Dargah Babul Hawaij
Dr.Mazhar Naqvi
'Abutarabia', one of the oldest
matami anjumans of India, has fulfilled a long cherished desire of Imamis of
Kanpur by erecting a shrine in memory of Alamdar-E-Karbala Maula Abbas(A.S.).Prior
to the construction the shrine in the complex of Karbala Nawab Azam Ali Khan in
Colonelganj area, Kanpur was devoid of any Dargah dedicated to Maula Abbas. The
first azakhana was built by a courtier of Nawab Asafuddaula in Bithoor( A
suburb of Kanpur) by Miyan Almas Ali Khan, followed by construction of Badi
Karbala Nawabganj on the bank of Ganges. While there is no trace of that
azakhana now as it has fallen victim of
neglect and vagary of weather, Badi Karbala has the replica of the mausoleum of
Imam Hussain at Karbala in the form of a beautifully ornamented zari made of wood.
The history of Kanpur dates back to March 24, 1803 when it was declared as
district by the British. Imamis arrived in Kanpur with Nawab Agha Meer when he
was banished from Lucknow in 1827 and
settled in Nawabganj area. Marasim E- Azadari began with grandeur during the
time of Agha Meer but he failed to erect in any shrine or Dargah .His successors also did not erect
any Dargah in memory of martyrs of Karbala but blessed Kanpur with Imambaras in
Gwaltoli and Patkapur areas. There is also no record in the history about the
contribution of Nawab Roshanuddaula to promotion of Azadari in Kanpur after his
banishment like Agha Meer. Some prominent Shia families again arrived in Kanpur
in 1856 along with the entourage of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah after his dethronement
but they also did not show any interest
towards the construction of Dargahs. Mostly, they built Imambaras and mosques. Karbala
Azam Ali Khan came into existence after his execution by British on the charge
of supplying ‘Rasad’ to forces of Nanarao who was accused of masterminding the massacre
of English men and women at Sati Chaura Ghat
after their surrender.
While royals of Lucknow who
settled in Kanpur due to political and other reasons remained busy with their
affairs to restore their lost glory and could did little to promote or preserve
azadari, the businessmen who made fortune due to emergence of Kanpur as
industrial and trading center at a fast pace after 1857, took the mantle of
making Kanpur Muharram vibrant irrespective of their maktab-e fikr. Both Shia
and Sunnis did a lot for Azadari and Taziadari. While Shia concentrated on
establishing Imambaras, Shabbedaris, formation of Anjumans and establishing
majlises , Sunnis focused on processions, Imam Chowks, Drumming, Paiki Juloos
and distribution of langar. As a result, Dargahs and Rauzas like Lucknow could never be
erected. People compensated the same by visiting Lucknow shrines .The proximity
to Lucknow also proved to be a barrier .After ban on the procession in Lucknow,
admirers of Imam Hussain, specially young generation, began thinking on erecting
shrines on the pattern of Lucknow, Kanodar, Jogipura , Varanasi and Hussain
Tekri. Soon a grand mausoleum came up in Nawabganj Karbala but it too did not
have any Dargah for Hazrat Abbas. At this juncture, young brigade of Anjuman Abutarabia decided to
construct a Dargah for Maula Abbas inside Karbala Azam Ali Khan. They did so at
the instance of Mirza Nadir Saheb who took the initiative after his retirement
from HAL. They did not collect any donation but raised funds from very close
family members and completed the task in record time. Though it is not large in
si8ze, Dargah has ornamented mirrors on its walls and granite covering on the exteriors.
It also has a beautiful Zari Mubarak. The shrine is very well illuminated and
draws large crowd on Thursdays being the only Dargah of Babul Hawaij in Kanpur.
Their numbers swell during Mausam-E-Aza as Karbala Azam Ali Khan is
the point of origin and termination of very famous processions and also hosts
one of the oldest Shabbedaris of the country on the first Saturday of Rabi-ul-
Awwal. Anjuman-E-Zulfiqar Haideri organizes Shabbedari and its majlis is
recited by leading zakirs of the nation.( References available on request)
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