Rehearsal for Bibi Ka Alam elephant procession held in Old City

A rehearsal with the elephant for the Bibi Ka Alam Muharram procession was held here on Monday in the Old City.

The organizers of the procession who brought the elephant, Madhuri, from Karnataka paraded the elephant on the route of the ‘Ashura procession’ taken out on the 10th day of the month of Muharram, the first month of the Islamic Calendar. The elephant is tasked with carrying the Bibi ka Alam on Ashura.

The trained elephant along with mahout and



caretakers was brought in a truck to the city from Karnataka. It reached the city on Sunday evening and has been stationed at the QQSUDA office premises.

The route rehearsal is done to acclimatize the pachyderm to the activity on Ashura day when the procession is taken out.

The practice of rehearsal dates back several decades so as to ensure that the elephant does not panic to loud noise or a sea of the crowd and also to test the patience of the pachyderm.