The donation boxes of the historic Pagla Mosque in Kishoreganj yielded a record Tk15,90,80,146 after being opened on Saturday, the highest amount ever collected from the mosque’s donation boxes in a single count.
Officials said 43 bags of cash were recovered, surpassing the previous record of Tk11,78,48,538 collected from 35 bags when the boxes were last opened on 27 December after three months and 27 days. On that occasion, foreign currencies, gold and silver were also found. This time, the donation boxes were opened after six months instead of the usual four.
The boxes were opened under the supervision of Additional District Magistrate Mohammad Ershadul Ahmed in the presence of Deputy Commissioner Sohana Nasrin and Additional Superintendent of Police Najmus Sakib. The money was transported in bags to the second floor of the mosque, where hundreds of volunteers and officials counted the cash.
The counting process involved 110 students from the mosque’s madrasa, 300 students from Al-Jamiatul Imdadia Madrasa , 33 mosque employees, 130 officials of Rupali Bank and members of law enforcement agencies.
Deputy Commissioner Sohana Nasrin said the mosque’s total fund now stands at Tk114,13,07,352.
She also said the mosque had launched its own website to allow devotees at home and abroad to make donations through online and mobile banking services. A Bengali version of the website is also available, and the mosque has so far received Tk24,76,882 through the digital platform.
Authorities maintained strict security from the opening of the donation boxes until the money was transferred to the bank. News of the opening drew large crowds to the mosque, where devotees from across the country regularly donate cash as well as livestock, including ducks, chickens, cows and goats.
Visitors Mohammad Rafi from Itna and Zakaria Hossain from Hossainpur said they had travelled to witness the counting and were astonished by the amount collected. Students Muhammad Abdullah and Akram Hossain, who took part in the counting, described the experience as memorable.
The mosque authorities said the donations help finance a Hafizia madrasa established in 2002 that provides care and education for 130 orphaned children. The mosque’s income and expenditure are audited annually by the Waqf Administration.
The Pagla Mosque and its Islamic complex are managed by a 31-member committee headed by the Kishoreganj deputy commissioner. Night guard Mokbul Hossain said people of all faiths, including Hindus, Buddhists and Christians, regularly make donations.
While contributions once came mainly from nearby areas, the mosque now attracts donations from across Bangladesh as well as from foreign visitors, many of whom leave foreign currency in the donation boxes.
