Baba Lokenath Brahmachari Ashram, Barodi

Lokenath Brahmachari spent his last years at Barodi and died here in 1890, on the 19th of Jaishtha. Every year on that day a huge tirodhan festival is held, with devotees coming from across Bangladesh and from India, Nepal and elsewhere, and a week-long fair fills the field in front. At the high point, devotees throw batasha sweets from the ashram roof for the crowd to catch, known as 'Hari loot'. Inside are his samadhi, a large painting of him and an old bakul tree; there are ponds dug in his lifetime and large pilgrim houses where devotees can stay free.

How to get there

Take a bus on the Dhaka–Chattogram highway to Mograpara or Sonargaon, then a CNG or auto to Barodi bazar; the ashram is at its north-west corner.

Good to know

On 19 Jaishtha (early June) the crowd runs into hundreds of thousands, so plan transport early. On ordinary days it is calm. Remove shoes in the ashram.

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