Navratra to Karbala: Hindus fast with Taziya of Wishes for Muharram

BHOPAL: The state capital’s syncretic culture of harmony and religious co-existence comes alive with Hindu families mourning the martyrdom of

Imam Hussain

at

Karbala

in the week of Muharram which coincides with Navratra fast and festivity this year.

These Hindu families are erecting 25-foot high taziyas to participate in the Muharram procession from Peer Gate to Karbala on VIP Road on October 12, a day after Dussehra.

Over 150-year-old ‘Laal Taziya’, a replica of the Karbala shrine, is being sculpted with bamboo strips before embellishing with zari by members of Prajapati community in Old City. “We call it ‘mannat ka taziya’ or ‘taziya of wishes’. We are the fifth generation which has been making taziyas during Muharram. Our family members had been part of this ritual for over a century and we have the support of Muslim community too,” said Pappu Prajapati, an idol maker by profession, who leads “Lal Taziya” from Ghodanakkhas with his brother Mohan Prajapati.

Lal Taziya is built in three layers and is taken out from the narrow alleys of Ghodanakkas before being mounted one over the other. Then the taziya is taken to the Imambara,” said Mohan.

In a corner of his room, the Prajapatis have also done a ‘kalash sthapana’ for Navratra puja and are making taziyas in the same 8foot x 6foot space to commemorate Muharram. They were taught the art of making taziyas by Mohammad Nasir at Kamla Park, who passed away just four months ago.

Besides Ghodanakkhas, another taziya is taken out from

Panchsheel Nagar

, which is made by the family of Kunwar Singh Prajapati. As soon as they finish sculpting Durga idols for Navratri, they begin work on taziyas. A day before Muharram, the taziya is taken to an Imambara at Ibrahimpura and then taken to Peer Gate, which is a big draw with Hindu women performing a unique ritual of walking ahead of the procession while washing the road with water-filled earthen pots. “We walk ahead of taziyas till we retain water in our urn, sprinkling it on the road. A small puja as per Hindu ritual is performed, when the taziya is lifted by the Hindu women. It was a cultural shock for daughters-in-law of our family, but they picked it up with the time,” said Prema Bai, wife of Kunwar Singh Prajapati.

According to

All-India Muslim Tehwar

committee (AIMTC), there are 900 Hindu families in Bhopal, who participate in Muharram procession and follow the sequence of raising alams, taziyas, akhadas and then savari.

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