Sholakia all geared up for biggest Eid congregation

Like every year, the historic Sholakia Eidgah of Kishoreganj is all geared up to host the country’s biggest congregation of Eid-ul-Fitr to be celebrated either on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Preparations have almost been completed to hold the 187th congregation of Eid-ul-Fitr at the historic Eidgah, said SM Alam, deputy commissioner of the district and president of the Eidgah executive committee.

Muslims from almost all parts of the country are expected to join the Eid congregation to be held at about 10 am.

Chairman of Islahul Muslimeen Council and secretary general of Jamaat-e-Ulema Maulana Md Fariduddin Masud will conduct the Eid Jamaat.

The government will arrange three special train services for the convenient of the Muslims coming from distant places.

Of them, one train will leave for the Sholakia from Mymensingh at 5am on the Eid day while another from Narsingdi at 5am and the third one from Bhairab at 6am.

Meanwhile, necessary security measures have been taken for smooth holding of the biggest Eid congregation, said police super M Anwar Hossain Khan, also the vice-president of the Eidgah committee.

The first Eid congregation on this ground was held in 1828 when a local Dewan, named Sayeed Ahmed (R) of Haibatnagar Dewan Bari of the town, conducted Eid Jamaat on one of the fields of his own ‘Taluk’ (revenue zone). This later became known in history as the Sholakia Eidgah.

The name ‘Sholakia’ comes from Shoa Lakh, meaning ‘one lakh twenty-five thousand’ being the number of people that had come to offer their Eid prayers at the Eidgah.

The surrounding area was also named Sholakia afterwards. Later, another Dewan, Mannan Dad Khan, gave 4.35 acres of land for the Eidgah in 1950. However, according to sources, the Sholakia Eidgah now has about 7 acres of land.

The Eidgah stands on the bank of the Narosunda River and is known throughout the continent for the large number of devotees who come here every year for saying their Eid prayers.

There are about 265 rows, each of which can accommodate 500 devotees at the Eidgah. So, the entire field can accommodate some 132,500 devotees. But more than three lakh devotees offer Eid-ul-Fitr prayers here using the nearby roads, open spaces and courtyards of surrounding houses.

The number of the devotees in the Eid-ul-Azha congregation decreases by almost 50 percent.

Sholakia Eidgah has an executive committee of 51 members with the Deputy Commissioner (DC) being its ex-officio president.