Mahmudabad: Part 1

My first trip to the Eastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh not only took me a few hundred kilometers away from familiar territory but also involved transporting me back a hundred years.

A quick weekend trip to Mahmudabad through Ashoka had me in for a weekend of rich food, halls that rang with a aura long-dead elsewhere, and experiencing a lifestyle that, for the most part, had died with the British.

The Qila of Mahmudabad, where we would be staying, is situated in the center of the town. The buildings and erstwhile fortifications are surrounded by a stream on one side over which runs a road. The metal gates are wide, but the bus we were in just about squeezed through. We were greeted by an open square facing an enormous doorway with two large fishes embossed on them. The symbols of Awadh. The decorations from the mid 19th century, reminiscent of the state of Awadh, make one realise instantly that everything within that imposing gateway was not what you'd expect to see in modern-day Uttar Pradesh. And indeed, as I stood on the steps of the Imambara, with the side of the main building on one side and the Zenana on the other, (Zenana not a word one hears commonly nowadays) with a large courtyard in front, the town hidden from sight, past midnight on the night before our departure, I thought back on the two days we'd spent there, and noted the air of aristocracy in the silence and the bustle, the ritualism that I'd seen earlier that day at Bilhera (and just a short while back behind where id been standing as well) or the knowledge, both long gone as well as solidly existent, in the books of the library, and the mind of the occupants of the Qila, that told you that this space was one you would be hard-pressed to find similar, elsewhere.

The Imambara and the Zenana

As soon as you enter the main Darwaza, you see a circular park-like structure with an outdated cannon in it, and a lamppost. The road goes around this little pocket and takes you to the main building - the Mukeem Manzil. Through a narrow corridor with rooms leading off it on all sides, one arrives at an open courtyard. The main Imambara of the Qila is up the stairs to one side of the courtyard, with the Zenana adjascent to it.

The Qila follows strict separation of genders: men are forbidden from entering the Zenana unless their close family reside there. The men on this trip were given mattresses in a large room inside the building on the first floor to sleep on.

The parts of the Qila that we frequented during our stay were on the first floor - The dining hall, and the rooms. The kitchen and the Raja's quarters were also situated here. The meals were mostly standard: Bread, eggs, an aloo tikki item, jam, butter and fruits for breakfast; mutton biriyani, galoti kababs, salad, roti and naan for lunch and dinner. This was what we had to eat for both days that we were there. But this is no way meant that the food became repetitive. Given a choice, (and assuming that weight gain was an imaginary concept) I could eat this food all my life.

The region of Mahmudabad is unique not just because of the living history of the Qila: it is also the fact that it is a Shi'a region. Most regions in our country that are Muslim majority are Sunni. However, Mahmudabad is unique for having a large Shi'a population and this has to do with its history, The rulers of the kingdom of Awadh were Shi'a, from Safdarjung in the mid-18th century, down to Wajid Ali Shah, who was deposed in 1856, a hundred years later, hailing from Persia. The Rajas of Mahmudabad were a vassal state, first to the Mughals, and later to the rulers of Awadh. In the dining room of the Mahmudabad 'Mukeem Manzil', the portraits of the Awadh rulers hang above the portraits of the rulers of Mahmudabad, looking down at the diners in dignified splendour.
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We met the Raja that evening at dinner. He was someone who could speak about almost anything and everything, and was happy to as well. He regaled us with stories all that evening and each second spent with him was a learning experience. The Raja occupies a large ceremonial role in the local Moharram remembrances. Muharram commemorates the martyrdom of Mohammad's grandson, Hussain, who was killed in battle at Karbala (presently in Iraq) , and it is a ritual observed every year. What makes it unique in Mahmudabad is that the pall bearers are Dalits, and Hindus regularly participate in the festivals. Religious unity has been promoted by the Rajas of Mahmudabad, even after they lost their political status, one evidence being the usage of Raja, over Nawab or Shah. The Raja told us of how in his childhood, on the night of Muharram is not a celebration, but meant to make those present feel the grief of Hassan's death every year. And this is why we were there that weekend. To witness one of the rituals of Muharram at the Qila of Bilhera.

(To Be Continued)

Fading patterns on the walls

The open courtyard on the first floor. 

To read more about Sunnism and Shi'ism, as written about by Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad: click here

Read more about the Raja of Mahmudabad and his tussle with the government over their properties here

A video of one of the Muharram ceremonies at the Qila. Click here

A small video on Muharram celebrations at Mahmudabad. Click here

Mahmudabad as seen from the road approaching it