Muharram concludes on vibrant note at Ruyyadi village

The 10-day Muharram observance ended with a grand procession in Ruyyadi village of Adilabad, drawing nearly two lakh devotees. Despite having no Muslim families, the village has followed this tradition for 160 years with special rituals and cultural performances.

Adilabad: The 10-day Muharram observance, commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad, concluded on a grand and vibrant note at Ruyyadi village in Thalamdugu mandal on Monday.

Nearly two lakh devotees from across Telangana and neighbouring Maharashtra converged on Ruyyadi to participate in the festivities. Devotees thronged the shrine of Hussain, offering special prayers from early morning till midnight, and joined a massive procession through the village streets to immerse the deity. The air was filled with drumbeats as devotees danced with fervour. Many sought to touch the sawaris or peerilu, representations of Imam Hussain, believing it would fulfil their wishes. Cultural performances, including masked dancers dressed as tigers, sloth bears and women, captivated the crowds and added to the vibrant finale.

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Collector Rajarshi Shah visited the shrine and offered prayers. Members of the shrine’s governing council organised community meals for devotees. For pilgrims’ convenience, the TSRTC Adilabad depot operated special buses to Ruyyadi, while police put up barricades to regulate traffic and stepped up security to avoid untoward incidents.

Ruyyadi has been observing the solemn occasion for 160 years, despite having no Muslim families in the village. A Muslim priest is specially brought in to conduct rituals at the shrine. Villagers have been worshipping the sawaris since the village’s formation in the 1860s.

Similar processions marking the culmination of Muharram were held across rural areas and in Mancherial, Nirmal, and Kumram Bheem Asifabad.