Our Kushtia destination guide covers the shrine, Shilaidaha Kuthibari, and the Hardinge Bridge. This is about the shrine specifically, since it's a different kind of place than the other two.
This is a living community, not a museum
Baul followers actually live and practise at the Akhra, playing and singing Lalon's songs as an ongoing spiritual practice rather than a performance staged for visitors. The difference between a visit that lands and one that doesn't comes down to this: walking through, watching for a few minutes, and leaving reads very differently from sitting with the musicians and actually talking to a follower about what the songs mean. The second is what makes the place worth the trip; the first is just sightseeing with better acoustics.
What to wear and how to act
Treat it as a religious site: shoulders and knees covered, comfortable modest clothing, and a headscarf is a considerate option for women even though it isn't strictly required. Ask before photographing anyone, rather than assuming a musician mid-performance is fair game. Steer conversation away from criticising local customs, religion, or politics, and keep things calm rather than argumentative, the same baseline courtesy that applies at any place people consider sacred.
The greeting worth knowing
Before a performance, it's common for the audience to press their hands together and say “Joy Guru,” a small gesture of respect toward the tradition and the performer. Doing the same costs nothing and signals you're there to actually engage rather than just watch, which changes how you're received.
The two festival dates, and what changes
The shrine holds two annual gatherings: Dol Purnima, which falls in February or March and shifts year to year with the lunar calendar, and the Lalon Smaran Utsav in October, timed around his death anniversary. Both draw large crowds, and both bring visible security, police and Rapid Action Battalion presence, given the scale of the gathering. That's worth expecting rather than being surprised by if you time a visit around either date. Outside festival dates, the shrine is quieter and, if the kind of visit described above is what you're after, arguably the better time to go.
The rest of the trip
Shilaidaha Kuthibari and the Hardinge Bridge pair naturally with a shrine visit in the same day, and getting-there details for all three are on our destination guide.