- विज्ञापन -
Hyderabad: The historic ‘Bibi-ka-Alam’ procession passed off peacefully in the old city of Hyderabad amid tight security as solemnity and mourning marked ‘Yaum-e-Ashura’ on Sunday.
Thousands of people participated in the procession, which started from Bibi Ka Alawa in a traditional manner and concluded at Chaderghat on the banks of the Musi River after passing through various parts of the old city.
The procession passed through Sheikh Faiz Kaman, Yakutpura Darwaza, Etebar Chowk, Charminar, Gulzar Houz, Panjeshah, Mani Mir Alam, Purani Haveli and Darulshifa.
The ‘Bibi ka Alam’ was carried on a caparisoned elephant, brought from Karnataka.
The organisers arranged the elephant belonging to the Sri Karibasaveshwara Mutt in Karnataka after the Telangana Forest Department refused to allow an elephant earlier identified by organisers in Delhi, citing animal welfare concerns and transport regulations.
‘Yaum-e-Ashura’ or the 10th day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, is observed in memory of the martyrdom of Prophet Mohammed’s grandson Imam Hussain and his followers at the battle of Karbala.
The gold-and-diamond-studded ‘alam’ or standard is believed to contain a piece of wooden plank on which Bibi Fatima Zehra, daughter of Prophet Mohammed, was given the final ablution.
The ‘alam’ was installed over 430 years ago during the Qutub Shahi dynasty, and the practice of carrying the ‘alam’ on an elephant has been continuing since then.
For several years, elephants from the Nehru Zoological Park were used for the annual procession. However, after the courts refused permission for the use of captive elephants for religious processions, the organisers have been bringing elephants from other states.
