During the reign of Mohammed Quli Qutub
Shah a religious person, Aga Ali went for Hajj. During the pilgrimage
he had the privilege of acquiring a double edged sword which belonged
to Imam Jafar Sadiq. He brought the sword to Hyderabad, Mohammed Quli
Qutub Shah received the sword with Royal honours, got the Ashoor khana
constructed and appointed Aga Ali to install the relic there incorporating
it in a specially designed Alam. The monarch also issued a decree for
a Mahi Maratib, Royal Umbrella and Naubat for the Ashoor Khana. Aga Ali
was endowed with Jagir and pension for the upkeep of the Ashoor Khana.
The area surrounding the Ashoor khana upto the Chowk was attached to the
Ashoor Khana. In 1258 H the Ashoor Khana was extended by the grand son
of Aga Ali.
The Langar of this Ashoorkhana is very famous. As a matter of fact the
Langar was started by Hayat Bakshi Begum on her boon ( Mannat) coming
true. The legend is that when Abdullah Qutub Shah was still a prince,
one year the river Musi was in spate. The Prince was proceeding towards
Golkonda from Hyderabad on his favourite elephant, Moorat. Seeing the
strong waves of the river the elephant got wild, threw down the mahout
and ran with the Prince into the forest. When his mother, Hayat Bakshi
Begum got the news she was very worried. In that time the crescent of
Moharrum was sighted. The noble lady sought a boon that if the Prince
returned safely she would offer a chain of gold equal to the weight of
the Langar( the chain ) used for tying the elephant of the Ashoor Khana
of Hussaini Alam. She vowed that this chain of gold would be tied round
the waist of the Prince and he would be made to walk to the Ashoor Khana
with it. The elephant was running hither and tither in the jungle with
the Prince. His mother ordered to hang food for the prince on the branches
of trees in case the elephant passed that way .The prayer of the queen
mother got answered. The elephant recovered from its fit and returned
tamely to the Fort. In fulfillment of the oath the Queen arranged spreading
of carpet from the Fort Mohammed Nagar to Hussaini Alam , tied a gold
chain of forty maunds around the body of the Prince and he went walking
to the Hussaini Alam Ashoor Khana. The gold and sherbet made out of 40
maunds of sugar was distributed to the poor people. This established the
tradition of the Langar. The description of the traditional Langar during
the Asaf Jahi period itself would require a chapter to be dealt in some
detail. To put it briefly it was an occasion looked forward to by the
people and the houses on the route of the procession were reserved three
months ahead of the occasion by intending visitors from other places.
This procession was witnessed even by the British Viceroy, Lord Curzon.
Since the Langar reflected pomp and show of wealth and power, the Seventh
Nizam thought it was not appropriate to have it during the month of Moharrum
and as such, discontinued it. The Hussaini Alam goes round in a procession
within the precincts of the building on the night of Ashoora. |
