Page:The Lucknow album 1874 by Darogha Ubbas Alli.djvu/68

 At some distance along the same road is the — 

This is the place the Mohumedans, of the Shea sect, bury their tazzias, at the Mohurrum festival. The tazzias are models of the tombs of Mohumed's grandsons at Mecca, the saints, warriors and heroes ; they are lightly constructed of bamboo, paper tinsel, talc, &c. The Mohumedans are celebrated for hero-worship, and on this festival everything is done, whether fighting, fasting, feasting or thumping their breasts, in honour of the two brothers Hussan and Hussain, sacred in Mohumedan history, hence the place where the tazzias are buried is sacred also. On the occasion of these interments, thousands of people make it a holiday, forming pic-nic parties along the roads where the tazzias have to pass and the crowds of sight-seers are immense. To the general tourist, in all probability, these thousands of tinsel processions, continuing from morning till night, would be something more than mere curiosities ; on festival days then, the Kurbulla Tal Katora is worth visiting ; there may not be anything particular to attract visitors at any other time. The history of these festivals and of the persons whose names are repeated, would be too lengthy to insert in this volume. The Guide is therefore respectfully brought to a close with the remark, that although every place of note may not have been inserted, I think if the traveller visits all that are described, both pictorially, and literally, he will be well satisfied with what he has seen and what he possesses, in writing and delineation, regarding the City of Lucknow and its architectural beauties and wonders.