Lalon festival
লালন স্মরণোৎসব
Thousands of Bauls and seekers gather at Cheuria to sing for days on Lalon's death anniversary.
At a glance
- Where
- Kushtia district, Khulna division
- Best time
- late autumn (Oct–Nov) and spring (Feb–Mar)
Each year on 1 Kartik, mid-October, the anniversary of Lalon's death, Cheuria fills with Bauls, fakirs and music lovers from across Bengal. Groups sit under tents singing his songs through the night, alongside a large fair and formal stage programmes. A second gathering takes place at Dol Purnima in spring. It is one of the most important events in Bangladesh's folk music calendar.
Good to know
Book rooms in Kushtia early; keep valuables secure in the crowds.
Common questions
Where can you see Lalon festival?
In Kushtia district, Khulna division.
When can you see Lalon festival?
Late autumn (Oct–Nov) and spring (Feb–Mar).
More from Kushtia
District guide →
Place Lalon Shah's shrine and akhra, Cheuria
ছেঁউড়িয়ায় লালন শাহের মাজার ও আখড়াThe resting place of the mystic singer Lalon, where Bauls sing his songs late into the night.
Place Shilaidaha Kuthibari
শিলাইদহ কুঠিবাড়িTagore's estate house near the Padma, where he wrote and managed his family's lands.
Place Hardinge Bridge
হার্ডিঞ্জ ব্রিজA century-old steel railway bridge striding across the Padma at Bheramara.
Representative photo Hidden place ▶ Video Mir Mosharraf Hossain's birthplace, Lahinipara
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Nearby
Place Lalon Shah's shrine and akhra, Cheuria
Kushtia · ছেঁউড়িয়ায় লালন শাহের মাজার ও আখড়াThe resting place of the mystic singer Lalon, where Bauls sing his songs late into the night.
Place Tagore Lodge, Milpara
Kushtia · টেগর লজ, মিলপাড়াA two-storey house in Kushtia town that Rabindranath Tagore built in 1895 as the office of his family's trading firm, now a small museum.
Food Tiler khaja
Kushtia · তিলের খাজাCrunchy sesame and sugar sticks, sold by hawkers at every station and ferry ghat.
Food Shon papdi
Kushtia · শনপাপড়িFlaky, melt-in-the-mouth threads of sugar, flour and ghee in neat little squares.