Lalon Akhra

The Shahi Mosque in Kushtia bear the signal of rich educational custom of the region from Mughal age. Kushtia is the place of birth of many historical figures including Mir Mosharraf Hossain (1847-1912) and Bagha Jatin (1879-1915). King of Bauls, Lalon Fakir (1774-1890), also hailed from this region and his shrine, reconstruct in 1963, at rest attracts many people from home and abroad. Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore live a part of his life at Shelaidaha in this district and created some of his memorable poems while living there. However, during the British rule Kushtia was not a separate district – it was a part of a part of the Nadia district (now in West Bengal) of undivided India. Kushtia was once a part of the Nadia districtWest Bengal. A municipality was established in Kushtia in 1869. Hamilton's Gazetteer has the mention of Kushtia (Kustee) town and of the fact that the local people called the town Kushtay (Kushte). (now in
Kushtia, however, is not an ancient township. A river port was developed in the district. Although the extensive use of the port, it was not until indigo planters and traders settled that the township began to grow., made in 1860, made the town an alluring location for mills and factories, including the Jagneshwar Engineering Works (1896), Renwick and Company (1904), and the Mohini Mills (1919).
In 1860, the Indigo Resistance Movement spread throughout the Bengal province. Shalghar Madhua in Kushtia district was one of the forerunners in this movement. It inspired all indigo farmers in Kushtia to refrain from paying government taxes. The British government deployed an army platoon under the command of GG Morrison, to investigate into the matter. After negotiating with the farmers Morrison convinced the farmers to restart payment of taxes.Subsequently, with the publication of the Indigo Commission Report an Act was passed prohibiting coercion of cultivators for indigo cultivation and the measure led to the end of the movement.

                                                                                       
The tomb and shrine of Lalon Fakir is located in Kushtia.

During the, Kushtia was made a separate district, consisting of Kushtia Sôdor, Chuadanga and Meherpur subdivisions, in 1947. The town once again became attractive for development with the establishment of the Ganges-Kobadak Project (also known as G-K Project) headquarters and a number of government offices in 1954. GK Project is a large surface irrigation system which was started in 1954, though the first corp under this project was not grown until 1962-63. The whole project was divided into two units, the Kushtia Unit and the Jessore Unit. The Kushtia unit completed in two parts, Phase-I and Phase-II.