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Rasheeda Bhagat

`You cannot help marvelling at the manner in which the queues at Tirumala are managed. Not only are the pilgrims regulated, the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam management uses the money pouring into the hundis for creating more facilities for them.'

in Karbala

WITH the heavy restrictions placed on Shiite pilgrims visiting the holy cities of Karbala and Najaf gone, along with the erstwhile Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein, it is nothing short of chaos in these cities, the former, in particular, as far as facilities for pilgrims go.

There are few hotels in Karbala, which is a pilgrim city, and nothing beyond that. But these hotels can at best accommodate around 10,000-15,000 people.

But these days, with the border with Iran open, and Shias from the rest of Iraq also pouring into Karbala, the city is bursting at the seams with people.On the October 12 weekend, which marked the birth anniversary of Imam Mahdi, whom the Shias believe is the last Imam and in seclusion at present, Karbala was literally under siege.

This city houses the mausoleums of Imam Hussein, Prophet Mohammed's martyred grandson, and his brother Abbas Ali, and is considered the holiest of Shiite pilgrimages after Najaf, where the shrine of Hazrat Ali is located.The Saddam Hussein regime was extremely strict about the number of Shiite pilgrims who could visit Karbala at a given time and they were not allowed to beat their breasts or perform other forms of self-flagellation. With these restrictions gone, hundreds of Shiite pilgrims, particularly those from Iran, are forming groups and marching along Karbala's streets towards the mausoleums, reciting verses.

At the Imam Hussein shrine, it was nothing short of mayhem, not only during the October 12 weekend, when you could not even get as much as a foot inside the shrine, but on other days too. With the Shia leaders taking charge, the segregation of the sexes has taken place and there are separate entrances for men and women. The zari mubarak (sanctum sanctorum) too has been cordoned off and divided into areas for men and women. Needless to say, the area for women is just a fourth of that reserved for men.

There is heavy security in place and thorough searching of the pilgrims and their belongings at the entry point. It is in the women's enclosure, when you get pushed and shoved by burly and resolute Arab women, who find it that much easier to get a hold of the silver railings surrounding the actual shrine (sanctum sanctorum), and having taken hold of it, refuse to move for as long as they choose to, that you yearn for the Tirumala-type of management.

Of course, there are khuddams (volunteers) to regulate the pilgrims. But the sticks with which they used to be armed with in the Saddam regime, and used to wield them too to discipline the stubborn pilgrims, have been replaced by feathery dusters — the kind used to clean cars. These have no effect whatsoever on the determined women who will take the time they think they need at the very centre of the shrine.

The concept of queues does not work here and even if you manage to place yourself in the right direction of the wave of humanity headed towards the sanctum sanctorum and get to the magic place — the zari mubarak or the actual shrine — getting out of there is another story. Because the entire rush is towards the centre and you can move in the opposite direction only at the risk of your headgear being torn out of place, and to hear the male volunteers scream "Bibi, hijab, hijaaab".

At this moment you cannot help marvelling at the manner in which the huge pilgrim queues at Tirumala are managed. Not only are the pilgrims regulated through orderly queues in barricades, the Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanam management uses the money pouring into the hundis for creating more facilities for pilgrims, not to talk about the educational and health infrastructure which gets bolstered by the pilgrims' offering. In Hazrat Ali, Imam Hussein and Abbas Ali shrines, a rain of international currencies continues unabated.

But looking at the sparse facilities for the pilgrims one wonders what happens to all this money. In contrast to the many Shia pilgrims, who brave it out on the streets of Karbala for a night or two, the Dawoodi Bohra pilgrims from India and elsewhere have unparalleled boarding and lodging facilities in Karbala.

The community, headed by Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin Saheb, has put up an excellent resort-like facility at the Faize Husseini, which is a stone's throw away from both the mausoleums. Here the pilgrims are given air conditioned rooms with bath attached, three five-course meals specially prepared by a cook from Mumbai, and even laundry facilities. There is, of course, a cost involved, but once you pay that, all your comforts are taken care of and your visits to various pilgrim centres in the region, including that at Najaf, is organised in luxury Nissan or Benz coaches. The Faize Husseini has its own beautiful mosque within the complex and pilgrims are left wondering at the meticulous care that is taken for their comfort. The planning is so perfect that the facility includes washing machines as well as a laundry where you can get your clothes washed and pressed for a nominal fee. For pilgrims travelling with children there is a well-eqipped play area on the sprawling terrace and milk is available round the clock. The community also has a facility at Baghdad, complete with air-conditioned rooms. One was told that Syedna Burhanuddin Saheb has already devised a plan for expanding this facility for Bohra pilgrims who will land at Baghdad once commercial flights begin to Baghdad.

"Our orders from the headquarters in Mumbai are clear; the Bohra pilgrim who comes so far away and is not conversant with Arabic language, should not want for any comfort or facility while in Iraq," said one of the managers at the Faize Husseini.

Response can be sent to rasheeda@thehindu.co.in

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