Muharram 2025: Hyderabad observes Youm-e-Ashoora with solemn procession and prayers

Scores of grieving members of the Shia community marched along the procession beating their chests to the chants of ‘Ya Hussain’ with several people lined up across the procession route.

Hyderabad: Mourning and solemnity marked the ‘Youm-e-Ashoora’, the 10th day of Muharram, in the city on Sunday. Special prayers and meetings apart, food distribution camps were organized at several places on the occasion.

Popularly referred to as ‘Muharram’, the day commemorates the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain, grandson of Prophet Muhammad in the Battle of Karbala centuries ago.

To mark the day, special religious meetings were organized across the city. Food camps were held at various places while youngsters were seen distributing ‘sherbet’ among the people by setting up temporary kiosks. Groups of youth also visited hospitals and old-age homes to distribute cooked food and fruits.

In the old city, the Bibi ka Alam (standard) was taken out in a procession from the Bibi ka Alawa at Dabeerpura. The procession started at 1 pm and passed through Shaik Faiz Kaman, Yakutpura road, Etebar Chowk, Alijah Kotla, Charminar, Gulzar Houz, Panjeshah, Mandi Mir Alam, Darulshifa before culminating at Masjid e-Ilahi at Chaderghat in the evening.

An elephant ‘Lakshmi’ from Karnataka was brought to the city to carry the Bibi ka Alam as a tradition. The elephant’s arrival was delayed this year as the organisers faced problems in getting the approval from the forest department for transportation of elephants from Jaipur and Delhi.

Scores of grieving members of the Shia community marched along the procession beating their chests to the chants of ‘Ya Hussain’ with several people lined up across the procession route. En route, eminent personalities and government officials offered ‘dhatti’ to the Bibi ka Alam at different points.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand and other officers offered ‘dhatti’ to Alam at the Charminar. Several other small processions joined the main procession from across the city. The police made elaborate arrangements for the peaceful conduct of the procession.