Mubarak Zari of Khambat

Zari Of Khambat

 The Famous 18-Tones Zari Mubarak of Khambhat

 By Dr.Mazhar Naqvi

Khambhat, once the most flourishing port town of Gujarat and now considered to be a forgotten city, has the unique distinction of possessing the heaviest ‘Zari’ ever imported by a devout ruler in India to make the Muharram procession of his princely state  matchless. Believed to be brought from Iran during the rule of Nawab Muhammad Khan Munim Khan- through sea route in 1203 hijri, the massive Zari weighs 18 tones and over 100 persons carry it on their shoulders on 10^th of Muharram.

What importance and reverence Zari Mubarak (a replica of Imam Husain’s shrine at Karbala) holds for devotees in Khambhat can be gauged from the fact that men and women alike wash the road with buckets filled with water on which it passes through as part of the Muharram procession on Yaum-E-Ashura. An idea about the grandeur of procession and devotion to Zari by Imamis, Sunni Muslims and Hindus can be formed by the description given by a professor of Indian Institute of Management (IIM)- Ahmadabad after witnessing Muharram rites on Ashura.

He writes: “It was 1:00 PM. There was a huge crowd at the Lal Darwaza. The small black statue of Shri M K Gandhi was silently looking at the crowd. Balconies and roof tops of the building on the both sides of the road were packed with women and children. Many women were squatting on the ground in front of the buildings. The road was wet. From balconies bucket of water was being thrown on the men carrying Zari. The main Zari was carried by around 100 persons. The Zari was tilted on the left side. There was a huge congregation of men. They were shouting “Hussain! Hussain! Hussain!”… Women were carrying water in buckets and spilling on the road… and also on men carrying the Zari… many persons were passing underneath Zari… coins were thrown… coconut was smashed on the handle… betel leaves garland was being offered… bunch of lettuce (Chaulai ka saag – Amaranth Green) was touched to the wooden pillar of the Zari…
A person carrying huge replica of Tiger on which it was mentioned Ali said “Matamdaars are just ahead of this procession. Around 100 meters ahead men in black dress were performing Zanjiri matam. In the entire procession it was the only group, Anjuman, performing Zanjiri matam.”   

 Imamis number not more than 1200 in Khambhat. They can’t on their own even lift Zari throughout the procession. It is the Sunni Muslims who carry Zari Mubarak on their shoulders out of their sheer love for Imam Husain and the faith they have in the King of martyrs. Hindus too revere Imam Husain for his generosity for granting children to those who invoke his blessings. They also don’t lag behind in spilling water on the road or in erecting stalls for distribution of water and other drinks to the precisionists. All the communities spend lavishly during Muharram despite the economic downfall of Khambhat that was called as Combay during British India.      

Cambay was founded as a state in 1730 by Mirza Jafar Mumin Khan I, the last of the Mughal governors of Gujarat. In 1780, British army took control of Combay under the command of General Goddard Richards. It was restored to Marathas in 1783 to be finally  ceded to the British by after the treaty of Baseein in 1803 between east India company and Peshwa. Combay was declared as a British Protectorate in 1817 and its last Nawab signed the accession to Indian Union on 10 June 1948. As the ruling Nawabs belonged to Najm-I-Sani Imami Muslim dynasty, they encouraged azadari and used it as a means of promoting inter-faith understanding. Their efforts paid off well as people from all walks of life began participating in Muharram rituals to turn Khambhat as one of the greatest centers of Azadari and Taziadari. 

The rulers doled pout money generously on Marasim-E-Azadari as the city was a seat an extensive trade, and celebrated for its manufactures of Silk, Chintz. and gold stuffs. The Arab traveler Al Masudi visited Khambhat in 915 AD and describes it as a very successful port. Marco polo also mentions the city in 1293 as a busy port with its own king. In the account of an Italian traveler, Marino Sanudo, Khambhat figures as one of India’s main two ocean ports. Another Italian, Niccolo’ de’ Conti, mentions that the walls of the city were about 20 kilometers in circumference. Indigo, fine buckram, cotton and leather were other products that were also exported from the port of Combay.

The history of Muharram rituals in Khambhat can be traced to the arrival of two pious travelers and preachers Abdullah and Ahmad from Yemen in 1072 at the port of Khambhat. They propagated the teachings of Islam among the locals and once  came across a married couple named Kaka and Kaki Akela whose  well on their farm had dried up. Abdullah filled the well with water with his divine power.  Amazed over the miracle, the couple embraced Fatimid Islam in India, perhaps the first to do so in the region. Their descendants are   better known as Bohras- a sub- sect of Imami Islam and the grand scale of Muharram observance in Khambhat is attributed to them also besides the contribution of Nawabs.  

With the decline of city as a commercial center due to silting of Khambhat gulf that made the port town simply inaccessible and end of Nawabi era, Muharram ceremonies were likely to suffer but the devotees did not allow it to happen and took upon the task on themselves to keep all the rites associated with the sacred memory of imam Husain as magnificent and splendid as it used to be during the heydays of Khambhat. Throughout the year, the city seems to be poor, dilapidated and neglected but it comes alive with the sighting of Muharram moon and for next 10-days it remains as the most celebrated place for mourning.( Reference available on request.Photo Courtesy Google Images)