Mehndi Ki Majlis

 

Dr.Mazhar Naqvi

Hyderabad has been a great center of Muharram ceremonies since the founding of Qutub Shahi dynasty in 1512.Be it Shia ruler or his Sunni counterpart or for that matter even Hindu nobles and ministers all ensured their participation in commemorating the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain. They erected Ashurkhanas and introduced Alam processions all over the state. The ceremonies and accompanying royal patronage inspired poets and authors to produce devotional literature. Some devotees excelled as Sozkhwan,Marsiyakhwan and Zakirs(Orators).Lovers of Imam Hussain also formed Matami( Chest Beating) Anjumans(networks).It is these Anjumans and their members who spill their blood on the streets of Darulshifa,Purani Haveli, Yaqutpura and Dabirpura while observing Muharram rituals in old city –the center of Azadari marasims.

Among those who encouraged Azadari in Hyderabad include Syed Abbas Sahib.He  moved to Hyderabad from Madras(Now known as Chennai) in 1860.He was an expert exponent of Marsiyakhwani. He sought patronage of Fifth Nizam Afzal Ud Daula Bahadur(1857-1869) and earned a dignified position.He initially settled in Abbas Manzil on the bank of Musi river.He began hosting Hazrat Qasim’s Majlis on 7^th Muharram every year. It became extremely popular in successive years. Majlis used to begin after culmination of Alam procession dedicated to Hazrat Qasim, the son of Imam Hussain and known as Groom of Karbala at Abbas Sahib’s mansion. It earned the title of ’Abbas Sahib Ki Mehndi Ki Majlis’ among local parlance. The family continued the tradition even after his death. In 1905,the family moved to Yaqutpura locality on a large plot of land near Alawa Hazrat-e-Qasim. At the instance of Abbas Sahib’s daughter, the family began hosting Mehndi ki Majlis in Yaqutpura. The crowd stretches from the house to Alawa. It is a little known fact now that Azakhana  Zohra was built by Mir Osman Ali Khan in early 20^th century where Abbas mansion once stood in Darulshifa.The  Nizam acquired the Mansion and other properties from Hyderabad Improvement Trust to erect an Ashurkhana dedicated to martyrs of Karbala in memory of his own mother .

References: Available on request

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