View source for Hola Mohalla

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[[Category:India |H ]]
[[Category:Festivals |H ]]


=A backgrounder=
[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/article-share?article=17_03_2022_020_008_cap_TOI  Stuti Malhotra, March 17, 2022: ''The Times of India'']

‘Mohalla’ means mock fights between contending armies, tussles without causing physical injury to each other. And these fights are a part of Hola Mohalla, a fair that’s held every year in Anandpur Sahib, Punjab, around Holi. 
 Hola Mohalla fair has a two-centuriesoldhistory. It was initiated by the tenth Sikh guru, Gobind Singh ji, in Anandpur Sahib on Holi, to inspire the community and showcase the skills of his warriors, the Khalsa, in outdoor sports, such as Khundi di Khedari, tent-pegging astride a galloping horse. Martial arts – swordplay and archery – that were practised by his warriors daily under his guidance too were displayed in this fair. The Guru laid the tradition of rewarding on this occasion all those who showed exemplary talent, diligence and devotion.


The festival of Holi from then on gained a new significance at Anandpur Sahib. The festival of colour now showcased the talent of people in martial arts and horse riding. With this, Guru Gobind Singh added a touch of masculinity to the festival, infusing it with the martial spirit. 

Gurdwara Takhat Sri Keshgarh Sahib located in Anandpur Sahib, being one of the four seats of Sikh religious authority, is the main source of attraction for devotees during the fair. It was here that the baptism ceremony of the Khalsa – Amrit Sanskar – was initiated by Guru Gobind Singh. Amrit Sanskar continues even today and a Sikh is transformed into Singh, a Khalsa, when he partakes of the amrit, nectar, prepared by the Panj Piaras, the Five Beloved Ones, here. A grand procession, is taken out during Hola Mohalla, with the Nihang Sikhs in the forefront. In the vanguard of the procession, a gatka party stages mock encounters to display their swordsmanship skills, while the Nihangs, dressed in typical blue uniforms, adorned with weapons, ride along on horseback. Every now and then you can hear the congregation chanting ‘Sat Sri Akal’ loudly in unison. And as they march through Anandpur, they throw Holi colours, gulal, on onlookers. 

The Hola Mohalla celebrations last for a week and also include kirtans, and lectures and symposiums on Sikhism. 

Langar, a communal free kitchen, is also a key feature of the fair. It is organised in an open ground where 3,000-4,000 devotees can partake of the langar together. The rich and poor all mingle and are treated equally and with a unifying spirit. 

In his eyewitness account of the Holla Mohalla, Bhai Nand Lal Goya, Guru Gobind Singh’s poet, described the joyous moments thus: “When the flower of Holi blossomed in the garden of the world,/ It brought rejoicings and a smile on all dry lips. / Rosewater, scented, powdered colours and fragrant gulal/ Were showered profusely like the rain from heaven. / Sprinkling of gulal and scented colours by the benign hands of the Guru. ”

Hola Mohalla festival teaches us to face all challenges with faith, perseverance and determination. It reminds us that evil and virtue are always at loggerheads. And that by following the Guru’s teachings, we can receive physical, moral and spiritual guidance and strength at all times. 

Holla Mohalla is being held from March 18-20