Hyderabad: Ashoorkhana Yaadgaar-e-Hussaini, where women make offerings

Hyderabad: The yearly Azadari (mourning) procession, in which lakhs of Shia Muslims, barefoot and bare-chested, mourners participate from more than 40 'Anjumans', takes off from Bibi-ka-Alawa, in Dabeerpura, to Masjid-e-Ilahi, Chaderghat.

'Youm-e-Ashura' falls on Friday when the traditional 'Bibi-ka-Alam' procession is taken out on an elephant. The rehearsals for the new elephant 'Madhuri' from Maharashtra were started five days back. Hyderabad Deccan is one of the prominent centres in the country where there is a long tradition of Moharram mourning. 'Bibi-ka-Alam' attracts attention as the most visible Alam (replica) of the City's tradition. There are numerous other places or ashoorkhanas where alams are installed and people in thousands throng them.

One such place of reverence is 'Yaadgaar-e-Hussaini' which is exclusively reserved for women mourners behind the 'Alawa-e-Sartauq' in Darulshifa. It is one of the centres of women mourners in the city. The tauq (shackles) after which the ashoorkhana has been named, was brought from Karbala, in Iraq.

The idea in building the exclusive ashoorkhana was to provide women with a place for prayers without any disturbance and maintain pardah. It also serves as a place of rest for those who travel from far off places to visit Hyderabad during Moharram.

Almost all the first 10 days of the month are spent in places where congregations are held in remembrance of Imam Hussain, his family members and companions.

In these congregations, they read Marsiya/Soaz, an elegiac poem written to commemorate the martyrdom and valour of Imam Hussain Ibn Ali and his comrades at the battle of Karbala, also, Hadis, which is done to recall the martyrdom in Karbala. The last part of the commemoration is Nuoha khwani (lamentation). All these sessions end with 'matam' or beating of chest with hands.

The women at home, just like men, wear only black symbolising the pain of the death of Imam Hussain. They are constantly engaged in prayers. However, the 'matam' done by women does not involve shedding of blood and is restricted to light tapping on the chest.

According to some Shias, the mourning lasts for two months and eight days. There are also others who say that it ends with completion of 40 days, that is also known as Chehlum. Shia Muslims in Hyderabad observe the mourning for 40 days or 69 days, as per their belief.