MUMBAI: Wednesday July 17 marks a beautiful confluence of two separate religious observances, Ashadhi Ekadashi as well as Ashura, the important tenth day of Moharram. Both are marked by large processions that wend their way through community areas until they come to rest at a holy site.
The Vitthal Mandir in Wadala is the seat of Ashadhi festivity with thousands of devotees turning up to pray.”At 4.30 am the ‘maha abhishek’ will be conducted by a devotee, folowing which darshan will be kept open up to midnight. Bhajan and kirtan will be performed through the day in the mandir sabhamandap,” said temple spokesman Prashant Mhatre.
Equally, lakhs of Warkari pilgrims from various parts of the state travel to Lord Vitthal-Rakhumai’s temple in Pandharpur which is the epicentre of Ashadhi celebration. While the state’s chief minister is the guest of honour each year, an elderly couple from the Maharashtrian hinterland is selected to perform the exquisite, elaborate midnight puja along with the CM and his wife. The deities are bathed, adorned and dressed before darshan begins for the public.
True to tradition, the Warkari-led dabbawallah community of Mumbai too travels to Pandharpur for its annual two-day puja holiday. Ullas Muke of the Dabbawallahs Association said, “Tiffin suppliers will be off work July 17-18 since we will attend the waari (pilgrimage).”
Meanwhile lakhs of Bohra as well as Ismaili Shia Muslims will join Wednesday’s grand Moharram ‘juloos’ (procession) that unfolds at Zainabia Imambada around 4.30 pm, onto Bohri Mohalla and Bhendi Bazar, culminating at Rehmatabad cemetery in Mazgaon where the glittering tall ‘tazias’ are laid to rest after dusk.
The All-India Idara-e-Tahaffuz-e-Hussainiyat is the main organiser of this Ashura procession called ‘Juloos-e-Shaam-e-Gharibaan’. Its general secretary Habib Nasser narrated the struggles of the martyrs of the Battle of Karbala even as he coordinated with multiple govt agencies to secure permissions on Wednesday.
“The procession is filled with lakhs of Shia mourners dressed in black. The men take part in active self flagellation to express grief and empathy with Imam Hussain and the other family members of Prophet Mohammed who were killed by the tyrant Yazid during this battle. Women walk at the rear end and are absolutely safe with proper escort provided. Children are very enthusiastic too. Even as one end of the procession reaches Mazgaon, the other end is still near JJ Hospital. Such is the passion among the people, and the turnout,” Nasser said.