Hyderabad: The stage is set for the Bibi ka Alam procession scheduled to be taken out from Bibi ka Alawa in Dabeerpura of Old City Hyderabad on Wednesday, July 17.
The Bibi ka Alam is taken out on ‘Youm-e- Ashoora’, on the 10th day of Muharram month of the Hijri calendar.
The procession covering a distance of nine kilometers passes through Shaik Faiz Kaman, Yakutpura Road, Etebar Chowk, Alijah Kotla, Malwala Palace, Charminar, Gulzar Houz, Panjesha, Mir Alam Mandi, Darulshifa Grounds, Aza Khana Zohra, Kali Khabar and culminates at Chaderghat.
Along the procession, thousands of Shia mourners marched flagellating themselves with sharp objects like blades, daggers and swords. People line up on the route to have a glimpse of the procession and offer dhatti to the Bibi ka Alam.
The police made arrangements for the smooth conduct of the procession and heavy police deployment is being done on the procession route. The police barricaded the routes to avoid public movement when the standard is taken along its designated route.
The Alam (standard/shrine) dating back to the Qutb Shahi period was taken on the elephant Roopavathi. The animal was brought for the procession from Karnataka for the Muharram procession.
History
The Bibi ka Alam and its procession in Muharram date back to the Qutb Shahi period (1518-1687) when Hayath Bakshi Begum, the wife of Muhammad Qutb Shah (5th ruler, 1611-26) installed an Alam in the memory of Bibi Fatima at Golconda. Later, during the Nizam era (1724-1948), the Alam was moved over to Bibi ka Alawa at Dabeerpura specially built for the purpose.
The Alam contains a piece of the wooden plank on which Bibi Fatima was given her final ablution before burial. The relic is believed to have reached Golconda all the way from Karbala in Iraq during the reign of Golconda king Abdullah Qutub Shah, according to historians.
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