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Published : 28 May 2026, 12:46 PM
Thousands of devotees have braved torrential rain to perform their Eid-ul-Azha prayers at the historic Sholakia Maidan in Kishoreganj.
The skies opened up just as the grand congregation got underway at 9am on Thursday, leaving people completely drenched in the open field.
Mufti Abul Khair Md Saifullah, the khatib of the town's Boro Bazar Mosque, led the congregation.
Following the longstanding tradition of the Sholakia ground, blank gunshots were fired in quick succession to signal the start of the prayers.
The three shots rang out 10 minutes before the start, followed by two shots at the five-minute mark, and a final shot one minute before the congregation began.
Counting from the very first assembly held back in 1828, this marked the 199th Eid-ul-Azha congregation at the historic venue.
Once the prayers and the sermon wrapped up, special supplications were offered, seeking the well-being and welfare of Muslims in Bangladesh and across the globe.
Kishoreganj-1 lawmaker Mazharul Islam, Police Superintendent Mizanur Rahman, and Zilla Parishad Administrator Khaled Mad Saifullah Khan Sohel joined the congregation alongside local public representatives, top-ranking officials, and professional leaders.
To ease the journey for commuters traveling from distant locations, the railway authorities operated two special trains named “Sholakia Special”.
One train set off from Mymensingh while the other departed from Bhairab, both returning to their respective stations after the congregation ended.
Sholakia Eidgah Committee General Secretary and Sadar Upazila administrator (UNO) Md Kamrul Hasan Maruf said between 20,000 and 30,000 people took part in the Eid congregation this year.
He explained that turnout is usually lower during Eid-ul-Azha compared to Eid-ul-Fitr, as people remain tied up with the rituals and formalities of animal sacrifice.
Dewan Haybat Khan Bahadur, the sixth descendant of Masnad-e-Ala Isha Khan, established the Eidgah ground on roughly seven acres (around 700 decimals or 2.8 hectares) of land on the banks of the Narasunda River at the eastern edge of the town in 1828, right after establishing his estate in Kishoreganj.
The maiden congregation held that year drew an estimated 125,000 devotees.
This massive turnout earned the ground its historic moniker “Soya Lakhi Math” (The Field of 125,000), which eventually morphed into the modern name “Sholakia” through changes in pronunciation over time.
The ground can accommodate more than 200,000 devotees at a single time across its 265 designated rows.
