Dargah Hazrat Abbas & British Injustice

Holi Relics at Dargah Hazrat Abbas in Lucknow.

Dr.Mazhar Naqvi

Dargah Hazrat Abbas is the most popular and revered Imami shrine of Lucknow. Since its inception in Rustam Nagar area during the regime of Awadh Nawab in 1798, Dargah not only enjoyed royal patronage but extreme popularity among the people from all walks of life. It stood as a symbol of bravery and loyalty displayed by Hazrat Abbas on the plains of Karbala as standard-bearer of Imam Hussain’s small band of followers. It also attracted   huge crowd of devotees in view of his status as ‘Babul- Hawaij’ (One who fulfills wishes).The tradition continues till date and Dargah rules the hearts of Imamis who firmly believe that sacrosanct Alam of Hazrat Abbas was brought from Karbala by a devout Muslim who installed it at its present site. After installation of Alam, the rulers of Awadh and their queens contributed generously to development and expansion of Dargah. They also paid regular visits to the shrine and seek solutions of their problems by invoking the name of Maula Abbas.  

King  Nasir-Uddin- Haider had a profound veneration for Dargah. His stride mother and widow of Badshah Ghazi Uddin Haider Badshah Begum and his most beloved Queen Malika Zamani built a kitchen for distribution of food to devotees and destitute. The last King of  Awadh, Wajid Ali Shah had appointed Nawab Pyare Sahib as Mutwalli (guardian) of the Dargah during his regime.
Wajid Ali Shah, it is believed, had offered his crown and sword to the Dargah when he was banished to Calcutta after annexation of Awadh in 1856.It is also said that Begum Hazrat Mahal had visited Dargah and prayed for her success against the British. She was accompanied  by her son Birjis Qadr, who was declared as the new King of Awadh by Begum in 1857.

Begum and her supporters achieved great success initially but could not sustain it for long. The British recaptured Lucknow with the help of their Sikh allies. Then, they unleashed a reign of terror and targeted Imamis and their shrines especially. They desecrated and demolished a number of Imambaras. British soldiers didn’t spare even Dargah. They  stripped the shrine and diverted the hallowed Alam. They took with them imperial crown, sword and bejewelled badge left at Dargah by Wajid Ali Shah before leaving Lucknow.They also extended merciless torment to the ladies who had taken shelter at the Dargah , thinking the British won’t dare to touch them inside the holy and revered shrine. British authorities also declared Dargah and its principle entryway as government property. Later Rukn- ud- Daula, son of Amir- ud- Daula persuaded the British officials to give the charge of Dargah to him for its maintenance. He also developed a wonderful tank in the focal patio. Ironically, his name is rarely mentioned as liberator of Dargah from the clutches of the British. Likewise, Nawab Rafat Zamani Begum of Rampur State who had offered an extensive plot neighboring the shrine for its expansion also fails to figure in the documented history of Dargah. Apart from religious significance, the Dargah has engineering worth. Its extensive patio and its proportionate cusped curves remind the structural planning of Shah Jahan's period.(References available on request).