Silent( Chup) Tazia Procession and Its Origin

Majestic View of Chup Tazia Procession.

By Dr.Mazhar Naqvi

Fulfillment of two Mannats (wishes) has primarily been responsible for observance of Muharram mourning for two month and eight days in South Asia. Besides being behind the extended period of mourning from first ten days of muharram( Ashra) to the 8^th day of Rabi-Ul-Awwal( third Islamic month), the fulfillment of these wishes may also be given the credit for placing Lucknow as the cynosure of all eyes in the context of Marasim-e-Azadari( mourning rituals) at global level.

It is a well-known fact that Muharram was observed with devotion and solemnity for 10 days up to the rule of Badshah Ghazi Uddin Haider. During Mughal India also the duration of mourning was till Ashra only. Contemporary historians have also written mostly about Yaum-E-Ashura. Dargah Quli Khan who has given a detailed account of Muharram in his diary titled as ‘Muraqqa-e-Delhi’ also does not mention any procession on Chehlum or 8^th Rabi-Ul-Awwal.

However, a close look at the history of Awadh Nawabs gives an idea as to how the period of mourning extended for two month 8 days from the original 10 days initially in Lucknow and then spread all over South Asia among the devotees of Imam Husain and other martyrs of Karbala. History records that King Naseer Uddin Haider had made the observance of Muharram mourning till Chehlum mandatory throughout his Kingdom. His influential step mother Badshah Begum is often credited for persuading Naseer Uddin Haider to issue the royal proclamation in this regard out of her sheer love for Ahle-Bait. However, this version lacks authenticity both historically and logically.                 

No doubt, Naseer Uddin Haider was under the great influence of Badshah Begum initially but later on their relations had turned sour. The reason was the revelation on Naseer Uddin Haider that it was Badshah Begum who had caused the death of her real mother Subah Daulat in a fit of rage and wanted to rule through him. Moreover, Naseer was also aware of the instrumental role played by Agha Mir in his coronation after the death of Ghazi Uddin Haider who too never relished the reliance of Naseer Uddin Haider on Badshah Begum as heir apparent.

Naseer Uddin Haider was also aware of the hostile attitude of his father and it always haunted him whether he would ever ascend the throne or not. It is believed he took a vow to extend the period of muharram mourning for forty days ( Chehlum in Persian and Arbaeen in Arabic) should he become the King of Awadh. The Masoomeen answered his prayers favorably and he issued the royal farman immediately after becoming King. As his subjects comprised of Hindus and Orthodox Muslims and were not in favor of the extension due to ban on marriage and other celebrations, British resident persuaded Naseer Uddin to offer exemption from proclamation to his unwilling subjects. The King did so but made it mandatory for his household. Because of ruler’s interest in forty days, a large number of court officials and people also preferred to observe mourning for forty days and Chehlum became a grand affair throughout the kingdom.

The mourning period extended up to Rabi-Ul-Awwal when a wish of a Nawab Ahmed Ali Khan Shaukat Yar Jung got fulfilled during the British regime. He was a high- ranking noble and a great azadaar too. Somehow, he was falsely implicated in a murder case. He also took a vow to take out a tazia procession and create a trust for holding Muharram rituals if he was acquitted of the charge. Fortunately, the court found the charge against him fabricated and released him. A jubilant Nawab immediately created a trust to keep his words and sought permission for the procession. As Chehlum had already passed, he decided to take out procession to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Hasan Askari on 8^th Rabi Ul-Awwal. His idea earned appreciation and acceptance both as martyrdom of Imam Hasan Askari was not observed widely.                   

After much persuasion, the District Magistrate granted permission for procession on the condition that it will pass through the streets silently and there will not be any Seenazani and Zanjeerzani. Nawab accepted the condition and since then tazia  is carried silently from Imambara Nazim Saheb on Victoria street to Rauza-E-Kazmain as the last mourning procession to be followed by Eid-e-Zahra  on 9^th Rabi-Ul-Awwal. As the popularity of the procession grew considerably in the successive years, devotees decided to extend the mourning till 8^th Rabi-Ul-Awwal to accommodate the increasing Marasim-e-Azadari the observance of which they found difficult till Chehlum.     

The tradition reached other parts of Awadh quickly. Allahabad took the lead in this regard and began taking out two Chup tazia processions. Hyderabad also followed the pattern where the procession starts from Dabeerpura Flyover and reaches Alawa-e-Sartauq Mubarak at Darushaffa just before Maghreb prayers. Then, a short majlis is hoisted and after its completion the black flags put up with the sighting of Muharram moon to symbolize sorrow are removed and red flags are hoisted to mark the end of mourning.

Chup tazia processions are taken out in other prominent centers of azadari in India like Kanpur, Bhopal, Delhi, Amroha and Jaunpur. In Kanpur it is however not taken out on 8^th Rabi-Ul-Awwal but on the first Sunday of Rabi-Ul-Awwal. This deviation is attributed to the close proximity of Kanpur to Lucknow and willingness of devotees to participate in the Chup tazia procession of Lucknow. The Kanpur procession is managed by Anjuman-E-Panjatani and it attracts a large crowd of devotees in Colonelganj area.   

After partition, Chup tazia processions began in Pakistan also. In Karachi, the procession was started by Janab Nawab Hassan Lucknowi .There are two Chup Tazia processions in Karachi. The first procession starts after the Fajr prayer from Nishtar Park in Soldier Bazar and culminates at Imambargah Hussainia Irania in Kharadar after the Zohrain prayers. The second procession originates from Qasr-e-Musayyab in Rizvia Society and culminates at Imambargah Shah-e-Najaf on Martin Road. As recently as in 1998, Syed Ali Abbas Naqvi began a  Chup Tazia procession in Gujranwala.