Hyderabad: Organisers of the historic Bibi ka Alam shrine have finally managed to arrange an elephant to lead the Yaum-e-Ashura (10th Muharram day) procession to be taken out on Sunday.
The organisers had identified an elephant, Lakshmi, belonging to Sri Sri Sri Jagad Guru Chenna Basava Rajendra Maha Samigal at Sri Karibasava Swamy Mutt at Horapete in Tumkur, Karnataka. The elephant is expected to reach the city later at night on July 4, Friday.
The Bibi ka Alam is taken out from Bibi ka Alawa at Dabeerpura, on Ashura, on a caparisoned elephant. The practice of carrying the Alam on an elephant is a 17th century Golconda-era tradition and continues yearly.
Initially, the organisers of the procession identified and selected an elephant in Delhi for the procession. However, the Telangana Forest Department has denied permission for the elephant ‘Joymoti’ citing animal welfare concerns and transport regulations for the Bibi ka Alam procession.
“Keeping the safety and well-being of the elephant in view, permission cannot be granted for transport of the elephant from New Delhi to Hyderabad,” the official letter issued by the forest department to the organisers stated.
For the last week, the organisers have been hopping around different states to arrange for an elephant for the Muharram procession. On Friday, Bibi ka Alam organizers managed to obtain clearances from the forest department in Karnataka for transportation of the elephant Lakshmi.
The trial run of the Bibi ka Alam procession is usually held on the 4th or 5th day of Muharram. So far, the trial run, considered mandatory, has not been held in the absence of an elephant. It is unlikely the trial run is organized due time constraints.
Initially, the Alam (relic) was carried upon an elephant named Hyderi, and later the job was done by Rajani, its calf. For some years, another elephant, Hashmi, also carried the alam.
However, after the courts did not grant permission for the use of captive elephants for religious procession, the HEH Nizam Trust and local Shia organisations have been bringing elephants from other states to carry the Bibi ka Alam.
Meanwhile, the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has written a letter to the organisers asking them to utilise its mechanical elephant.
“With realistic appearance and functions, these mechanical elephants can replicate the experience of a real animal. They can shake their heads, move their ears, swish their tails, and also lift their trunks,” PETA stated in its letter to the organisers.
