The historic Bibi-ka-Alam Muharram procession in Hyderabad’s Old City set off on Friday afternoon, June 26, with great fervour.
The procession saw thousands of people turn up for the annual event that began at Dabeerpura and passed through Charminar and Gulzar House, before concluding at Chaderghat. Nearly 2,000 police personnel were deployed to oversee security during the event.
Videos from the site show devotees preparing elephant Sridevi, brought from Kerala specifically for the celebration.
Hyderabad City Police Commissioner VC Sajjanar was seen offering dhatti when the procession reached Charminar.
Minorities Welfare Minister Mohammad Azharuddin was also seen offering the dhatti while the procession passed through Purani Haveli. He was accompanied by his son Mohammad Asaduddin and Telangana Waqf Board Chairman Azmatullah Hussaini.
The minister said the eternal message of Imam Hussain continues to inspire people across all communities to uphold righteousness and stand against injustice. He prayed for peace, communal harmony, and prosperity for the people of Telangana.
Nizam’s Muharram tradition continues
Upholding the well over a century-old tradition, Nawab Abul Faiz Khan, Trustee of the Mukarram Jah Trust for Education and Learning, offered a dhatti and nazrana to the sacred Bibi Ka Alam at Peeli Gate (Yellow Gate) at Purani Haveli.
He was accompanied by Charminar MLA Mir Zulfeqar Ali and others.
Built during the reign of the second Nizam, Nawab Mir Nizam Ali Khan Bahadur (Asaf Jah II), the historic Peeli Gate (Yellow Gate) was the original main entrance to Haveli-e-Khadeem (Purani Haveli). It is one of the early Asaf Jahi era’s oldest and most important architectural heritage sites.
Spanning well over a hundred years, the traditional offering of dhatti and nazrana was kept alive by the seventh Nizam, Nawab Mir Osman Ali Khan, and carried forward into the next generations by his grandson, the eighth Nizam, Nawab Mir Barkat Ali Khan Mukarram Jah Bahadur and now his great-grandson, the ninth Nizam Nawab Azmet Jah Bahadur.
History of Bibi-ka-Alam
The institution of Bibi-ka-Alam was created under the Shia Qutb Shahi rulers of Golconda, but it became Hyderabad’s pre-eminent public symbol of Muharram through sustained Asaf Jahi patronage, royal endowments, ceremonial participation and incorporation into the public ritual life of the state.
The Nizams inherited many institutions from the Qutb Shahis, one of which was the Bibi-ka-Alam. However, what transformed the Bibi-ka-Alam from a dynastic Shia relic into Hyderabad’s most visible Muharram observance was Asaf Jahi patronage.
The present structure bears an inscription dated 1784, indicating its establishment as a major ritual centre under the Nizams. Successive Nizams enriched the Alam with jewels and gifts. Historical accounts record donations of precious stones and ornaments by the Nizams’ family, while the seventh Nizam, Mir Osman Ali Khan, added valuable jewels that remain associated with the alam.
