Neither time nor tyranny can silence

Muharram and the Legacy of Channu Lal Dilgeer's Marsiyas. A forgotten poet of the Ganga-Jamuni culture — this Hindu poet transcended religion to immortalize the tragedy of Imam Hussain.

By Hasnain Naqvi

Ghabraayegi Zainab: The Hindu poet who became the voice of Karbala’s pain.

Chhannu Lal ‘Dilgeer’ of Lucknow — a forgotten poet of the Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb — transcended religion to immortalize the tragedy of Imam Hussain through Marsiyas and Nohas that are still recited across the world.



In the heart of Lucknow, among the crumbling facades of a once-glorious Awadh, lies an obscure but revered grave known as the ‘Terhi Qabr’ — the tilted grave. Devotees from all faiths visit it, unaware of the poet resting beneath: Munshi Chhannu Lal Dilgeer (1780–1848), a Hindu by birth and a devotee of Imam Hussain by conviction. Known as Dilgeer (also spelled Dilgir), he stands as a luminous symbol of Ganga-Jamuni culture — the unique, syncretic and secular culture of North India in the Hindi heartland that saw poets and saints transcend religious and caste/identity boundaries to find shared spiritual idioms.



Dilgeer, also referred to as Jhunnu or Chunnu Lal in various historical accounts, was the brother of Raja Jhau Lal, the deputy prime minister under Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula. Influenced by his brother’s deep reverence for the martyrs of Karbala — which led Jhau Lal to build an Imambara in Thakurganj — Dilgeer immersed himself in the lore of Ahle-Bait, the Prophet’s family. Captivated by their sacrifice, he is believed to have embraced Islam and taken the name Ghulam Hussain, though he remained rooted in the pluralistic ethos of his upbringing.

From Ghazals to Grief: A Poetic Transformation

Dilgeer began his literary journey with romantic poetry, composing ghazals under the pen name Tarab. However, once touched by the tragedy of Karbala, he renounced romantic themes, destroyed his earlier works by consigning them to the waters of Moti Jheel, and dedicated himself exclusively to composing marsiyas (elegies) and nohas (lamentations) in honor of Imam Hussain and his companions.

A disciple of both Mirza Khani Nawazish, and later, the legendary Nasikh, Dilgeer was also praised by the poet Mushafi. He did not recite his marsiyas due to a speech defect, yet his verses were widely recited during majlises (mourning gatherings), particularly under the reign of King Muhammad Ali Shah. He was honored by Nawab Mohammad Ali Shah with 400 rupees for a masnavi praising the construction of Husainabad.

Among Dilgeer’s many compositions, one has echoed across centuries and continents, recited at every ‘Shaam-e-Ghareeban’ — the sorrowful night following the martyrdom of Imam Hussain on the 10th of Muharram. Titled Ghabraaye Gi Zainab, this noha is not merely a poem — it is a cry, a dirge of despair and dignity, narrated from the perspective of Zainab, sister of Imam Hussain, as she returns home from Karbala with her family slain and her honour violated.

With poetic tenderness and aching clarity, the verses humanize her anguish:



Ghabraaye gi Zainab, bhaiyya tumhe ghar ja ke kahaan paayegi Zainab…


(Zainab will be agitated, fearful and lost. O brother, where will she find you when she gets home?)



Each stanza is an emotional avalanche:


• The desolation of her once-bustling home now emptied by death: Kaisa ye bhara ghar hua barbaad ilaahi, kya aai tabaahi…


• The absence of loved ones: Ghar ja ke kise dekhegi Qaasim hain na Abbas…”


• The physical pain etched on her bruised arms by ropes: Kis kis ko nishaan rassi ke dikhlaye gi Zainab…


• And the existential grief of survival: Beparda hui qaid bhi khwaahar ne uthaai, aur maut na aai…



• This noha — composed by a Hindu poet — remains one of the most powerful depictions of feminine resilience in Islamic literature.

Karbala, Marsiya, and the Spirit of Awadh

To understand Dilgeer’s significance is to understand the role of marsiya in shaping the cultural landscape of Lucknow and the subcontinent. While elegy existed in Arabic and Persian forms, it was in Awadh that it flourished into a sophisticated literary art form — particularly in musaddas (six-line stanza) format.


Poets like Mir Zamir laid the foundation, introducing vivid imagery and martial themes, while Mir Anis and Mirza Dabeer perfected it. Dilgeer, along with poets like Mir Khaliq and Fasih, belonged to the vital pre-Anis generation that elevated marsiya from religious lament to literary expression.


Dilgeer’s ability to combine pathos with precision made his works compelling. His famed verse:


Akbar hai na Qasim hai na Abbas-e Dilawar, yeh meri rihaee toh hai ab qaid se badtar…

(This release is worse than imprisonment without Akbar, Qasim, and Abbas).


This is a chilling reminder of the grief that transcends liberation — the hollow victory of surviving alone.

A Legacy Unclaimed

Though celebrated in his time, Dilgeer’s legacy has faded into near-obscurity. His grave near Chidiya Bazaar in Nakhas, still known as Terhi Qabr, is visited by devotees unaware of the man they venerate. They know him as a ‘Shaheed Mard’ — a martyr without martyrdom — blessed, they believe, by divine powers to fulfill worldly wishes.


No society, literary forum, or religious organization has yet installed a plaque or held a seminar in his memory. Even in Lucknow, a city globally associated with Azadari (mourning rituals), the poet who left his religion to devote himself to Karbala has been forgotten — ironically, by those he honoured the most.

A Call for Commemoration

As the world mourns the martyrdom of Imam Hussain, it is time to remember Chhannu Lal Dilgeer: a poet who forsook fame, fortune and faith for the message of Karbala. His poetry was not just devotional — it was a declaration of shared humanity, enlightenment and love. Like Ras Khan who wrote bhajans for Krishna, Dilgeer showed that spiritual beauty transcends identity.


Let there be a mehfil, or a memorial, this Muharram in his name. Let there be a plaque on the Terhi Qabr bearing his name and verses. Let his words, once more, echo in majlises — not just as elegies of the past, but as oaths of pluralism, compassion and justice.


Because in mourning, Zainab, Chhannu Lal Dilgeer mourned not as a Muslim or Hindu, but as a human — and in doing so, gave the world a sublime and profound poetry that neither time nor tyranny can silence.

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Author’s Note:


This article commemorates Chhannu Lal Dilgeer on the eve of Ashura 2025, drawing upon archival records and literary sources. His story — bridging Hindu identity and Shia devotion — is a tribute to a syncretic past urgently needed in a divided present.)


Sources for Ghabraaye Gi Zainab: The article draws on the following sources which provide historical and literary insights into Dilgeer’s life and poetry, and the cultural context of Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb in Awadh:


Trivedi, Madhu. The Making of Awadh Culture. This book refers Dilgeer’s contributions, crediting him with over 500 marsiyas, as noted in a 1877 Gazetteer article. It provides a scholarly foundation for understanding his role in Awadh’s literary landscape.


Haideri, Akbar. Shahan-E-Awadh – Haqeeqat ke Aine Mein (Rulers of Awadh in the Mirror of Reality).

This work praises Dilgeer’s poetry and his construction of an imambara during Ghazi-ud-Din Haider’s reign, offering historical context for his patronage and contributions.

Link: Limited online availability; refer to Lucknow University Tagore Library for archival access.


Archival Records and oral traditions.

Details about Dilgeer’s grave (Terhi Qabr) and residence in Kanghi Wali Gali are drawn from historian Agha Mehndi’s accounts and local traditions in Lucknow’s Nakhas area.

Link: No specific online source; based on local historical accounts and primary research.

Dilgeer’s Majmua Marasi Mirza Dilgeer is preserved at the Tagore Library, Lucknow University, providing primary source material. Munshi Nawal Kishore Press Publications.


Literary Accounts of Urdu Poetry.

References to Dilgeer’s contemporaries, such as Mirza Dabeer, Mir Anis, and Nasikh, and the evolution of marsiya as a genre are drawn from studies of Urdu literature, including contributions by Prof Masood Hasan Rizvi.

Link: General reference to Urdu literary studies; see Oxford University Press, India, for related publications on Urdu poetry.

Note: Some sources, particularly older archival materials, may not have direct hyperlinks due to limited digitization. Readers are encouraged to explore the Tagore Library or Lucknow’s historical archives for further details.

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Hasnain Naqvi is a former member of the history faculty at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai.