Labaik Ya Hussain (RA): What is `Bibi Ka Alam’ elephant procession

Hyderabad:  The stage is all set for the Bibi Ka Alam Muharram procession in Hyderabad.

It is one of the largest religious processions held in Hyderabad.

The Muharram procession organizer brought the elephant `Madhuri’ from Kolhapur for carrying the Bibi Ka Alam in Hyderabad.

The trained elephant along with his mahout and caretakers arrived in Hyderabad in a truck on Thursday. The animal is currently at the Quli Qutb Shah Urban Development Authority office.

The state government sanctioned a budget of Rs 4 lakh for the rent of the elephant and another Rs. 2 lakh for the upward and downward journey, its stay, fodder, accommodation, and related expenses.

Earlier, Rajini, an elephant owned by The HEH Nizam Trust and kept at the Nehru Zoological Park carried the Bibi ka Alam.

For the past four years due to court-related issues, the elephant, Rajni, has had to be replaced as permission for her participation was not issued. Organizers have been arranging for elephants from Maharashtra and Karnataka.

What is Bibi Ka Alam procession?

According to Siasat.com, the practice of installing the standard dates back to the Qutb Shahi period when Muhammad Qutb Shah’s wife installed an alam in the memory of the prophet’s daughter, Fatima (RA), at Golconda.

Later, during the Asaf Jahi era, the alam was moved over to Bibi ka Alawa at Dabeerpura specially built for the purpose.

The alam contains a piece of the wooden plank on which Bibi Fatima was given her final ablution before burial. The relic is believed to have reached Golconda all the way from Karbala in Iraq during the reign of Golconda king Abdullah Qutub Shah.

The alam has six diamonds and other jewels donated by the builder of Azakhana-e-Madar-e-Deccan, Mir Osman Ali Khan. The jewelry is kept in six black pouches and tied to the standard.