Sholakia Ready for Eid Prayers after 2 Years

Kishoreganj’s Sholakia is preparing for the usual Eid-ul-Fitr congregation, the largest in Bangladesh, after a two-year pause forced by the coronavirus pandemic.

The 2.83-hectare ground has the capacity to host up to 250,000 worshippers in 265 rows. The organisers expect the ground will be at full capacity this year with the coronavirus restrictions gone amid a sharp decline in cases.

It will be the 195th Eid-ul-Fitr congregation at Sholakia ground. The National Moon Sighting Committee announced that Eid will be celebrated on Tuesday.

The congregation, led by Maulana Farid Uddin Masud, chairman of Bangladesh Islahul Mulemin Council, will begin at 10am. Following customs, gunshots will be fired before the prayers.

Most preparations are complete. The ground has been demarcated, the potholes have been filled up and the walls in the area have been painted. The toilets and places of ablution have also been renovated.

On Sunday, workers were busy with beautification. The authorities also arranged drinking water, medical teams, and places for meals and stay for the devotees who would come from far away. Two special trains will transport the worshippers.

Officials of the district administration and police have inspected the ground. Kishoreganj Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Shamim Alam said the devotees will be allowed to bring topi, mask and prayer mats only. Other belongings, including mobile phones and umbrellas, will not be allowed for security reasons.

Kishoreganj Superintendent of Police Md Mashruqur Rahman Khaled said they put in place four-stage security measures keeping in mind the 2016 militant attack. Worshippers will have to face checks at several points.

Besides police, Border Guard Bangladesh, Rapid Action Battalion and Ansar, plainclothesmen will be deployed to the ground. CCTV cameras and watchtowers have also been installed.

Aminul Islam Ashfaque, a local trader, said many like him were pained due to the suspension of Eid congregation in the past two years. “We’re happy that we’ll be able to join the congregation this time.”

Having established his fiefdom, Dewan Hazrat Khan Bahadur, the sixth descendant of Isha Khan, built Sholakia Eidgah in 1828 on the bank of Narasunda river.

According to local researchers, around 125,000 Muslims took part in the first congregation.

So the Eidgah got the name from Shoa Lakhi Math (shoa meaning one and a quarter and lakh meaning a hundred thousand), the pronunciation gradually degenerated into 'Sholakia'.