Kushtia

Kushtia is a city on the banks of the Gorai River in western Bangladesh and the headquarters of Kushtia District. It is regarded as the cultural capital of Bangladesh and is known for its sesame sweets called Tiler Khaja, for kulfi malai and for the mausoleum of the Baul saint Lalon Shah. The municipality covers 42.79 square kilometres, and the 2022 census counted 221,806 people in the city. The Kushtia Municipality was established in 1869, and the arrival of the railway in 1871 helped draw industries such as the Mohini Mill. Its name is variously explained as coming from the local word for jute, from the Persian word for island of ashes, or from a port of the Mughal period. Jagati station here was the first railway station in Bangladesh.