to Lalon Akhara. Fare is Tk 10-15 per person. You can go by rickshaw from any place of kushtia town. Rent is Tk 25-50. On the way to and shrine, you will see Ravi Tagore’s memorial “Tegar Lodge” and the largest textile mill of undivided India “Mohini Mills”. On the way to or from Lalon shrine, you can see the historical place.
Shilaidaha Rabindra Kuthibari: a prominent historical site
Rabindra Kuthibari Shilaidah, the memorial of the poet Rabindranath Tagore, is located in Khorshedpur village of Shilaidah Union of Kumarkhali Upazila, about 20 kilometers north of Kushtia district town.
Rabindranath’s grandfather Prince Dwarkanath Tagore got the zamindari of this region in 1807. Rabindranath Tagore used to come here occasionally in his youth and later to look after the zamindari and stay in this house. Rabindranath stayed here at irregular intervals for more than a decade between 1889 and 1901.
Sonar Tari, Chitra, Chaitali, Katha and Kahini, Khanika, most of the poems of Naivedya and Kheya, the story of Padma Parva, and the songs of Gitanjali and Gitimalya were written here. It was here that Rabindranath translated the Gitanjali poetry into English, which won him the Nobel Prize in 1913.
Realizing the importance of the Kuthibari after the independence of Bangladesh, it was established as a museum by collecting various artworks of the poet. Here, from the poet’s childhood to his deathbed, pictures, artworks, furniture’s used by the poet are neatly arranged.
How to go to Shilaidaha Rabindra Kuthibari?
From Kushtia district city by bus, tampu or auto you have to get down at Choraikol Alauddin Nagar intersection. The fare is Tk 15-20 per person. From there, go Shilaidah Rabindra Kuthibari by tampu or auto. Fare 15-25 Tk. You can also go by CNG or auto reserve from Kushtia city. Rent 100-300 Tk. There is another alternative route to CNG, Auto or Van via Kushtia Ghora Ghat near baro bazar. The fare is Tk. 35-50 per person.
Top Tourist Attractions in Kushtia
Bastuvita of Mir Musharraf Hossain:
Bastuvita of Mir Musharraf Hossain is located in Lahinipara village of Kumarkhali upozila in Kushtia district. It is the residence of Mir Musharraf Hossain, one of the leading prose poets of the Bengali language and a Bengali Muslim writer.
He was born on 13 November 1987 on 28 Kartik 1254 Bangabd in Kushtia District (then Nadia District) in Lahinipara village of Kushtia District in a respectable Muslim family.
It currently has a primary school, a secondary school and a library-cum-auditorium. The library has several pieces of furniture used by the poet, handwritten manuscripts, books and photographs.
If you enter through the gate made in the style of a four-chala house, there are three corner pillars made of cement on both sides of the road. Various quotes written by the poet are inscribed on three sides of the pillar. The first column on the left contains a brief introduction to the poet. The writings are also getting destroyed due to careless neglect.
How to go?
Toll Plaza is built on Garai River 3 km east from Kushtia district town along Kushtia Rajbari highway. Before entering the toll plaza, a signboard with the name “Bishad Siddhur’s writer Mir Musharraf Hossain Bastvita” will be seen. After 400 meters to the south, there is a gate built in the style of a four-shed house on the west side of the road.
Kangal Harinath Memorial Museum, Kumarkhali
Kangal Harinath Memorial Museum, Kundupara, Kumarakhali, Kushtia. The museum was established in 2013 to preserve the memory of Kangal Harinath Majumdar, an icon of rural journalism. Opened to the public in 2017.
Harinath used to highlight the tyranny, oppression, oppression and torture of zamindars, financiers and indigo farmers in the newspaper ‘Prabhakar’. In 1863, he started publishing a newspaper called “Grambarta Prakashika” from Kumarkhali. Apart from news, literature, philosophy and science were also printed in this newspaper. Lalan Fakir’s song was first published in Grambarta Prashika.
In 1876, he established a printing press named M.M Press at Kumarkhali in the name of Guru Mathurnath Maitra. The printing press is currently preserved in the museum.
Conference room, auditorium and library on the ground floor of the two-storied museum building. The collection of the museum contains various manuscripts of Harinath Majumdar, covers of newspapers, various printing tools, several wooden blocks, Pictures etc.
Initially, the printing press could not be brought to the museum due to the objections of Harinath Majumdar’s successors. The print was later brought to the museum in July 2023.
How to go?
Kangal Harinath Memorial Museum can be reached by rickshaw or auto from Kumarkhari bus stand. Fare is Tk. 10/20 per person.
Top Tourist Attractions in Kushtia
Tagor lodge, Kushtia:
Rabindranath Tagore’s Tegar Lodge is located in Milpara, the eastern edge of Kushtia city, on the northern wall of the famous textile mill of the subcontinent, ‘Mahini Mills’. In 1895, Kabiguru came to Kushtia for the business of Tagor & Company and constructed the red colored two-storied Tagor Lodge building which still stands as a witness of the times.
Like Shilaidah Kuthibari, its walls are also wavy. A bust of poet Rabindranath Tagore is placed at the entrance of the two-storied lodge. There is a large hall on the ground floor and one of the three rooms on the second floor houses the books written by Kabiguru and replicas of 12 paintings by Kabiguru.
There is a beautiful wrought iron rope in the corner of the west side porch to rise from the ground floor to the second floor. Inside the house there is a small open stage in the courtyard covered with green grass. Sitting here, Rabindranath Tagore wrote numerous poems which were later published in ‘Khanika’ and ‘Katha O Kahin’.
How to go?
From anywhere in Kushtia city by rickshaw or auto, cross the Barabazar railway gate along the Kabi Azizur Rahman road and keep the large station (railway station) on the left hand side, the traditional Tegor Lodge is located on the main road.
Jhaudia Shahi Mosque:
During the Mughal period, Islam preacher and Kamel Pir Shah Sufi Syed Ahmad Ali or Adari Mia Choudhury, who came to Jhaudiya area of Kushtia from Iraq, built the Jhaudia Shahi Masjid with a combination of Iranian, Mughal and Bengali architecture.
As no inscriptions have been found, its name or exact date of construction is not known. As it is located in Jhaudiya village, the mosque is called Jhaudiya Shahi Masjid after the name of the village. 45 worshipers can pray in three rows in the three-domed mosque made of brick, stone, sand and porcelain.
Flowers, fruits and leaves are painted inside the mosque, which is made of extraordinary craftsmanship combining Iranian, Mughal and Bengali architecture. The middle one of the three arches is slightly larger in size. Three arches are again prepared in three different designs. Large north-south windows are installed which help in temperature control.
There are four big minarets at the four corners of the mosque. There are two minarets on either side of the boundary wall of the spacious front square and on either side of the entrance.
There is a myth that the mosque was established overnight. Although there is no historical basis for this, many people give alms to the mosque because of the belief in the unseen mosque.
How to go?
Jhaudia Shahi Masjid is located in Jhaudia village, 22 km southwest of Kushtia district town. This magnificent Shahi Mosque is located 9 kilometers west of Vrittipara Bazar on the Kushtia-Jhenaidah highway. There can be reached from Kushtia city by bus, CNG, Auto.
Top Tourist Attractions in Kushtia
Historical sites:
Jagati Railway Station: first railway station of Bangladesh
Jagati station of Kushtia has been a witness of time in the history of railways. On 29 September 1862, the Eastern Bengal Railway started the railway from Calcutta to Ranaghat. By extending this line, a 53.11 km broad gauge railway line was established up to Kushtia Jagati on November 15 of that year. Jagati, the first railway station of East Bengal, was established at that time.
Due to the closure of the Kushtia sugar mill adjacent to the station, the establishment of a railway station in Kushtia town etc. Now no train stops at this station except a local train. Due to lack of renovation, all the structures including the platform are getting damaged. Staff quarters, water tanks have become unusable long ago. The station still stands as a witness of the times.
Natural Beauty:
Padma Gorai Mohona:
Three kilometers from Haripur Bridge in Kushtia city is the Padma-Garai estuary or Padma Garai Mohona. The Ganges River from India enters Bangladesh through Rajshahi and is named Padma. In Kushtia Sadar Upazila Haripur village Padma has formed a branch river named Garai.
At the origin of the Garai river, a vast sandbar has risen on the chest of the Padma. Kashban was born in there. Standing on the bank of the river from the other side, the reactors of the Ruppur nuclear power plant can be seen. Hadinge Bridge and Lalon Shah Bridge can also be seen.
A pleasant sensation is created here at sunset and sunrise. Tourists from Kushtia city and other areas flock to spend the afternoon every day. There are also opportunities to dip your feet in the river or take a river cruise by hiring a boat.
Top Tourist Attractions in Kushtia
Parks:
Kamrul Islam Siddique Park:
Kamrul Islam Siddique Children’s Park has been built under the supervision of Kushtia Municipality in Courtpara of Kushtia city. A small park adjacent to Sirajul Islam Muslim Secondary School on the way from Kushtia Government College to Municipal Bazar. Being in the heart of the city, a lot of tourists come every day to visit with families and children.
Rose Holiday Park:
Privately owned Rose Holiday Park is located on the bypass road at the western edge of Kushtia city. Many people come here for sightseeing and picnics because of its modern and attractive rides.
Alauddin Nagor Sisupolli Park:
Privately owned Alauddin Nagar Shishu Polli Park has been established in Alauddin Nagar of Nandalalpur Union by the initiative of eminent industrialist and educationist Danbir Alauddin Ahmed. The park is located on the road from Alauddin Nagar to Shilaidah Kuthibari, where the memory of world poet Rabindranath is enshrined.
Next to the park, Alauddin Ahmed’s residence built on a foreign model is also a sight to behold. Hundreds of visitors and students of various educational institutions are coming to visit with their families and friends every day. The park has become quite popular for children and teenagers to the elderly.
Renwick Park:
The park has been built on the banks of Kushtia Gorai river under the supervision of Renwick Yajneshwar & company. Many people visit here because of the shady places, river banks and open spaces.
Youtube Village:
YouTube village has been formed in Shimulia village of Khoksha upazila of Kushtia. A beautiful YouTube park has been created for the social development of the village as well as for entertainment with the income from the YouTube channel. This village is located at a distance of 33 km from Kushtia district town. Go to Khoksa bus stand on Kushtia-Rajbari regional highway by bus or private car. The location of this village is just 5 km from there.
