Tomb of Fakir Lalon Shah – Kushtia

Lalon Fakir (or Lalon Shah) was a famous philosopher and songwriter from Bangladesh known for many popular songs related to life and spirit. He was born in around 1772 and died in 1890 in Kushtia. It was not known about his religion and also he didn’t have any formal education. There is a tomb of Lalon Fakir located in Chheuria of Kushtia. The place is also known as Lalon Akhra or Lalon Mazar. Everyday a lot of tourists and fans of him visit this tomb.

There is an academic building located in the Lalon Akhra premise. This one is being used to research the Lalon Fakir. I met a guy there who was doing PhD on Lalon Fakir. Also there is a museum which comprises several artifacts like Ek Tara and other musical instruments which were used by the famous Baul. Also you’d find Baul singers doing practice songs inside the premise. When tourists visit there they play several of Lalon’s songs enthusiastically.

It was 11am in the morning. I just visited the Tagore lodge, and then I was heading to visit the Tomb of Fakir Lalon. You could take a rickshaw, or walk the road by foot to reach near the tomb. Inside the premise there is a white tomb (or Shrine) available where Lalon fakir is resting in peace. The tomb looks like it was made from wax because of its white color. Also near the tomb area you’d find several graves which are the contemporary Baul of Lalon Fakir, and few of those were the students or the followers of the Lalon Shah.

How to Go:

There are several buses available which come to Kushtia from Dhaka. Such bus services are SB Super Deluxe, Shyamoli Paribahan, etc. It takes around 4-5 hours overnight. All the buses leave from Gabtoli or Kolyanpur of Dhaka.

Once you are in Kushtia then it is very easy to go. Just take a rickshaw from the Kushtia town and ask them to take you to the Lalon Akhra in Chheuria. It is a landmark place in Kushtia. Everyone knows about this place. It should take around 20-30 minutes by rickshaw through the calm town of Kushtia. GPS Coordinate Lalon Akhra is (23°53’44.6″N, 89°09’07.2″E)

Where to stay:

There are several medium quality hotels available in Kushtia town for night staying. I stayed in the hotel Hotel River view during my stay and they allowed me to do an early check in at 5:00am in the morning.

When is the festival time?

There is a festival that takes place in Lalon Akhra. It is during the Dol purnima of the 11th month of Bangla calendar (which is usually between February-March). During that time a lot of Baul pay homage to their spiritual leader by playing numerous songs of his. It would be a wonderful experience to be there during that time. Though it would be too crowded.

Tomb of Fakir Lalon Shah,
Chheuria,
District: Kushtia,
Country: Bangladesh
GPS Coordinate (23°53’44.6″N, 89°09’07.2″E).

Written by Lonely Traveler,
For blog alonelytraveler.com

Saturday, 8th May 2010