Matam ritual at Kashmiri Gate on Ashura
A Shia Muslim performs matam — the ritual of chest-beating — during the Ashura procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026, the 10th day of Muharram. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
A Shia Muslim performs matam — the ritual of chest-beating — during the Ashura procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026, the 10th day of Muharram. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Shia Muslims carry an Alam — a sacred standard symbolising Imam Husayn's banner at Karbala — during the Muharram procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Shia Muslims perform Azadari — communal mourning rites — during the Muharram procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026, commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Husayn at Karbala. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Shia Muslims express collective sorrow and mourning during the Ashura procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026 — the holiest day of grief in the Shia Islamic calendar. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Shia Muslim toddlers dressed in black attire — the colour of mourning in Shia tradition — join the Ashura procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026, reflecting the community's intergenerational observance. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Hands carry bladed chains — a traditional implement used in some Shia mourning rites — during the Muharram procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026, the day of Ashura. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
A Zuljanah (also known as Dhul-Janah) — the riderless horse symbolising Imam Husayn's steed at Karbala — features in the Ashura procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Shia Muslims converge near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, for the annual Ashura procession on 26 June 2026, the 10th day of Muharram, to collectively grieve the martyrdom of Imam Husayn. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
A Shia Muslim expresses deep sorrow during the Ashura procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026 — Ashura being the most solemn day of mourning in the Shia calendar. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
A young Shia Muslim girl dressed in black — the traditional colour of Ashura mourning — participates in the Muharram procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Dressed in black, a Shia Muslim girl visibly expresses grief during the Ashura procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026, reflecting the depth of mourning for Imam Husayn. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
A Shia Muslim performs matam — rhythmic chest-beating as an act of lamentation — during the Muharram procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026, the day of Ashura. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
A Shia devotee engages in matam — the act of striking the chest in grief — as part of the Ashura observance near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026, honouring Imam Husayn's sacrifice. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Shia Muslims perform matam in unison — a collective act of chest-beating — during the Ashura procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026, the 10th of Muharram. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Shia Muslims jointly perform matam during the Muharram procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026 — a tradition observed across Shia communities worldwide on Ashura. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
A Shia Muslim gives expression to profound lamentation during the Ashura procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026, as communities mark the 10th of Muharram. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
A Shia Muslim mourner near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, conveys heartfelt grief on Ashura, 26 June 2026 — the day that marks the 7th-century martyrdom of Imam Husayn ibn Ali at Karbala. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
A Shia woman participates in the Muharram procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026, as the community observes Ashura — the 10th day of the Islamic month of Muharram. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Shia Muslims carry a tazia (also spelt taziya) — a miniature replica of the mausoleum of Imam Husayn at Karbala — during the Ashura procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Shia Muslims carry the Alam — a ceremonial standard representing the flag of Imam Husayn's army at Karbala — through the streets near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Shia Muslims move through the streets near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, in the annual Muharram procession on 26 June 2026, the day of Ashura — one of the largest religious gatherings of the Shia community in the capital. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Children carry bladed chains as part of traditional mourning rites during the Ashura procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026, the 10th day of Muharram. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Shia Muslims perform Azadari — a Persian-origin term for lamentation and mourning rites — near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026, as the Ashura procession makes its way through the capital. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
The Azadari tradition — encompassing recitation, lamentation and communal grief — is observed by Shia Muslims near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, during the Muharram procession on 26 June 2026. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Shia Muslims fill the streets near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, with Azadari — solemn mourning rites for Imam Husayn — on 26 June 2026, as the Muharram procession draws large numbers from the community. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Shia Muslims perform matam — the ritual of chest-beating as an expression of grief — during the Muharram procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026, marking Ashura. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
The matam ritual — rhythmic chest-beating as a mark of sorrow for Imam Husayn — is observed by Shia Muslims at the Ashura procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
A Shia Muslim holds an Alam — the sacred standard of Imam Husayn — aloft during the Ashura procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026, in a gesture of devotion and remembrance. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Shia Muslims observe the Zuljanah (or Dhul-Janah) tradition — honouring the horse of Imam Husayn at Karbala — during the Muharram procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
A Shia Muslim performs matam in a solitary moment of devotion during the Ashura procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026, the 10th day of Muharram. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
A Shia woman takes part in the Muharram procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026, as the community marks Ashura — the 10th day of Muharram and the most solemn occasion in the Shia calendar. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
A Shia woman joins the Ashura procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026, as Shia Muslim women across the capital observe the 10th of Muharram with prayer and communal mourning. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
A Shia woman is seen participating in the Muharram procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026, one of many women who joined the Ashura gathering to mourn Imam Husayn. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Shia Muslims raise Alam banners high during the Muharram procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026, the sacred standards serving as a focal point of the Ashura observance. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Shia Muslims perform matam near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026 — the sound of chest-beating echoing through the streets as the community commemorates Ashura, the 10th of Muharram. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)
Shia Muslims conclude the Ashura procession near Kashmiri Gate, New Delhi, on 26 June 2026 with matam — the ancient ritual of chest-beating that marks the culmination of Muharram mourning. (Photo: NationPress/Deepak Kumar)