Anti-Ahle-Bait Policy of British in Colonial India

Colonel Sleeman who Horbored Anti-Nawabi In United Provinces  

Wilayati Begum Ka Imambara in British Residency

Dr.Mazhar Naqvi

Can there be an Imambara inside the British residency? The question will surely evoke negative response, for the British always looked at Muharram rituals with suspicion. They always treated the emotional appeal of Karbala as a threat to their empire. The crusade launched against them by pro-Ahle-Bait wandering fakirs in Bengal had left them with little doubt that Karbala narrative has the power to overthrow their rule. The East India Company officials deliberately portrayed themselves as men of religious tolerance. Especially after Muharram riot of 1779 in Kolkata, they never interfered in the observance of Muharram and merely confined themselves to security arrangements with the help of police and zamindaars (landlords).

But the outbreak of ‘mutiny’ in 1857 changed their outlook completely. The openly desecrated Imambaras and shrines dedicated to the sacred memory of the martyrs of Karbala. Lucknow witnessed their maximum wrath for serving as the headquarters of warrior queen Begum Hazrat Mahal whose charismatic leadership had brought the end of British rule. After recapturing Lucknow, British therefore targeted Imami shrines specifically. They used Bara Imambara as stable, raided Dargah Hazrat Abbas and looted holy crests made of silver and gold. Soldiers of British army also carried away with them jewels kept at Dargah and also demolished Imambara Zahur Baksh.

Even after proclamation of Queen Victoria as empress of India, British treatment towards the followers of Ahle-Bait continued. They did not return their properties containing Imambaras for a long time. Further, several Imambaras were taken over for establishing government offices or rented out to outfits like freemasons. British surely and systematically allowed anti- Ahle-Bait elements to encroach upon the lands belonging to Imambara Sibtainabad in Hazratganj area. The office of Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) is housed in Imambara Darogha Ghulam Hussain even today.

The havoc played with the property of last ruler of Awadh Kingdom after his death in exile in Kolkata in 1887 also exhibit the British hatred against the devotees of the followers of Imami faith. They demolished all the structures raised by Wajid Ali Shah to erase the traces of the Awadh Kingdom that had firmly established Muharram rituals as a part of inter-faith understanding in remote areas. This understanding was reflected in 1857 when people from all walks of life had rallied around the warrior queen to liberate Lucknow from the British hands. Begum Hazrat Mahal herself professed Imami faith and did not forget to erect an Imambara in Nepal where she took shelter after her defeat at Lucknow.

Against this backdrop, the existence of an Imambara inside the British residency in Lucknow seems like a miracle of Masoomeen. Although Imambara is roofless but its existing remains amply gives an idea about the grandeur and ornamentation it much have enjoyed during its heydays. For the visitors, it is a part of Begum Kothi. Those acquainted with the history of Lucknow call it as ‘Vilayati Begum’ ka Imambara. Vilayati Begum is known in history as the queen of King Naseer Uddin Haider who had bestowed upon her the title of Muqaddar –E-Alia. She occupied it as her residence after the death of Naseer Uddin Haider along with the huge fortune that she made during the lifetime of her husband.(References available on request)