Shias and Bohras gear up for Karbala on December 3

A large number of people from the Shia and Bohra community from Mumbai and other parts of the country are getting ready to travel to Iraq for the commemoration of Chehlum or fortieth day after the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Holy Prophet. According to travel agents, the number travellers to Iraq for December 3 is almost equivalent to the number of people going for the annual Haj pilgrimage.

Every year, millions of devotees from all over the world visit Karbala in Iraq on the occasion of the fortieth day after the martyrdom of Hussain and return after paying homage at the mausoleum of Hussain and his family members. While this ritual has been going on since 680 AD, the year when the tragedy of Karbala took place, it has gained prominence in recent decades moreso after the fall of former dictator Saddam Hussain, the 88-km walk from Najaf to Karbala has become the highlight of the commemoration of Chehlum. Last year, according to figures provided by the Iraqi government about 22 million devotees visited Karbala from all over the world.

Speaking about the increase in the number of people visiting Karbala on Chehlum, Zaheer Lakhani of Az Zaman Tours said that the number of people going for Chehlum has been on the rise every year for various reasons the most important being affordability and economy. “The rewards for undertaking the walk from Najaf to Karbala has been equated to the rewards one gets for doing Haj. As the cost of Haj is almost five times that of this trip, people prefer to go to Karbala,” he said, adding that the trip to Karbala was in no way an alternative for Haj.

Though unconfirmed, figures of devotees traveling to Karbala from India last year was in the range of 12,000-15,000. Tour organisers said the numbers could be higher as many people board flights to Iraq close to Chehlum and get visa on arrival at Najaf airport. Last year, the Iraqi government had made entry free and devotees reaching Iraq a week before Chehlum were exempted from getting visa.

Abbas Lokhandwala, another tour organiser, said that while cost of accommodation in Karbala had gone up by almost 25 per cent over last year, people were bearing the cost with a smile. “The 10-12 day visit to Iraq by flight can cost anywhere between Rs 55,000 to Rs 90,000. The costs vary depending on the location of the hotel in Karbala. Hotels close to the mausoleum of Imam Hussain charge $40-60 per day per person while those away charge $30-40 per person per day. The other alternative is through Iran which also falls in the same price range but with an addition of visit to Mashhad and Qom in Iran,” said Mr Lokhandwala.

Mohammad Ali Nasser, spokesperson for Al-Shaya Travels which arranges for visa to Iraq, said that while they had already processed around 3,000 visas for devotees from western India for Chehlum, the number is expected to rise as the date nears. “Last year we had processed around 4,000 visas, this year the number is expected to go higher,” said Mr Nasser.