Over hundred thousand mourners gather in this central Indian town 40 days after Ashura

Shams Ur Rehman Alavi

Every year lakhs gather at Husain Tekri, the famous shrine in Jaora in central India, forty days after Ashura.

This year too, devotees from all over India, including Shias, Sunnis and also members of other communities reached Jaora town in Ratlam district of Madhya Pradesh.

It is one of the biggest gatherings on Chahallum anywhere in the sub-continent. Hundreds of thousands take part in the rituals every year [40 days after the tenth of Islamic month of Muharram].

Lakhs attend the Chahallum rituals in this town every year. People come from as far as Kashmir and from Deccan, from Uttar Pradesh and Bengal, and even from other countries. The photos are taken by Mustafa Vilayati.

This 19th century shrine was built during the reign of former Nawabs of Jaora, a princely state in British India. Over the years, it has emerged as a major town for Shias in India, because of the scale of the Muharram and Chehallum rituals.

While Arbaeen in Middle East draws attention, this huge gathering in a small town in India generally fails to make it to the headlines. For more information about the rituals, read a post on this blog published last year.

READ: Lakhs take part in Chehallum rituals in Jaora

Lakhs of devotees reach Husain Tekri in Jaora to observe Chehallum

A huge gathering took place at Husain Tekri Sharif in Jaora town in Central India.

Muslims, especially, Shias, from all over the world, descended here to observe Chehallum.

The Chehallum rituals are held 40 days after Muharram--the 10th of Ashura that signifies martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Husain and his family members at Karbala.

Husain Tekri is a famous shrine in Jaora town that is located in Ratlam district of Madhya Pradesh.

Jaora was a princely state in pre-independent India, ruled by a Nawab. This year, nearly 3,00,000 people participated in the rituals. 

The devout from all corners of the country, camp here in open spaces, stay in hotels, lodges and the guest houses.

The arrangements are held on a large-scale. The events are organised on an area spread over 100 bighas. The devotees pay obeisance at the 'rauzas' of Imam Ali and Imam Husain, amongst other shrines.

The unique aspect that tens of thousands of people walk on embers [burning coal]. There is a large number of pilgirms from outside the country who arrive here, stay for days, attending the rituals.

Though Chehallum is observed in places with strong Shia population like Lucknow and Hyderabad in India, the gathering in Jaora is among the biggest in the country. A large number of Sunnis and Hindus also attend it.