Shrine of Lalon Shah (Chheuria) travel guide

At a glance

Lifetime

About 1774–1890

Location

Chheuria, Kumarkhali, 2 km from Kushtia town

Festivals

Death anniversary (October) and Dol Purnima

Complex

Lalon Academy, museum, auditorium

History and details

Fakir Lalon Sain is Bengal's most influential Baul mystic and songwriter. There are many accounts of his birth, religion and early life; he himself gave no weight to caste or creed. As the story goes, he fell ill with smallpox on a pilgrimage as a young man and his companions abandoned him; the people of Chheuria nursed him back to health, and he became a disciple of Siraj Sain and set up his akhra here.

Lalon is thought to have written more than two thousand songs — 'Khanchar bhitor ochin pakhi', 'Shob loke koy Lalon ki jat shongshare', 'Milon hobe koto dine' — expressing humanity, self-searching and a philosophy against caste. Many, including Rabindranath Tagore, were influenced by his songs.

After his death in 1890 he was buried in the akhra itself. Every year a Sadhusanga is held on his death anniversary and at Dol Purnima, drawing thousands of Bauls and devotees from home and abroad. In 2005 UNESCO proclaimed Baul songs a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Things to do

• Hear the Bauls sing at the akhra in the evening
• See Lalon's belongings in the Lalon Museum
• Join the Sadhusanga in October or at Dol Purnima
• Eat Kushtia's kulfi and tiler khaja

How to get to Shrine of Lalon Shah (Chheuria)

About 2 km by rickshaw from Kushtia town.

Kushtia is about 200 km from Dhaka; the journey takes 5 hours.

• 🚌 By bus: SB, Shyamoli, Hanif from Gabtoli; non-AC ৳550–700, AC ৳900–1,200.
• 🚆 By train: Sundarban/Chitra Express from Kamalapur to Poradah or Bheramara.

Where to stay

• Mid-range hotels in Kushtia town (৳1,000–3,000)

What to eat

Kulfi malai, tiler khaja (famous)

Good to know

• Stay into the evening to hear the Bauls sing
• The Sadhusanga is extremely crowded — arrange accommodation in advance

More to see nearby

• Shilaidaha Kuthibari (20 km)
• Mir Mosharraf Hossain's family home (Lahinipara, 10 km)
• Kangal Harinath Museum, Kumarkhali
• Hardinge Bridge (25 km)

More places to visit in Kushtia district

• Shilaidaha Kuthibari — Rabindranath Tagore's estate house on the Padma, now a museum.
• Hardinge Bridge — A historic railway bridge from 1915, with the Lalon Shah road bridge beside it.
• Mir Mosharraf Hossain's family home — The birthplace and memorial centre of the author of 'Bishad Sindhu' at Lahinipara.

Location on the map