Posted on: 17 February 2011

The Muharram Festival - Asaf al-Daula, Nawab of Oudh, listening at night to the maulvi reading from the scriptures - 1795

Watercolour of the Muharram Festival, part of the Hyde collection, by an unknown artist working in the Murshidabad style, c. 1795. Inscribed on the back in pencil: 'The Nubob of Moorshedd.- at Prayers'; in ink: 'The Nawaub of Morshedabad at Prayers, a Night Scene.'

Asaf al-Daula, Nawab of Awadh from 1775 to1797, ordered the construction of the Great Imambara in 1784 for the purpose of celebrating the Muslim festival of Muharram. The Muharram festival is in commemoration of the imams Ali, Hasan, and Hussein. This festival starts on the 1st day of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, and lasts for 10 days. In this view, the Nawab is shown listening to the 'maulvi' reading from the scriptures in the hall of the Imanbara. Subsequently, the building was used as a mausoleum for Asaf ud-Daula upon his death in 1797.

Source : British Library


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The observance of Muharram is the most protracted affair in Lucknow. It lasts for a full EIGHTY days and does not end on the day of Ashura.It is a far more elaborate affair than Iran from where it actually came from. The art of 'Soz Khwani' both blossomed and reached it's zenith in Lucknow.Both 'Soz' and 'Noha' are sub-parts of Marsiya which literally mean 'burning of the heart' and 'lamentation' respectively. Marsiya is a poem written to commemorate the exploits of great men of Islam ; usually to describe the battle fought on the plains of Karbala in Iraq by Hazrat Imam Hussain and his supporters against the army of Yazid. It is usually a poem of mourning like 'In Memoriam' of Lord Alfred Tennyson. No aspect of the life and times of the kings of Awadh is untouched by the observance of Muharram .The grandest buildings that survive as a legacy of the Lucknow of yore are the Asafi and Bara Imambargahs which are marvels of engineering as they are the world's longest pillarless halls from a time when reinforced concrete was a century and a half away.Even in the unique kashidakari peculiar to Lucknow called Chikan-kari the predominant base of this embroidery are 'colours of maatam '(mourning) white, sea and parrot green, shades of blue , light brown ,peach and mauve.The 'colours of joy' like red, mango yellow, shocking pink and orange were never used (now all that is history though).

Nice explanation,The presence of ''HUKKA' and The Nawab with pipe in his hand, is not a sign of respect in such religious gatherings?The Imam Barghahs are as respectable as a Masjid(mosque)

Indeed Agha chacha the presence of a Hukkah is perplexing in a mehfil commemerating such an august event. The soz khwani of Lucknow does not have ANY musical accompaniment not even a dholak or a drum which is what characterises and distinguishes it from elsewhere. If you notice ,other than the alam pattay made of silver with the characterstic green flags in the picture above the other unique feature is a chandelier made of mashaal (torch) and so also similar mashaals in the scones on the walls

Thank you for all that. Completely engrossing.

Wonderful description sir, thanx, I love it.