Hyderabad: Thousands of people who gathered at ashoorkhana in Dabeerpura on the 10th day of Muharram (Youm-e-Ashura) took part in the Bibi-ka-Alam procession. The procession commenced from Dabeerpura on an elephant and concluded at Chaderghat.The Shia mourners took out the procession to mark the martyrdom anniversary of Prophet Mohammad’s grandson, Imam Hussain, on the 10th day of Muharram. Members of the Shia sect performed matam and participated in processions. The 10th Muharram is the day on which Imam Hussain was martyred in the battle of Karbala by Yazid and his army. The relic made of the wood dates back to the battle of Karbala and is in the form of the Bibi-ka-Alam, brought to India by the Qutub Shahis. The streets of the old city were filled with people dressed in black as a symbol of mourning. Food and drinks were distributed to the public in the procession route. People prepared Doodh ka Sharbat, Roat (a type of biscuit), Kabuli Biryani on the day. “The battle of Karbala took place in 61 Hijri. Now, 1,386 years have passed, but the world remembers Karbala, Hussain and the victory of Hussain — not by submitting to power or oppression but surrendering to Allah, sacrificing his life, and upholding truth and justice,” said Hashim Adil. “The Bibi-ka-Alam procession has been a tradition for over 400 years, beginning from Golconda during the Qutub Shahi period. Muharram lasts for 28 to 29 days depending on the sighting of the moon. On the 40th day Arbaeen is observed which falls on the 20th of Safar,” said Hidayeth Ali Mirza, president of the Shia Civil Council for Social Justice. On this day, people observe fasting and break it after seeing the alam. Nearly one lakh people take part in the procession, he added. In a gesture of communal harmony, members of the Hindu community at Mir Alam Mandi welcomed the alam. “We have been organising this for 43 years and offer dhatti,” said G. Hanumanth Rao, president of Jayaho Bharateeyam Association. Mohammed Hasham Hussain said that the tradition of the alam was widely followed by all communities, and many Hindus in villages observe Muharram by setting up peerlu (alams). He added that the police and other departments made good arrangements for the procession. The procession began at Bibi-ka-Alam, Dabeerpura, and passed through Yakutpura, Alija Kotla, Charminar, Purani Haveli, and Darulshifa, and concluded at Masjid-e-Ilahi in Chaderghat around 8 pm. Hyderabad police commissioner C.V. Anand supervised the security arrangements to ensure the procession proceeded smoothly. Waqf Board chairman Azmattullah Husseini, GHMC commissioner R.V. Karnan, and other Muslim community leaders took part in the procession.
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