MULTAN

Muharram in Multan

The observation of Muharram[1] in Pakistan, ordinarily noted as part of the religious practices of the Shi’a sect of Islam, has been credited to Queen Nur Jahan[2] who was the wife of Emperor Jahangir. Historically, Multan has played a central role as a space for observing Muharram. One of the oldest cities in the Indian subcontinent, Multan has a rich history of multiculturalism. Controlled at different times by diverse powers such as the Sindhi Rai and Brahman dynasties, the Abbasid Caliphate and, later, the Sultanate of Delhi, medieval Multan was an important trading hub famed for its riches and beauty. It was also a place where multiple sacred geographies intersected.

From the 3^rd century, Multan’s Sun Temple (dedicated to Surya, or Aditya), drew pilgrims from far and wide. The temple contained an idol of gold, which Muhammad bin Qasim famously abstained from destroying.[3] In addition to Hindu, Jain and Buddhist populations, Multan was also a centre of Ismaili missionary activity from the 9^th century onward, as it became enmeshed in the politics of the Fatimid empire. By the 11^th century, Multan had become an important destination for Sufi saints, including Shah Gardez who arrived in Multan in 1088 AD, and Baha al-Din Zakriyya (1170-1262), who established the Suhrawardi order in South Asia. These diverse traditions interacted with each other in complex and often unexpected ways; Hasan Ali Khan, for instance, has shown the relationship between Shi’ism and Sufism in his study on the Suhrawardi order’s closeness with Ismaili groups in the region.[4]

With reference to Shi’ism in Multan, a relevant study by Richard K. Wolf titled The Voice in the Drum documents how Muharram has been observed in Multan in the past, through a narrative recording what was witnessed by the author as an observer of Muharram activities in Multan in 1997. The study refers to descendants of Shah Gardez, resident in Multan, who recount their family history by mentioning that it was their ancestor Shah Yousaf Gardezi who brought Shiism to Multan from Gardez in Afghanistan when he  ‘He traveled here on the back of a lion, trained with a snake as a whip. Shah Yousef must have been something more than a mere mortal.’

Observing Muharram involves holding of Majalis (gatherings of remembrance of events at Karbala) and the preparation of ziyārats, ta‘ziyahs, pangūṛas (baby cradles), mehndīs (ceremonial wedding arrangements) and sejs (beds) as part of the Muharram procession and activities that span over 10 days in Pakistan. 

Surriya Multanikar, as a resident of Multan having witnessed the Muharram processions and observation personally, recounts that about 150 to 200 years ago, the Muharrum procession would proceed from the abode of music maestros with drums and Shehnai[5] (a flute like instrument). The tune of the Marsiyas and Nohas (elegies basically commemorating religious events of Karbala) was based on classical ragas. She refers to Wali Muhammed Sahib[6], a very brilliant and talented expert of classical music who would collaborate with her elders, who themselves were experts of classical music, to base the tunes of elegies on current ragas.

As per Surriya Multanikar, during the time of the British Raj, due to Shia/Sunni riots, licenses were issued [to allow the conduct of Muharram processions]. People who had licenses were called ‘license-dars’. The family of Surriya Multanikar and their “Bheri Putra” Gharana were license-dar[7]. The Sunnis had 80 and the Shias had 60 Tazias (religious floats) each. They all had cordial relations. The processions would proceed on the given routes identified in the license and return from a different route to their original abode.[8]

She further recalls that ever since her childhood she has witnessed that elegies were recited in accompaniment with drums and Shehnai in her Gharana and Bheeri Putra Gharana. In Muharrum, after the Fajr (morning) prayer, the Naubat or Nakar (a type of kettledrum) was beaten to announce that the Mourning/Lamentation session had begun. These Naubat or Nakar were beaten every morning for the first ten days of Muharram in every Astanaa (shrine) and Music Gharana. As per Surriya Multanikar, the Bheeri Putra and her gharana were the only two gharanas that recited Marsiyas and Nouhas composed with music. The processions were taken out at night. So their elder, Wali Muhammed Sahib, would use night ragas like Aemun, Darbari and Malkauns for the Marsiyas. Drums and Shehnai were used as accompaniment. The music was based on Taal (metered rhythms/ beats) like Talwarah, Arah, Ik Tala, and Teen Taal. The original beats with refrains were used. Matam (beating of the chest) was done on the Tha and Duun beat. All the men and women who knew something about music would follow the ragas and sing accordingly.

She further narrates that this practice has been going on for approximately two centuries now. In Multan about 120 Tazias were taken out. I have witnessed this as a child and young person and heard of it from my elders. The kettledrums (Naubat or Nakar) were beaten for 30 minutes to an hour from the first to the tenth of Muharram. This created an ambiance of mourning and people became sad. This was the practice of every large Astanaa. All the Muharrum processions in Multan were taken out at night. Only on the 10^th of Muharrum, the day of the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain, the processions would start from every Astanaa around seven in the morning and end around seven or eight at night. The processions would end after this date. However, from the 11^th of Muharrum till the Chelum (forty days) of Hazrat Imam Hussain Majalis (religious congregations commemorating the events of Karbala) were organized routinely. I would especially like to recount that the nightly processions were attended by renowned saints and mystics (pirs) of the day. Pir Sadruddin Gillani, Pir muhammed Raza Gillani, Pir Mustafa, Pir Shaukat Hussain, Pir Alumdar Gillani and Pir Rehmat Hussain Gillani would come on horseback to participate in the Azzahdari[9] ceremonies (honoring the martyrs of Karbala) with their sons and relatives.

She recounts that the elders would stand in a circle with their hands folded and heads bowed in respect of Hazrat Imam Hussain and listened to the Marsiyas. They would shed so many tears that that their revered beards would become soaked. The entire atmosphere would become imbued with sadness. When people saw their honored elders so dejected there fervor increased and they suffered fits of swooning with anguish. When the Marsiyas and Nuhas were recited to the wailing accompaniment of drums and Shehnai, it seemed as if the entire universe was participating in their sorrow. People were tormented by the suffering of the Holy Prophet’s household (respectfully referred to as Ahle Bait) and cried their hearts out. She recalls that they, as Sunnis, also did not give milk to their children during these ten days of mourning. This was in honor and remembrance of the children in Karbala who were denied water. The charpoys (beds) in the houses were turned upside down, mats were spread on the floor and people slept on these mats. On the 10^th of Muharram, the kitchen fires were not lit. The children were also fed whatever was distributed as Niaz (consecrated food) in the Majaalis. Muharram was observed with a lot of respect. She saw her elders doing this when she was a child and as a young person 50-60 years ago.

 In the days of the past, as per Surriya Multanikar, four gharanas were famous in Multan. The drummers known as Dholis had Ustad Allah Wasaya and his two sons, Haq Nawaz and Mehr Buksh, as experts in this field. Ustad Allah Wasaya was the expert Shehnai Nawaz (Shenai player). The notes of his Shehnai resounded with the mourning in the hearts of the people and the atmosphere. He continued to play his Shehnai till ripe old age. Naqarchi (Naqar player) was the Ustad from the Naqar Khana[10] and Bheeri Putra was an expert Sarangi (stringed musical instrument played with a bow) and Tabla (drums) player. Now these gharanas have become extinct. The expert musicians in these households have died and their future generations are not interested in the continuation of this art. With the vanishing of the art, the name and claim to fame has also gone. In my family, I am the only one who is practicing this art even at this age. There is no one else associated with this art and practice anymore. There are no musical instruments in any gharana now. The tradition of observing mourning from form 1^st to 10^th of Muharrum is alive but the music has changed. The mourning for Imam Hussain and his household will continue till doomsday.

Introduction compiled by Saleem Khawaja based on Zahra Shah’s Research and Chapter 5 of Richard Wolf.

Now I will narrate how Muharrum was observed in Multan. (By Surriya Multanikar)

In Multan, about 150 to 200 years ago, the Muharrum procession would proceed from the abode of music maestros with drums and flutes (Shenai). The tune of the Marsiyas and Nouhas (elegies basically commemorating religious events of Karbala) was based on classical ragas. Wali Muhammed Sahib, a very brilliant and talented expert of classical music, would collaborate with our elders, who themselves were experts of classical music, to base the tunes of elegies on current ragas. It was the time of British Raj. Due to Shia/Sunni riots licenses were issued. People who had licenses were called license-dars. We and our “Bheeri Putra” Gharana were license-dar. The Sunnis had 80 and the Shias had 60 Tazias (religious floats) each. They all had cordial relations. The processions would proceed on the given routes identified in the license and return from a different route to their original abode. Ever since my childhood I have witnessed that elegies were recited in accompaniment with drums and flutes (Shenai) in our Gharana and Bheeri Putra Gharana. In Muharrum, after the Fajr (morning) prayer, the kettledrum (Naubat or Nakar) was beaten to announce that Mourning/Lamentation season had begun. These kettledrums (Naubat or Nakar)  were beaten every morning for the first ten days of Muharram in every Astanaa (shrine) and Music Gharana. Bheeri Putra and our gharana were the only two gharanas that recited Marsiyas and Nouhas composed with music. The processions were taken out at night. So our elder Wali Muhammed Sahib would use night ragas like Aemun, Darbari and Malkauns for the Marsiyas. Drums and flutes (Shenai) were used as accompaniment. The music had definite beats (Taal) also like Talwarah, Arah, Ik Tala, and Teen Taal. The original beats with refrains were used. Matam (beating of the chest) was done on the Tha and Duun beat. All the men and women who knew something about music would follow the ragas and sing accordingly.

This practice has been going on for approximately two centuries now. In Multan about 120 Tazias were taken out. I have witnessed this as a child and young person and heard of it from my elders. The kettledrums (Naubat or Nakar) were beaten for 30 minutes to an hour from the first to the tenth of Muharram. This created an ambiance of mourning and people became sad. This was the practice of every large Astanaa. All the Muharrum processions in Multan were taken out at night. Only on the 10^th Muharrum, the day of the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain, the processions would start from every Astanaa around seven in the morning and end around seven or eight at night. The processions would end after this date. However, from the 11^th of Muharrum till the Chelum (forty days) of Hazrat Imam Hussain Majalis (religious congregations commemorating the events of Karbala) were organized routinely. I would especially like to recount that the nightly processions were attended by renowned saints and mystics (pirs) of those days. Pir Sadruddin Gillani, Pir muhammed Raza Gillani, Pir Mustafa, Pir Shaukat Hussain, Pir Alumdar Gillani and Pir Rehmat Hussain Gillani would come on horseback to participate in the Izzahdari ceremonies (honoring the martyrs of Karbala) with their sons and relatives. They would stand in a circle with their hands folded and heads bowed in respect of Hazrat Imam Hussain and listened to the Marsiyas. They would shed so many tears that that their revered beards would become soaked. The entire atmosphere would become imbued with sadness. When people saw their honored elders so dejected there fervor increased and they suffered fits of swooning with anguish. When the Marsiyas and Nuhas were recited to the wailing accompaniment of kettledrums and flutes, it seemed as if the entire universe was participating in their angst. People were tormented by the suffering of the Holy Prophet’s household (Ahle Bait) and cried their hearts out. We as Sunnis also did not give milk to our children during these ten days of mourning. This was in honor of the children in Karbala who were denied water. The charpoys (beds) in the houses were turned upside down, mats were spread on the floor and people slept on these mats. On the 10^th of Muharram, the kitchen fires were not lit. The children were also fed whatever was distributed as Niaz (consecrated food) in the Majaalis. Muharram was observed with a lot of respect. I saw my elders doing this as a child and as a young person 50-60 years ago. Now this does not exist anymore.

 In those days four gharanas were famous in Multan. The drummers known as Dholis had Ustad Allah Wasaya and his two sons, Haq Nawaz and Mehr Buksh, as experts in this field. Ustad Allah Wasaya was the expert flutists (Shenai Nawaz). The notes of his flute reflected the mourning in the hearts of the people and the atmosphere. He continued to play his flute till ripe old age. Naqarchi was the Ustad from the Naqar Khana and Bheeri Putra was an expert Sarangi (stringed musical instrument played with a bow) and Tabla (drums) player. Now these gharanas have become extinct. The expert musicians in these households have died and their future generations are not interested in the continuation of this art. With the vanishing of the art, the name and claim to fame has also gone. In my family, I am the only one who is practicing this art even at this age. There is no one else associated with this art and practice anymore. There are no musical instruments in any gharana now. The tradition of observing mourning from form 1^st to 10^th of Muharrum is alive but the music is gone. The mourning for Imam Hussain and his household will continue till doomsday.

[1] Extract from Chapter 5 of the study conducted by Richard K. Wolf, titled: The Voice in the Drum quotes a resident of Multan for purposes of explaining the origins of the Muharram processions as follows:

Mazhar began speaking crisply in English. “This procession is in honor of Sayyadna Imam Husain, the son of Sayyadna Ali ibn-e Abu Talib, Peace Be Upon Him, the Caliph of Islam from the Arab days. He was the grandson of Sayyadna Muhammad, Peace Be Upon Him. He was martyred in Karbala by Yazid, son of Amir Mu‘āwiya. Yazid led the opposition. He was deadly against the Islamic procession and Islamic thinking and Islam in general. He went to Karbala to jeopardize this situation but Sayyadna Husain was there to confront him, to face him, to cut his thinking and thoughts. . . . And seventy-two people were killed there, including the son of Husain, six years, six months of age, plus two years of age, plus three years of age, plus four and onward to seventy-two years.”

[2] “In the years following, the people harbored great anger against Yazid. Riding on this wave of emotion, a man named Mukhtar Saqfi rose to power in Kufa and took revenge on all the people who killed Husain and his party at Karbala. The ‘azādārī we perform here expresses the anger we felt back then. It began here in the Mughal period. Queen Nur Jahan was the favorite wife of Emperor Jahangir [1569–1627]. He was a Sunni. He did not believe in these processions and all. But Queen Nur Jahan was a Shī‘ah. She came from Iran. Because of her only there were julūses (processions) brought out onto the roads, or through the fields, or in the imambarahs.” – Richard K. Wolf, in Chapter 5 of his study: The Voice in the Drum.

[3] Manan Ahmed Asif, A Book of Conquest

[4] Hasan Ali Khan, Constructing Islam on the Indus

[5] Insert picture     

[6] As per the study of Richard K. Wolf:

“Wasayah recalled, “A man named Wali Muhammad [b. 1860?] came to Multan from Iran in the late nineteenth century. At that time the ta‘ziyeh theater [Shī‘ī passion play] was flourishing under the patronage of the Qajar dynasty. Wali Muhammad brought his knowledge of literature, music, set design, costumes, and everything to Multan. He was a brilliant musician. We all called him Master. In those days we also had theater in Multan, our own version of ta‘ziyeh. All of that began to deteriorate after Master Sahab died, about thirty-five years ago; but we still perform the nauḥahs he composed.

“Wali Muhammad wrote a special nauḥah for each of the first eleven days of Muharram. You know, just like some neighborhoods launch their ‘alam processions on the fifth of Muharram in honor of Husain’s half-brother, and on the sixth they carry the ziyārat of Ali Asghar’s cradle, and on the seventh the mehndī? Like that Wali Muhammad created musical and theatrical pieces tied to the traditional themes of each day. His attention to art and narrative left a lasting impression on the culture of Muharram in this area. If you go back to Lodhipura at about 5 a.m., you’ll witness the lifting of the Abdullah Wala ta‘ziyah and hear some nauḥahs that are special to that time—some of them composed in Wali Muhammad’s era or even earlier.”

[7] Richard K. Wolf records that: “Ali found his way to the imam-barah of Bheḍi Potra. What he presumed was the famed Haji Wala ta‘ziyah stood nearby, painted with license number one…In Bheḍi Potra he met with members of the hereditary family of musicians who held the license for the Haji Wala ta‘ziyah.”

[8] Richard K. White confirms this by recording that: “The municipality followed the colonial licensing system, whereby the structures, and their associated procession routes, were ranked chronologically; those believed to be older held lower numbers.”

And that: “Each float had arrived according to its prescribed route and was lined up according to license number. Nasir explained, “After performing mātam and chanting nauḥahs, the constituencies will carry their ziyārats to their respective asthānās [home stations].”

[9] Richard K. Wolf refers to the practice of Azadari as particular to the Lodhipura district of Multan to which Surriya Multanikar belongs, as follows:

“Some vestige of the neighborhood’s grand musical history could still be glimpsed in their ‘azādārī practices. Lodhipura was only a few furlongs away; Salim recommended they take the main roads to Pak Gate, the next gate southeast from Haram Gate, and seek further directions from there—the direct route would have lost Ajmal in unfamiliar back lanes.”

[10]      photo by John Murray s1858