Muharram: Hectic activity at Ashoorkhana in Hyderabad

The Shia Muslim community observes Muharram as a time to remember and grieve the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain, in the ‘Battle of Karbala’.

Hyderabad: A hectic activity is witnessed across the ‘Ashoorkhana’ in the old city with the commencement of the month of Muharram. The Shia Muslim community observes Muharram as a time to remember and grieve the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain, in the ‘Battle of Karbala’. The mourning process begins on the first night of Muharram and lasts for the following two months and eight days.

Among the important places that see huge gatherings are the Alawa –e Sartooq – Darulshifa, Azakhana e- Zehra – Darulshifa, Bade Shahi Ashoorkhana – Pathergatti, Naal –e Mubarak – Pathergatti, Khad –e- Rasool – Gulzaar Houz.

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One of the important place is the Bibi ka Alawa at the Dabeerpura where the Bibi ka Alam (standard of Bibi Fatima) is installed for centuries and a lot of religious activities are witnessed during the month.

“Special prayer meetings are held throughout the Muharram month, especially in the first ten days, with a host of dignitaries cutting across religious and political affiliations to make offering to the Alam,” said Syed Hamed Hussain Jaffery of Telangana Shia Youth Conference.

The practice of installing the standard here dates back to Qutb Shahi period when Muhammad Qutb Shah’s wife installed it in the memory of Bibi Fatima at Golconda initially. Later, during the Asaf Jahi era, it was moved over to Bibi ka Alawa specially built for the purpose.

“The standard contains a piece of the wooden plank on which Bibi Fatima was given her final ablution before burial. The relic is believed to have reached Golconda all the way from Karbala in Iraq during the reign of Golconda king Abdullah Qutub Shah,” said Jaffery. The ‘alam’ has six diamonds and other jewels donated by the builder of Azakhana-e-Madar-e-Deccan, Mir Osman Ali Khan. The jewellery is kept in six black pouches and tied to the standard.

On the 10th day of the Muharram month, known as ‘Ashura’, the alam is carried on a caparisoned elephant in a procession which covers around 6 km and thousands of barefoot and bare-chested mourners from around 50 ‘anjumans’ participate in it.

“In the 1980’s, the alam was carried upon an elephant named Hyderi, and later the job was done by Rajani, its calf. For some years another elephant, Hashmi, also carried the alam,” AIMIM MLC Riyaz ul Hassan Effandi said.

However, after the courts did not grant permission for the use of captive elephant for religious procession, the HEH The Nizam Trust, the Fatima Seva Dal, and local Shia organisations have been bringing elephant from other States for carrying the Bibi ka Alam. In 2019, an elephant, Sudha, was brought from Bijapur in Karnataka and in the following years a pachyderm Madhuri from Kolhapur in Maharashtra carried the standard.