Historic Bibi-Ka-Alam Procession Passes Through Charminar Amid Tight Security

The historic Bibi-Ka-Alam procession was held in Hyderabad on the 10th day of Moharram to mark Youm-e-Ashura, drawing thousands of devotees who gathered along the route from the Bibi-Ka-Alam Ashoorkhana to Charminar. The annual procession, commemorating the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, proceeded under tight security through key historic localities including Shaik Faiz Kamaan, Etebar Chowk, Kotla Alijah, and Lad Bazaar.

The procession commenced at approximately 1:15 PM from the Bibi-Ka-Alam Ashoorkhana amid chants of "Ya Husain" and ritual mourning. Mounted police cleared the path for Sreedevi, the elephant carrying the sacred alam, or battle standard, which reached the iconic Charminar monument at around 3:35 PM. Along the route, devotees offered dhattis to the standard.

As the procession moved, the atmosphere was filled with chants of "wavailaa," expressing deep grief over the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain and his family. Participants engaged in khooni maatam, with bare-chested men in black attire performing self-flagellation using daggers, knives, and small blades.

To support the large crowds, water kiosks and sherbet stalls were set up along the streets. In areas like Lad Bazaar, large vessels were prepared to serve food to the visitors and devotees.

The event drew participants not only from Hyderabad but also from neighboring Telangana districts like Mahbubnagar and Nalgonda, as well as adjacent states, including Bidar in Karnataka and Omerga in Maharashtra.

Hyderabad City Police Commissioner V. C. Sajjanar, accompanied by senior police officials, paid respects to the alam. Sajjanar confirmed that the proceedings were conducted smoothly under the supervision of approximately 2,000 police personnel, utilizing inner and outer rope parties, drones, and CCTV camera surveillance.

The procession continued its route toward Gulzar Houz, Panje Shah, and Darul Shifa, before culminating at the Masjid-e-Ilahi in Chaderghat.