{"AuthorName":"Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz","Description":"

The inclusiveness of South Asian Sufism is frequently celebrated, but more often than not emphasis is placed on the convergence of Hindu and Muslim practices as well as critiques of Sufi devotional practices through conservative interpretations of Hinduism and Islam. In this project, we situate popular practices related to pilgrimage and public rituals in the context of coexisting Muslim pilgrimage sites of greater Lucknow. This project seeks to provide documentary and descriptive detail from major Shi’i and Sufi shrines in the Lucknow region (Hazrat Abbas, Agha Baqar, Khamman Pir and Dewa Sharif) in an attempt to demonstrate the relationship between the shrine and its souvenirs and to focus on shared uses and modes of circulation of these images.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 01: Framed images of Waris Ali Shah and his tomb, at Paradise Studio, Barabanki<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 01<\/a><\/span>The experience of going to a shrine, a building in which a saint’s body or relics are entombed, or an imambara<\/em>, a building in which to commemorate the events of the battle of Karbala (680 AD), is to a large extent visual. To look at the grave of a saint or objects of mourning is as much a part of the encounter as is touching a tomb or being in the proximity of the figure’s remains or symbolic objects. The visual component of the experience is reinforced upon entering and departing the pilgrimage site, when one passes by small stalls, packed with the mechanical reproductions of devotional symbols. Devotees come to look at the shrines and also bring home souvenirs, which serve as visual reminders of their visits.
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\r\nWhile these modes of remembering are not consistent across Shi’i and Sufi images, commemoration finds expression in several common visual formats. These include the pendant and chain, votive hangings, book\/CD covers, framed illustrations, postcards and stickers. These objects, fixed permanently in the shrines and sold in personal formats, connect the worshiper and the worshiped in both practices: images can be worn close to the body on pendants, can be fixed to the interior of an auto rickshaw or shop, or placed on a wall in the home.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

The objects travel through different contexts with the consumer as well as between closely interlinked sites of reproduction, wholesale and retail. For instance, Paradise Studio, located off a street on the way to Dewa Sharif, is one of the photo shops where images are edited, reproduced and sold to retailers located nearby. The proximity of Paradise Studio to the shrine allows retailers immediate access to merchandise with which to stock their shops. The ‘original’ photographs even at this site of production are copies of an earlier image. These black and white copies serve as a generic template on which different locations, scenes, and embellishments are added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

The Devotional Images of Dewa Sharif<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n

The vendors who line the path to the Dewa Sharif shrine in Barabanki sell a variety of small-scale commodities, many of which feature images of Waris Ali Shah, a saint who lived from 1809 to 1905, making his home in Dewa, Uttar Pradesh. Items sold in the Dewa market include a variety of CDs with content ranging from qawwali<\/em> dedicated to Waris Pak (as he is popularly known) to morality\/didactic dramas; pendants and tavizat<\/em> (talisman); religious books and pamphlets; and, most commonly, images of Waris Ali Shah and his tomb [Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 02: Video seller, Dewa Market. Ma ka Dil drama on video.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 02<\/a> and Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 03: Pendants, Deva Sharif market.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 03<\/a>].<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 02: Video seller, Dewa Market. Ma ka Dil drama on video.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 02<\/a><\/span>          Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 03: Pendants, Deva Sharif market.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 03<\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 04: Shabih Mubarak Hazrat Hafiz Haji Waris Ali Shah Sahib. Dewa Sharif, Zila Bara Banki (The appearance of Waris Ali Shah, Dewa, Barabanki).<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 04<\/a><\/span>In the display of these images in the market, equal space is given both to the saint and his tomb, suggesting the symbolic importance of both. In pictures in which they are featured together, the tomb is shown as a companion to the images of the saint. It tends to stand above his head, and is proportionally smaller. The tomb is often embellished, with flowers, clouds, or bright lights [Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 04: Shabih Mubarak Hazrat Hafiz Haji Waris Ali Shah Sahib. Dewa Sharif, Zila Bara Banki (The appearance of Waris Ali Shah, Dewa, Barabanki).<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 04<\/a>, Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 05: Waris Ali Shah (detail of larger image).<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 05<\/a>, Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 06: Waris Ali Shah (detail)<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 06<\/a> and Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 07: Waris Ali Shah – "original" photo from Paradise Studios, Bara Banki.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 07<\/a>]. In Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 05: Waris Ali Shah (detail of larger image).<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 05<\/a>, Waris Ali Shah reclines in front of the columns of what is now the imambara<\/em> of the mausoleum. Photo duplication companies take the opportunity to iconize the images, to make them more patterned, graphic, and ornamented than they appear in everyday life.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

     Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 05: Waris Ali Shah (detail of larger image).<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 05<\/a><\/span>     Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 06: Waris Ali Shah (detail)<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 06<\/a><\/span>     Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 07: Waris Ali Shah – "original" photo from Paradise Studios, Bara Banki.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 07<\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Waris Ali Shah’s photographs were in circulation long before his death in 1908. According to some accounts, the experience of seeing Waris Ali Shah’s eyes in photographs sometimes led to devotion in viewers and an intense desire to meet the saint in person (Liebeskind 1998, 203). In the proliferation of images of Waris Ali Shah, one notices the image being pared down to a few key elements as for example, his yellow robe, and a couple of familiar postures. Through the process of replication, these images become standardized, as have the stories about Waris Ali Shah’s miraculous life.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 08: Waris Ali Shah and Tomb (detail)<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 08<\/a><\/span>    Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 09: Image of Waris Ali Shah sitting on a checkerboard floor. Shahada inscription on top is in the distinctive style of Brijbasi Publishers.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 09<\/a><\/span>    Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 10: Laminated wallet-size photo of Deva Sharif.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 10<\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Comparing the photographs of Waris Ali Shah to the illustrations (some of which are edited and enhanced versions of the photos), we see this standardization process clearly. Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 04: Shabih Mubarak Hazrat Hafiz Haji Waris Ali Shah Sahib. Dewa Sharif, Zila Bara Banki (The appearance of Waris Ali Shah, Dewa, Barabanki).<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 04<\/a> and Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 07: Waris Ali Shah – "original" photo from Paradise Studios, Bara Banki.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 07<\/a> are black and white master-images from which the others originate. Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 04: Shabih Mubarak Hazrat Hafiz Haji Waris Ali Shah Sahib. Dewa Sharif, Zila Bara Banki (The appearance of Waris Ali Shah, Dewa, Barabanki).<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 04<\/a>, a postcard, probably dates from before the time of Waris Ali Shah’s death. Waris Ali Shah lies on a kambal<\/em> (blanket) wearing his yellow ihram<\/em> (pilgrimage robe). According to biographers of Waris Ali Shah, he wore yellow because it was a color favored by the Prophet, because Jesus wore this color, and because it was earth-toned, symbolizing the disintegration of the human being into dust (Liebeskind 1998, 185). In Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 08: Waris Ali Shah and Tomb (detail)<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 08<\/a>, Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 09: Image of Waris Ali Shah sitting on a checkerboard floor. Shahada inscription on top is in the distinctive style of Brijbasi Publishers.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 09<\/a>, Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 10: Laminated wallet-size photo of Deva Sharif.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 10<\/a>, Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 12: Shrine of Dewa Sharif: glitter and glue on velvet.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 12<\/a> and Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 13: Dastan-e-Waris Pak – the life story of Waris Pak in Qawwali.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 13<\/a> the tomb appears in familiar formations along with the saint’s image.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

               Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 11: Ya Waris pendant.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 11<\/a><\/span>     Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 12: Shrine of Dewa Sharif: glitter and glue on velvet.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 12<\/a><\/span>     Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 13: Dastan-e-Waris Pak – the life story of Waris Pak in Qawwali.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 13<\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Waris Ali Shah and Other Saints<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 14: Waris Ali Shah, Astana Dada Miyan, Barabanki.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 14<\/a><\/span>At Astana Dada Miyan, a replica shrine a kilometer from Dewa Sharif, a large portrait of Waris Ali Shah and Syed Ibrahim Shah (his sister’s grandson, known popularly as Dada Miyan) was placed on the grave [Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 14: Waris Ali Shah, Astana Dada Miyan, Barabanki.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 14<\/a>]. This was the only shrine that displayed an image of Waris Ali Shah inside the mausoleum where visitors could place offerings to the portrait. The portrait may have lent credibility to Dada Miyan’s succession claim.
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\r\nWaris Ali Shah declared before his death, "Waris ka koi waris nahin"<\/em>, that no one could be his successor (Narayan 1996). Despite this statement, a dispute did ensue after his death in which Dada Miyan was claimed as the legitimate successor. In addition to the portrait’s place at the Dada Miyan shrine, Waris Ali Shah is frequently depicted with other Sufi saints in images. In Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 15: Waris Shah and companions.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 15<\/a> and Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 16: Detail from a framed image of Waris Shah and companions, Deva Sharif, Barabanki.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 16<\/a>, for instance, Waris Ali Shah is featured with Rahim Shah of Gangwara Gaddi, Hazrat Faizu Shah, and Baba Saughat Shah.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Images such as these, like the smaller, more personalized images of Waris Ali Shah and the Dewa shrine, possess the ability to relocate the spiritual power of the shrine into new spaces. Waris Ali Shah lived in the era of photography, but his images tend not circulate in photographic form, but in forms that are more colorful and embellished. In addition to the framed images, the wall hangings and pendants are designed to fit easily into devotee’s daily lives: to hang in a shop or on the body.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 15: Waris Shah and companions.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 15<\/a><\/span>          Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 16: Detail from a framed image of Waris Shah and companions, Deva Sharif, Barabanki.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 16<\/a><\/span>          Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 17: Pamphlet cover: Ya Waris, Jeevan Daata Waris Pak<\/em>, Publisher Ananya Prakashan, Barabanki.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 17<\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 18: Map of the battlefield at Karbala, installed at the Hazrat Abbas shrine.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 18<\/a><\/span>Shi’i Devotional Images – Remembering Karbala in Greater Lucknow<\/strong>
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\r\nThe types of materials available for purchase in Hazrat Abbas, Agha Baqar, and other Shi’i sites in Lucknow (images of Husain’s steed Zuljanah, the replicas of Imam Husain’s tomb (tazia<\/em>), copies of the alams<\/em> (battle standards) carried at Karbala, as well as maps and images of the battlefield at Karbala) are also those that also rest permanently in the places.  Both iconic images from the battle of Karbala, as well as replicas of the objects associated with each shrine were sold and circulated across different sites.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

At the Thursday market at Hazrat Abbas shrine in Rustam Nagar, Lucknow, people browse vendors’ wares as they enter and exit the shrine. Thursday night is considered the holiest night to visit a shrine to offer prayers. More retailers set up there shops on this day while during the week only a few of them had their stalls open [Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 19: Alams and books being sold at the shrine of Hazrat Abbas, Rustam Nagar.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 19<\/a>].<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 19: Alams and books being sold at the shrine of Hazrat Abbas, Rustam Nagar.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 19<\/a><\/span>Many of the objects in the shrine and the objects for sale in the market are meant to remind the visitor both of the tragedy of Karbala --- a battle in which Imam Husain and his companions were martyred while fighting the forces of Ummayad caliph, Yazid --- as well as the visit to the shrine and the dua<\/em>\/prayer that he or she made. At the Hazrat Abbas market, there are several formats and sizes of taziye<\/em>, ranging from wood and painted wood to colored paper and tinsel. In South Asia, tazia<\/em> is a representation of Imam Husain’s mausoleum in Karbala, present-day Iraq. Taziye <\/em>in South Asia do not always resemble the shape and look of the tomb in Karbala; the emphasis is instead on the devotion of the tazia<\/em>’s creator and worshippers rather than any skill in replication (Chelkowski 2005, 156).<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 20: Paper, wood and metal taziye sold outside the shrine Hazrat Abbas.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 20<\/a><\/span>          Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 21: Shopkeeper selling wooden taziye.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 21<\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

In the greater Lucknow shrines, taziye<\/em> are found in processions, buried in karbalas (burial grounds), kept year-round in shrines, or sold in markets. Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 22: Painted wooden tazia, Astana Dada Miyan, Barabanki.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 22<\/a> is an ornate wooden folding tazia<\/em>, kept in the shrine just outside the tomb of Syed Ibrahim Shah, Barabanki. Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 23: Tazia, Shrine of Fatima Zahra, Rustam Nagar, Lucknow.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 23<\/a> is a tazia<\/em> housed in the shrine of Fatima in Rustam Nagar, Lucknow. This tazia<\/em>was built with decorated carrying poles for lifting during processions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 22: Painted wooden tazia, Astana Dada Miyan, Barabanki.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 22<\/a><\/span>          Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 23: Tazia, Shrine of Fatima Zahra, Rustam Nagar, Lucknow.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 23<\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Processions with taziye<\/em> are held during the month of Muharram, culminating in either the burial of the tazia<\/em>, its immersion in water or its return to imambaras.1<\/sup> Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 24: Muharram procession, Nishatganj, Lucknow.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 24<\/a> and Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 25: Muharram procession, Nishatganj, Lucknow.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 25<\/a> show a procession during Muharram in Nishatganj, Lucknow, which, according to some city residents, was a Sunni procession.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 24: Muharram procession, Nishatganj, Lucknow.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 24<\/a><\/span>          Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 25: Muharram procession, Nishatganj, Lucknow.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 25<\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Zuljanah<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 26: Horse outside Hazrat Abbas, Rustam Nagar.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 26<\/a><\/span>Zuljanah was the last creature that saw Imam Husain alive and was with him when he was killed in the battlefield (Pinault 2001). Images of Imam Husain’s horse are sold outside as well displayed inside imambaras<\/em>. On Thursday nights at Hazrat Abbas, along with horse figurines, calendars, stickers, books and dua<\/em> cards, a live horse garbed in green cloth was also brought outside the shrine. On Ashura, the tenth day of Muharram, at the Chota Imambara, a large framed poster of Zuljanah (along with other images) decorated the building’s façade.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Zuljanah's images range from stylized ones to realistic renditions of the scenes from Karbala. In Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 27: Zuljanah with Panjatan sticker, at the shrine of Hazrat Abbas, Rustam Nagar.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 27<\/a>, Zuljanah is depicted in a sticker with the fateh ka panja<\/em> (hand symbolizing Mohammad, Ali, Hasan, Husain and Fatima) in his saddle, against the backdrop of a garden, flowers and the river Euphrates. Below a prayer reads:<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Ya Ali, Mushkil kusha muskil kushai kijiye <\/em>
\r\n(Ali, the knot-opener of difficulties, open the knots)<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Hun asir-e ranj-o-gham mujh ko rihaii dijiye<\/em>
\r\n(I am a prisoner of grief and sorrow. Free me.)<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 27: Zuljanah with Panjatan sticker, at the shrine of Hazrat Abbas, Rustam Nagar.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 27<\/a><\/span>The names of the Prophet’s family members appear on Zuljanah’s ornate saddle. In Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 28: Ya Hussain,<\/em> Zuljanah sticker, Hazrat Abbas, Rustam Nagar.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 28<\/a>, the second sticker, he stands against the battlefield of Karbala with the river Euphrates full of blood. He is wounded and bleeding from the arrows that pierce his body. On the upper right corner, words from a hadis<\/em> (sayings and doings of the Prophet Muhammad) are inscribed:
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\r\nHusaini minni wa ana min al Husain<\/em>
\r\n(Husain is from me and I am from Husain)
\r\n
\r\nHusain mujhse hain aur main Husain se<\/em> 
\r\n(Husain is from me and I am from Husain)2<\/sup><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 28: Ya Hussain,<\/em> Zuljanah sticker, Hazrat Abbas, Rustam Nagar.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 28<\/a><\/span>In both images, Zuljanah is the messenger of Imam Husain’s death; one is a reminder of it long after it occurred and the other attempts to capture the moment and details of the event as they had unfolded.  In another map of Karbala, Zuljanah appears alongside all of the other objects and symbols associated with the battle, marking different chronological events. The martyrs are labeled as roses and Mecca and Medina are shown in a circle over the field. Although viewers may already be familiar with the symbols associated with different characters of Karbala, each of the objects, for instance Abbas’ water flask or Husain’s horse, is labeled and identified in the map. Observers may point to and identify distinct events of Karbala shown simultaneously in the image [Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 29: Zuljanah Hazrat Imam Husain Alam-e-Islam, Agha Bakr Imambara, Lucknow.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 29<\/a>].<\/p>\r\n\r\n

On the cover of a book, Zuljanah<\/em>, Syed Zameer Akhtar Naqvi covers the history and importance of the horse in the battle of Karbala. The image shows a horse pierced with arrows running through a red, rippling desert [Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 30: Majlis VCD Cover.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 30<\/a>]. Here, as in the image from Agha Baqar [Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 31: Poster showing the Karbala battleground with the river Euphrates at the right side. Hazrat Abbas, Rustam Nagar.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 31<\/a>], also replicated on a majlis<\/em> (mourning ritual) CD cover [Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 32: Zuljanah<\/em>, the cover of an Urdu book Author: Syed Zameer Akhtar Naqvi; Published by Nizami Press Book Depot, Victoria Street, Lucknow.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 32<\/a>], the saddle is not embellished and the horse’s features are naturalistic.  In this image, Zuljanah has arrived at the women’s tents with the news of Imam Husain’s death. The women stand around the horse lamenting the martyrs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 29: Zuljanah Hazrat Imam Husain Alam-e-Islam, Agha Bakr Imambara, Lucknow.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 29<\/a><\/span>    Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 30: Majlis VCD Cover.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 30<\/a><\/span>    Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 31: Poster showing the Karbala battleground with the river Euphrates at the right side. Hazrat Abbas, Rustam Nagar.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 31<\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 32: Zuljanah<\/em>, the cover of an Urdu book Author: Syed Zameer Akhtar Naqvi; Published by Nizami Press Book Depot, Victoria Street, Lucknow.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 32<\/a><\/span>    Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 33: Ya Abbas and Zuljanah, a decorated flag or cloth insignia. Purchased at Hazrat Abbas, Rustam Nagar.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 33<\/a><\/span>    Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 34: Ya Abbas alam, a decorated flag or cloth insignia at the shrine of Hazrat Abbas, Rustam Nagar.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 34<\/a><\/span>    Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 35: Ya Hussain<\/em>, Qawwali VCD Cover Artist: Sharif Parwaz, T-Series.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 35<\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

1 Chelkowski has argued that practice of immersing the tazia<\/em> in water is linked to the practice of carrying Durga in procession to be immersed in water (161).<\/p>\r\n\r\n

2 Thank you to Syed Akbar Hyder for identification of the Hadis and assistance translating the sticker inscriptions.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Objects and Images of Karbala martyrs<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Members of Imam Husain’s family are personified in various objects resonant of particular incidents in the battle of Karbala. For instance, the jhula<\/em> (cradle) of Imam Husain’s six-month old son, Ali Asghar, is replicated across imambaras<\/em>. Majalis<\/em> held at imambaras <\/em>retell the narrative of Husain’s attempt to bring water for his thirsty son and his death after being shot by an arrow. In Agha Baqar and Shah Najaf, these decorated wooden cradles were displayed alongside taziye<\/em>. Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 36: Cradle of Ali Asghar, Shah Najaf Imambara, Hazratganj.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 36<\/a> shows an infant’s blood stained shirt hanging over bedding, all covered with black fabric. On the left hand side, the battle standard is also attached. Sometimes small wooden blocks are placed inside the cradle along with letters and duas <\/em>written in them.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 36: Cradle of Ali Asghar, Shah Najaf Imambara, Hazratganj.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 36<\/a><\/span>        Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 37: Cradle of Ali Asghar, Agha Baqar Imambara, Victoria Street.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 37<\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Similarly, Hazrat Abbas is associated with a water flask (often displayed in front of imambaras<\/em>), which he attempted to bring for Husain’s daughter Sakina. In printed images, the book covers of marsiyas<\/em>\/elegies in Hindi and Urdu show blood dripping from their titles and again, objects associated with key persons: zulfiqar<\/em>, the sword of Ali, a shield and arrows [Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 38: Shaheed-e-Karbala, Fikr-o-Amal<\/em>, cover of an Urdu book, Author: Hazrat Maula Mufti Muhammad Shafi Sahib. Khursheed Book Depot, Aminabad,<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 38<\/a> and Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 39: Dastan-e-Karbala<\/em>, cover of a Hindi book, Published by Abuzar Book Depot, Ambedkar Nagar, Lucknow.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 39<\/a>]. These objects are unlike portraits that might try to capture the facial features and expressions of spiritual figures. Yet, they remain immediately perceptible to the viewer, reminding them of the particularities of Husain’s family members and their specific roles and sacrifices in the battle. The narratives of Karbala circulate through these objects by constantly referring back to pre-existing signs and symbols, keeping alive the event’s memory and ritual importance in the present.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 38: Shaheed-e-Karbala, Fikr-o-Amal<\/em>, cover of an Urdu book, Author: Hazrat Maula Mufti Muhammad Shafi Sahib. Khursheed Book Depot, Aminabad,<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 38<\/a><\/span>        Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Fig. 39: Dastan-e-Karbala<\/em>, cover of a Hindi book, Published by Abuzar Book Depot, Ambedkar Nagar, Lucknow.<\/p><\/h2>\">Fig. 39<\/a><\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n

The wide use and circulation of objects and images in Islam has been recently emphasized in studies of material culture (Frembgen 2006; Saeed 2007). Despite changing formats of souvenirs, items bought outside Sufi shrines and imambaras<\/em> in greater Lucknow have played a central role in everyday rituals since the constitution of a distinct religious milieu in the eighteenth century (Cole 1998). Lucknow’s past may provide one explanation for the similarity in practices and visual formats of these shrines. Networks of royal patronage integrated Sunnis and Hindus and other diverse constituents and at the same time borrowed, recreated narratives of the battle at Karbala linking local shrines to those in Iraq and Iran. <\/p>\r\n\r\n

Access to and ownership of these images, regardless of whether they adhere to conservative versions of Islam, allows visitors and devotees to venerate and commemorate particular figures and stories while incorporating multiple local traditions. Images and souvenirs serve as reminders of the pilgrimage’s experience, the visit to sites and to specific festivals. Images of dargahs<\/em> (mausoleum) and saints are repeated in a variety of formats and the depictions of Karbala’s historical figures resurface in variety of local contexts.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

We wish to thank Saleem and Sufia Kidwai in Lucknow, Syed Akbar Hyder in Austin, and Eric Lewis Beverley in New York.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Works Cited<\/strong><\/p>\r\n\r\n

Chelkowski, Peter J. "From the Sun-Scorched Desert of Iran to the Beaches of Trinidad." The Drama Review<\/em> 49.4 (Winter 2005): 156-69.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Cole, Juan Ricardo. Roots of North Indian Shi'ism in Iran and Iraq: Religion and State in Awadh, 1722-1859<\/em>. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1988.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Frembgen, Jurgen Wasim. The Friends of God: Sufi Saints in Islam, Popular Poster Art from Pakistan.<\/em> Karachi: Oxford University Press, 2006.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Hyder, Syed Akbar. Reliving Karbala: Martyrdom in South Asian Memory<\/em>. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Liebeskind, Claudia. Piety on Its Knees: Three Sufi Traditions in South Asia in Modern Times<\/em>. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Narayan, BK. Saint Shah Waris Ali and Sai Baba<\/em>. Delhi: Sangam Books Ltd, 1996.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Pinault, David. Horse of Karbala: Muslim Devotional Life in India<\/em>. New York: Palgrave, 2001.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Pinney, Christopher. 'Photos of the Gods': The Printed Image and Political Struggle in India<\/em>. London: Reaktion Books, 2004.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Saeed, Yousuf. "Mecca Versus the Local Shrine: The Dilemma of Orientation in the Popular Religious Art of Indian Muslims."  India's Popular Culture: Iconic Spaces and Fluid Images.<\/em> Ed. Jyotindra Jain. vols. Mumbai: Marg Publications, 2007.<\/p>\r\n\r\n

Schubel, Vernon James. Religious Performance in Contemporary Islam: Shi'i Devotional Rituals in South Asia.<\/em> Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 1993.<\/p>","pageBackColor":"#666699","topLineTextColor":"#ffffff","title":"

Outside the Imambara:<\/p>\r\n\r\n

The Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/p>","subTitle":"","footNotes":"

1 Chelkowski has argued that practice of immersing the tazia<\/em> in water is linked to the practice of carrying Durga in procession to be immersed in water (161).<\/p>\r\n\r\n

2 Thank you to Syed Akbar Hyder for identification of the Hadis and assistance translating the sticker inscriptions.<\/p>","authorUrl":"subah-dayal-and-suzanne-schulz","visitgallery":"Outside the Imambara:\r\n\r\nThe Circulation of Devotional Images in Greater Lucknow<\/h4>Subah Dayal and Suzanne Schulz<\/span>

Visit the Gallery: Dastan-e-Karbala<\/em>, cover of a Hindi book, Published by Abuzar Book Depot, Ambedkar Nagar, Lucknow.<\/p><\/h2>\">Visit the Gallery<\/a>","unsubscriber":1}