Rehearsal for Bibi Ka Alam elephant procession held on Friday

A rehearsal with the elephant for the Bibi Ka Alam Muharram procession was held here on Friday. Members of the Shia Muslim community held the programme and followed the route from the Bibi ka Alawa (Ashurkhana) to Chaderghat. It is one of the largest ones among all religious processions held in Hyderabad.

The Muharram procession organiser brought the elephant Madhuri from Kolhapur for carrying the Bibi Ka Alam in Hyderabad. Last year the same pachyderm carried the historic Bibi ka Alam calmly. The trained elephant along with his mahout and caretakers arrived in Hyderabad in a



truck on Thursday. The animal is currently at the Quli Qutb Shah Urban Development Authority office. 

“To ensure that the elephant does not panic to loud noise or a sea of the crowd, a rehearsal is done to test the patience of the pachyderm,” the organizers of the procession told 

The state government sanctioned a budget of Rs 4 lakh for the rent of the elephant and another Rs. 2 lakh for the upward and downward journey, its stay, fodder, accommodation and related expenses.