Hyderabad: Rehearsals held for Bibi-ka-Alam procession to be held on Aug 9

Hyderabad: A rehearsal with an elephant 'Madhuri'was held on Friday for the Bibi-Ka-Alam procession of the Old city, which is to be held on August 9. The Shia community held the programme from the Bibi-ka-Alawa in Dabeerpura to Chaderghat.

The State government and Telangana State Wakf Board arranged the elephant 'Madhuri' owned by Mahaswami Sansthan Math in Maharashtra for carrying the Bibi-Ka-Alam in Hyderabad. This is the second time the giant is participating in the procession. An elephant arrived in the city in a truck on Thursday and was kept at the Quli Qutb Shah Urban Development Authority office in Darulshifa.

"To ensure that the elephant does not panic the huge crowds and the thousands of Shia Muslims who participate on the day of 'Youm a Ashura' Bibi-ka-Alam procession, each year a rehearsal is done to test the patience of the animal," said Maulana Dr Nisar Hussain Hyder Agha.

The procession trial started from Bibi-Ka-Alam in Dabeerpura, Shaik Faiz Kaman-Yakutpura-Etebar Chowk-Panjesha-Charminar-Gulzar Houz-Mir Alam Mandi-Darulshifa-Aza-Khana-e-Zehra and Chaderghat.