Kushtia () is a city located on the banks of the

Gorai River The Gorai-Madhumati ( , ''Gôŗai-Modhumoti'') is one of the longest rivers in Bangladesh and a distributary of the Ganges. In its upper reaches, it is called the Gorai, and the name changes to Madhumati further downstream. The Madhumati flows ...

in Bangladesh. It serves as the headquarters of

Kushtia District Kushtia District (; ) is a district in the Khulna Division, Khulna administrative division of western Bangladesh. Kushtia is the second largest municipality in Bangladesh and the eleventh largest city in the country. Kushtia has existed as a sepa ...

and is considered the cultural capital of Bangladesh. The city is known for its

Tiler Khaja Sesame Seed Candy or Tiler Khaja () is a type of confectionery made from sesame seeds produced in Kushtia District of Bangladesh which is well known to the people of the country including Kushtia. The shape of this confectionery is flattened and o ...

(sesame sweets), kulfi malai, and the

Mausoleum of Lalon Shah Mausoleum of Lalon Shah or Lalon Akhara is the burial place of Baul Emperor Lalon, and a shrine built around this grave. The shrine is located in the village of Cheuriya in Kumarkhali Upazila of Kushtia District. Lalon Shah's shrine was not built ...

. Kushtia is home to numerous medium and heavy industries that playing a vital role in the national economy. The area of Kushtia Municipality is . According to the

2022 Bangladeshi census The 2022 Bangladeshi census () was a detailed enumeration of the Bangladeshi population constituting the sixth national census in the country. It was scheduled to be held in June 2022, was conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, and th ...

the population of Kushtia Municipality is 221,804. In 1864 the 'Kushtia Union Committee' was formed with 10 villages under the Kushtia subdivision. During this time, the town of Kushtia developed in the mouzas of Mojompur and Bahadurkhali. In 1869 the Kushtia Municipality was established. With the construction of the and railway station in 1871 various industries began to emerge in the town. Among them, Mohini Mill and Renwick Jajneswar & Co Limited are notable.

Etymology

Kushtia has long been widely recognized as the "Cultural Capital" of Bangladesh. However there are differing opinions among historians regarding the origin of the name "Kushtia." The most widely accepted theory is found in Hamilton’s Gazette published in 1820. According to it Kushtia was once a major producer of

jute Jute ( ) is a long, rough, shiny bast fibre that can be Spinning (textiles), spun into coarse, strong threads. It is produced from flowering plants in the genus ''Corchorus'', of the mallow family Malvaceae. The primary source of the fiber is ...

. In the local dialect jute was called "Koshta" (a term still in use) or "Kushti" from which the name "Kushtia" is believed to have originated. Some believe the name came from the

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

word 'Kushtah' meaning 'island of ashes'. Another theory suggests that the town developed around the "Kushti port" during the reign of the fifth

Mughal emperor The emperors of the Mughal Empire, who were all members of the Timurid dynasty (House of Babur), ruled the empire from its inception on 21 April 1526 to its dissolution on 21 September 1857. They were supreme monarchs of the Mughal Empire in ...

Shah Jahan Shah Jahan I, (Shahab-ud-Din Muhammad Khurram; 5 January 1592 – 22 January 1666), also called Shah Jahan the Magnificent, was the Emperor of Hindustan from 1628 until his deposition in 1658. As the fifth Mughal emperor, his reign marked the ...

Demographics

According to the 2022 Bangladesh census, Kushtia city had a population of 221,804. According to the

2011 Bangladesh census In 2011, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics conducted a national census in Bangladesh, which provided a provisional estimate of the total population of the country as 142,319,000. The previous decennial census was the 2001 census. Data were reco ...

, Kushtia city had 23,037 households and a population of 102,988. 15,788 (15.33%) were under 10 years of age. Kushtia had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 74.85%, compared to the national average of 51.8%, and a sex ratio of 947 females per 1000 males.

Geography

Kushtia is located to the west of the capital

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

, north of

Khulna Khulna (, ) is the third-largest city in Bangladesh, after Dhaka and Chittagong. It is the administrative centre of the Khulna District and the Khulna Division. It is the divisional centre of 10 districts of the division. Khulna is also the seco ...

and southeast of

Rajshahi Rajshahi (, ) is a metropolis, metropolitan city and a major Urban area, urban, administrative, commercial and educational centre of Bangladesh. It is also the administrative seat of the eponymous Rajshahi Division, division and Rajshahi Distr ...

between 23º42΄ to 23º59΄ north latitude and 88º55΄ to 89º04΄ east longitude.

Rivers and Canals

To the north of Kushtia flows the

and to the east lies the

Kaliganga River The Kaliganga () is a river in Bangladesh that runs for . The Kaliganga branches off from the Brahmaputra River The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Southwestern China, Northeastern India, and Bangladesh. It is known a ...

. The city mainly developed around the

. The Gorai is a distributary of the

Padma River The Padma () is a major river in Bangladesh. It is the eastern and main distributary of the Ganges, flowing generally southeast for to its confluence with the Meghna River, near the Bay of Bengal. The city of Rajshahi is situated on the banks ...

and the Kaliganga is a branch of the Gorai. To improve connectivity between the city and the areas of Haripur and

Kaya Kaya may refer to: People *Kaya (given name) * Kaya (surname) Places *Kaya, Burkina Faso, a town in Burkina Faso, capital of the department * Kaya Airport, serving the town * Kaya Department, a department or commune of Sanmatenga Province in cen ...

a road bridge was constructed between 2013 and 2017 from Thanapara to Haripur named

Haripur Bridge Sheikh Russel Bridge () or Haripur Bridge () is a road bridge built over Gorai-Madhumati River, Gorai river in Kushtia, Kushtia town of Kushtia District. Construction of the bridge began in 2013 and the bridge was opened to the public in 2017. H ...

. People also cross the river via Ghorar Ghat in the Big Bazar area. In 1949, the

Gorai Canal Gorai Canal () is a canal that flows through Kushtia, Bangladesh. It was excavated in 1949. The canal was constructed to benefit the residents of Kushtia Municipality, alleviate waterlogging in some agricultural lands of Mirpur Upazila, and expan ...

was excavated to benefit Kushtia’s municipal residents, reduce waterlogging of agricultural land in parts of

Mirpur Upazila Mirpur () is an upazila of Kushtia District in the Division of Khulna, Bangladesh. Mirpur Thana was formed in 1885 and it was turned into an upazila in 1983. History Mirpur was listed in the ''Ain-i-Akbari'' as a ''mahal'' in sarkar Mahmudaba ...

, and expand the local waterways. The canal is long. In 1954–55 under the

Ganges-Kobadak Irrigation Project Ganges-Kobadak Irrigation Project () or G-K Project () is a large surface irrigation system of Bangladesh to serve the Southwestern part of Bangladesh. Kushtia, Chuadanga, Magura & Jhenaidah District are served by this project. History The ini ...

the Chourhas Canal was excavated.

Transport

; Road A bus terminal was constructed in Kushtia in 1991 known as Kushtia Central Bus Terminal or Chourhas Bus Terminal. The commercial activities of the city are centered around

NS Road Mir Syed Jafar Ali Khan Mirza Muhammad Siraj-ud-Daulah (1733 – 2 July 1757), commonly known as Siraj-ud-Daulah or Siraj ud-Daula, was the last independent Nawab of Bengal, Nawab of the Bengal Subah. The end of his reign marked the start o ...

. The city is connected by two national highways and three regional highways. The national highways are N704 known as the Kushtia–Jhenaidah or Kushtia–Rajshahi Highway, and N713 also known as the Kushtia Bypass Road which was constructed between 2016 and 2018. The Kushtia–Jhenaidah Highway was upgraded to four lanes between 2020 and 2025. The regional highways are

R710 The R710 road is a regional road in Ireland. Located in the south of Ireland at Waterford, it forms the ''Outer Ring Road'' around the south of the city. As of December 2006 it commences on the Old Kilmeaden Road at Knockhouse Lower, west of W ...

known as the Kushtia–Dhaka or Kushtia–Rajbari Highway, R745 know as Kushtia–Meherpur Highway and R747 know as Kushtia–Chuadanga Highway. ; Rail The first railway station in Bangladesh

Jagati railway station Jagati may refer to: * A vedic meter * Jagati (temple), a structural element in Indian architecture * Jagati railway station, Kushtia, Bangladesh * Jagathy, a place in Kerala, India * Jagathy Sreekumar Sreekumar Achary (born 5 January 1951), ...

is located in Jagati, Kushtia. On 15 November 1862 a 53.11 km broad-gauge railway line from

Ranaghat Ranaghat is a city and a municipality in Nadia district in the state of West Bengal, India. It is the headquarters of the Ranaghat subdivision. It is known for its handloom industry, various types of flowers and floriculture. History After the ...

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

to Jagati was inaugurated and the Jagati station was constructed. Later on 1 January 1871 the railway line was extended by 75 km to

Goalundo Ghat Goalundo Ghat (also spelled Goalanda and Goalondo; ) is a small town and Municipality#Municipalities as lower-level governance structures, pourasabha in Goalandaghat Upazila, Rajbari District, Dhaka Division, Bangladesh. There are two railway ...

leading to the establishment of and railway stations. Currently, Kushtia Court railway station is the main station in Kushtia. It serves 4 intercity trains, 1 commuter train and 1 local train.

Education

The oldest educational institution in Kushtia city is

Kushtia High School Kushtia High School is an old secondary school located in Kushtia city. The school was established in 1861. The then zamindar of Shilaidaha, Debendranath Tagore, was one of the main donors of the school's land. Currently, the school is under the B ...

established in 1861. To promote female education Kushtia Government Girls High School was established in 1876. For higher education

Kushtia Government College Kushtia Government College () is a traditional college in Kushtia District of Bangladesh. The college is located on a 5-acre campus in the city of Kushtia. This college is affiliated with Bangladesh National University. The college was establis ...

was established in 1947.

Economy

The economy of Kushtia is industry-based. The medium and heavy industries located here contribute to the national economy. In addition to the BSCIC Industrial neighbourhoods

Khajanagar Khajanagar is a neighborhood located in the southwestern part of Kushtia city. It is the second-largest rice wholesale market (mukam) in Bangladesh. According to a 2019 report by ''Prothom Alo'' about 30% of the country's rice supply is produced i ...

and Poradah also play a significant role in this regard. According to a 2019 report by ''

Prothom Alo ''Prothom Alo'' () is a Bengali language, Bengali-language daily newspaper in Bangladesh, published from Dhaka. It is one of the largest circulated newspaper in Bangladesh. According to the National Media Survey of 2018, conducted by Kantar MRB ...

'' 30 percent of Bangladesh's rice demand is met by production in Khajanagar. ; Big Bazar The commercial center of Kushtia is Big Bazar. This market developed on the bank of the

at the eastern end of

. The age of the market is evident from its old buildings and other infrastructure. The famous 'Rajar hat' (Hat of king) of Kushtia is located on the southern side of Big Bazar. On the northern side of the market, there is a ghat named 'Ghorar Ghat'. An advisory committee is responsible for managing this market.

Points of interest

* Kushtia Municipality Office **

Municipal Building Municipal Building may refer to the following places: United States Arkansas *Crossett Municipal Building, Crossett, AR *Municipal Building (El Dorado, Arkansas), El Dorado, AR *Texarkana, Arkansas, Municipal Building, Texarkana, AR California *V ...

** Municipal Museum ** ''Bijoy Ullas'' (sculpture) ** ''Palki and Bearers'' (sculpture) *

Tagore Lodge Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renaissance. He ...

(Kushtia Kuthi Bari) * Mohini Mill ; Parks and entertainment centers * Kamrul Islam Siddique Municipal Shishu Park *

Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Shishu Park ''Shahid'' ( , , ) denotes a martyr in Islam. The word is used frequently in the Quran in the generic sense of "witness" but only once in the sense of "martyr" (i.e. one who dies for his faith); the latter sense acqui ...

* Porimal Theatre *

Shaheed Abrar Fahad Stadium Shaheed Abrar Fahad Stadium, also known as Kushtia Stadium, (formerly named Sheikh Kamal Stadium), is a district-level sports venue located in Kushtia, Bangladesh. Established in 1979, it is the largest stadium in the Khulna Division. The stad ...

* Kushtia Swimming Pool *

Zila Parishad Rabindra-Lalon Garden Zila may refer to: *Zile * Zila (country subdivision) * Zila-ye Aliasgar, a village in Khuzestan Province, Iran *A jazz group formed by South African saxophonist Dudu Pukwana * Zila Bezerra (born 1945), Brazilian teacher and politician See also * ...

Notable people

Abrar Fahad Abrar Fahad (12 February 1998 – 7 October 2019) was a Bangladeshi university student who died following a severe torture by members of Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the Awami League party. The assault was allegedly motivated by ...

– A BUET student who was beaten to death by leaders of the university's Chhatra League branch * Abdul Karim Shah – Bangladeshi Baul singer *

Abul Ahsan Chowdhury Abul Ahsan Choudhury (born January 13, 1953) is a poet, researcher and folklorist of Bangladesh. He is the senior professor of the Department of Bengali at the Islamic University, Bangladesh. He is active in research and academic matters home and a ...

– Writer and researcher *

Abul Barkat Abul Barkat (; 16 June 1927 – 21 February 1952) was a protester killed during the Bengali Language Movement protests which took place in the erstwhile East Pakistan (currently Bangladesh), in 1952. He is considered a martyr in Bangladesh. Ear ...

– (born: 27 September 1954) Professor and former Chairman of the Department of Economics at

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public university, public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country. The University of Dhaka w ...

* Ahmed Kamal – Bangladeshi cricketer *

Aminul Haque Badsha Aminul Haque Badsha (full name: Khandaker Aminul Haque Badsha; 24 October 1944 – 10 February 2015) was a Bangladeshi journalist, writer, and organizer of the Bangladesh Liberation War. He was the Deputy Press Secretary of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, th ...

– Co-founder of the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra, journalist, and author *

M Amir-ul Islam M Amir-ul Islam (born 2 February 1936) is a Bangladeshi lawyer and politician. He drafted the Proclamation of Bangladeshi Independence, proclamation of independence of Bangladesh in 1971 and was a member of the drafting committee of Bangladesh ...

– Bangladeshi legal expert, politician, and former minister *

Anamul Haque Mohammad Anamul Haque Bijoy (born 16 December 1992) is a Bangladeshi cricketer. He is a wicket-keeper and right-handed batsman. He is the first player to score 1000 runs and most runs in a single List-A tournament. Early life His hometown is ...

– Bangladeshi cricketer * Bibudhendra Sarkar – Canadian researcher * Chandana Mazumdar – Bangladeshi vocalist * Chamok Hasan – Bangladeshi author *

Farida Parveen Farida Parveen (born 31 December 1954) is a Bangladeshi folk singer. Referred to as "the Queen of Lalon song," she received Ekushey Padak in 1987 and Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer for the film ''Andho Prem'' (199 ...

– Renowned Bangladeshi singer * Faruk Quazi – Bangladeshi journalist and legal reporter *

Haradhan Banerjee Haradhan Bandopadhyay (6 November 1926 – 5 January 2013) was a Bengali Indian actor of television and films. He made his debut in the 1948 Bengali film ''Devdut'', directed by Atanu Bandopadhyay. He worked with some of the most prominent dire ...

– Bengali film and television actor *

Jagadish Gupta Jagadish Gupta (5 July 1886 – 15 April 1957) was an Indian poet, novelist and short story writer. Known for his realistic view of life, strange character portrayal and unique narrative style, he was one of the major exponents of modern Bengali ...

– Bengali novelist and short story writer * Khalid Hossain – Ekushey Padak-winning Nazrul Sangeet singer and researcher *

Milton Khondokar Milton Khondokar is a Bangladeshi film lyricist, music director and film director. He won Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Lyrics for the film '' Khodar Pore Ma'' (2012). Selected films Notable songs Awards and nominations National Fi ...

– Film lyricist, music director, and filmmaker *

Mohammad Badruddoza Mohammad Badruddoza (') was a politician in Bangladesh and member of parliament for Kushtia-3 Kushtia-3 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh. Boundaries The constituency encompasses Kushtia ...

– Politician of Jatiya Party (Ershad) and former Member of Parliament for Kushtia-3 *

Sabuz Hossain Sabuz Hossain (; born 23 July 2002) is a Bangladeshi professional footballer who plays as a defender for Bangladesh Premier League club Abahani Limited Dhaka. Early life Sabuz was born in Kushtia, Bangladesh, to Nawsher Hossain and Shahida Begum ...

– Footballer in the Bangladesh Premier League *

Sayeem Rana Sayeem Rana (born 1 March 1975) is a Bangladeshi singer, composer, music director, poet and professor. His full name is Md. Ziaur Rahman (Sayeem Rana). He won Bangladesh National Film Awards in best music director category for the film '' Nekabb ...

– Lyricist, composer, music director, and professor * S.I. Tutul – Bangladeshi singer * Zobeda Khanum - Educationist and litterateur

Gallery

File:Mukti Maitre memorial.jpg, Mukti Maitree Memorial located at Chourhas intersection File:BRB Cable Tower (40 floor) 3.jpg, BRB Cable Tower (under construction) File:Lovely Tower (12).jpg, The first high-rise building in Kushtia, built in 1999. It is the first modern shopping mall in

Khulna Division Khulna Division () is the second largest of the eight divisions of Bangladesh. It has an area of and a population of 17,416,645 at the 2022 Bangladesh census (preliminary returns). Its headquarters and largest city is Khulna city in Khulna Dist ...

. File:কুষ্টিয়া পৌরসভা 4.jpg, Main gate of Kushtia Municipality File:Kushtia Municipal Building 5.jpg, Front view of

Kushtia Municipal Building Kushtia Municipal Building or Kushtia Paur Bhavan () is a palatial building located in the Kushtia, Kushtia city. Earlier it was the zamindar house of Satish Saha. Since 1966, the building has been used as the office of the Kushtia Municipality. ...

File:Kushtia Municipal Museum.jpg,

Kushtia Municipal Museum This is an alphabetical list of museums in Bangladesh. List of Museum # Ahsan Manzil # Bagha Museum # Bangladesh Air Force Museum # Bangladesh Maritime Museum # Bangladesh Bank Taka Museum # Bangladesh Military Museum # Bangladesh National Museu ...

File:কুষ্টিয়া জেলা শিল্পকলা একাডেমি.jpg, Kushtia Zilla Shilpakala Academy File:জগতি রেলওয়ে স্টেশন 2.jpg,

(March 2024) File:হরিপুর সেতু 4.jpg, Bridge connecting Kushtia and Old Kushtia (

) File:Kushtia Central Shaheed Minar (2025).jpg, Kushtia Central Shaheed Minar on 21 February 2025

References

External links

* * * {{Authority control Populated places in Khulna Division