Ashura in India

Shiver me Timbers

The next Ashura is scheduled to fall around the 28th December. I was just wondering if there are any good places in India to attend the festival. Obviously those places with a higher proportion of Shi'ite Muslims would be best. My understanding is that there are many Shia in Lucknow. Outside that I'm not sure. Can anyone think of any other suitable cities?

livinhimalayas

There are a lot of shia muslims in Lucknow and the muharram procession of Lucknow is well known. I have seen it once in my entire lifetime and that too accidently and never want to do it again! even now when I think of it it gives me the shivers.

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Shiver me Timbers

Hi there! Can you expand on that? I've only seen the procession on TV before, it seems to be slightly different depending on the location, but always very intense.

What was it that shook you about it?

bijapuri

I've been wanting to pop over the border and check it out in Lahore. Must be careful, tho. Bombs and all that nowadays between Sunnis ans Shias in the Land of the Pure. Lucknow might be a safer, if smaller, option.

Lucknow Ashoora on Utube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfGN6BibP7A

Lucknow for Christmas break? c ya there, Conor

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Shiver me Timbers

Great video, just what the thread needed really.

Having never been to Lucknow Bij, I'm gonna take your invitation at face value and say 'see ya there too!' . May as well substitute one festival for another...

bijapuri

Lucknow is a great destination even w/o Ashura. Imambara and other site are well worth a look.

Dunno about you, Conor, but I'm still coming to terms with what I experienced in Pakistan 2 years ago. That KKH is like no other place I've ever been!

Shiver me Timbers

I know that feeling, I'm heading back later this year, but just for a quick breeze through from Quetta to Lahore. Not the right time of year for the mountains. Reading Wazen's journal has reminded me again what a great destination it is.

livinhimalayas

SMT,
It happened years back, a close friend of mine lived in the older parts of Lucknow, her house happened to look over the main road that the procession took. I had completely forgotten that the procession was scheduled for the day. We had just finished lunch when all sounds of traffic receded and we could hear a deep thumping sound and agonising cries of dozens of voices rise in a wail, I was puzzled until my friedn reminded me that this was the ashura procession with the Tazia. Though I was born and brought up in Lucknow, we were normally kept away from the Ashura procession because of the profound effect it can and does have on young impressionable minds. I understood the wisdom of my elders on that day.
As the procession approached, the thumping sound increased and the was interspersed with the wails, then could hear the clang of steel. We went up to the roof of the house to watch. The entire area was a sea of black, black flags fluttering in the wind, people dressed in black clothes and the Matami with bare torso and black pants crying and flagellating themselves with rods, chains, barbed wire, swords, knives and god knows what else. The bare backs and chest were covered with blood and sweat that had run down the bodies and soaked the trousers. The thumping sound was ofcourse, the sound produced when they were beating their chests wailing and crying 'Hai Hasan Hum na Huye' (Oh What a regret! Hasan that we were not there!). In the midst was the Tazia (the main one followed by dozens of smaller ones).
The sound of the chest beating was so loud and regular that it seemed to permeate your entire being, the sight was horrific and awe inspiring at the same time. By the time the procession came righ beneath us, I was too shaken to watch and had to run away to the remotest corner of the terrace.
The gaunt frenzied looks on the faces of the Matami's was too intense for me to watch and I still get the goose bumps when I think of it and can hear the deep thump of chest beating reverberating through my bones. The worst was when the wailing stopped and all you could here in the complete silence was the thumping and the clanging of the steel and the sound of bare flesh on flesh, and steel on flesh.
Even as I am recounting this to you, I can feel the goosebumps, some people may find it interesting to watch the Ashura, I never again in my life want to hear the sound of see it.

josher

Sobering. Thanks for your recollections LH.

Next year I shall experience Ashura for myself after learning more of Husayn ibn Ali. Lucknow or Lahore it is Bij.

bijapuri

I know that several places have Ashura processions- Delhi and Bangalore among them. Anf Hospet (of Hampi fame) has a firewalking ceremony at that time

bijapuri

Josher . . . As a USer, I do not currently feel it is a good time to visit Pakistan. We're bombing there every day now, and lots of people there would like some payback. I am not going there anytime soon. It's up to you, of course.

josher

Small world Bij... I used to go to Pleasure Point Pizza on 41st almost everyday.

livinhimalayas

I saw the YouTube posted by Bijapuri, it is a good one but if they had retained the original audio the impact would have been greater. this is in essence what it is like, only it gets more frenizied as the Tazia proceeds towards the burial ground. This video is obviously from the beginning of the process as I can see from the location. it is a good one.

bijapuri

hahaha, too funny. the point rocks!

bijapuri

One thing I've learned about South Asia over the 4 decades I've seen traveling there is that when one place gets too agitated, another calms down. Pakistan, as I mentioned above, is for me too unstable for any NATO citizens right now, but especially US folks. But Sri Lanka right now has just ended their war, so there's some place one could go and explore areas that have been off limits for decades. Watch out for mines ad such, though- that may take time to cleam up. Cambodia is still full of that after a long period of peace.