Shi'a Muslims Mourning Before a Ta'ziya

In India, ta'ziya refers to the models of the tomb of Husayn that are a prominent feature of the Muharram rituals of that country's Shi'a population. The tenth day of Muharram (the Islamic month of mourning) is known as Ashura, and the buildings in which the ta'ziya are kept are known as ashur-khanas (Ashura houses). During Muharram processions, ta'ziyas are carried through the streets by large groups of men, their heavy weight symbolic of the weight of Husayn's sacrifice (martyred at Kerbala in AD 680). In this painting, men are gathered together, presumably in an ashur-khana, before a ta'ziya, seen at the far right.