Monument and memorial, Shariatpur
Sureshwar Darbar Sharifসুরেশ্বর দরবার শরীফ
- Time needed
- About an hour.
- best months
- Nov–Feb
A Sufi darbar on the Padma bank in Naria, founded by a saint who used music in his devotion; the village was named Sureshwar, "lord of tune", after his voice.
At a glance
- Founder
- Shah Sufi Ahmad Ali (Jan Sharif Shah Sureshwari), died 1919
- Main urs
- 2–4 February
- Sufi gathering
- 29 May
About
Shah Sufi Ahmad Ali, called Jan Sharif Shah Sureshwari, loved songs and ghazals and had a beautiful voice, and he used music to bring people closer to God. During the land survey of 1907–10, a British officer who heard him named the village Sureshwar, sur and ishwar, tune and lord, and the mouza is still recorded under that name. He died in 1919; his sons and grandsons have run the darbar since.
The darbar now stands right on the Padma, though it was once about a kilometre south of the bank, and it was part of Bikrampur until the river changed course in 1869. Its main urs is held on 2–4 February, the founder's birth and death anniversary on 18 November, and a Sufi gathering, the Darveshi Sammelan, on 29 May. Its followers keep the moon-sighted festivals by the first sighting in the world rather than the local one.
Getting there: By bus or CNG from Shariatpur to Naria, then on to Sureshwar on the Padma bank.
Things to do
- Visit the darbar and sit by the Padma.
- Come at the urs in early February for the music and the crowds.
Good to know
- Dress modestly and follow the darbar’s customs.
- The riverbank erodes: keep back from the edge.
