It will be appropriate here to discuss briefly the town and the participants of this festival. Hola Mahalla is presently the biggest festival at Anandpur. Provided to YouTube by Believe SASHolla Mohalla Dhadi Jatha Giani Amritpal Singh Khalsa, Dhadi Sharanjot Singh Ankhi, Dhadi Parminder Singh ParasHolla Moha. The popularity of this festival may be judged from the fact that out of five Sikh public holidays requested by the Khalsa Diwan, Lahore in 1889, the Government approved only two - Holla Mahalla and the birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. Holla Mahalla became an annual event held in an open ground near Holgarh Fort across the rivulet Charan Ganga, northwest to the town of Anandpur sahib. This was probably done forestalling a grimmer struggle against the imperial power following the battle of Ninnohgarh in 1700. Unlike Holi, when people playfully sprinkle color, dry or mixed in water, on each other the Guru made Hola Mahalla an occasion for the Sikhs to demonstrate their martial skills in simulated battles. This custom originated in the time of Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708) who held the first march at Anandpur on Chet vBk (22nd February, 1701). The original intent was for a military show of prowess and festivals after Holi. The day of Holla Mohalla is in the same month of Phalguna and is celebrated the day after Holi.The festival was started by Gobind Singh who was the 10th Sikh guru. Mahalia, derived from the Arabic root hal (alighting, descending), is a Punjabi word that implies an organized procession in the form of an army column accompanied by war drums and standard-bearers, and proceeding to a given location or moving in state from one Gurdwara to another. Augustus Binu CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons The Sikh Holla Mohalla Festival is a show of military strength. It takes place in Anandpur Sahib, India, Punjab, and is celebrated for three consecutive days, in which members of the Sikh community show their physical strength by performing devil acts such as riding barefoot, standing on two running horses, Gatka (fake fights), etc. This follows the Hindu festival of Holi Hola is the masculine form of the feminine sounding Holi. Hola Mohalla is the big Sikh New Year’s holiday event.
![sikhiwiki holla mohalla sikhiwiki holla mohalla](https://www.sikh24.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Hola-Mohalla-Celebrations-1.jpg)
Today, these "ascetic warriors" are prominent figures at Hola Mahalla : they still carry traditional weapons, and "are skilled at tent-pegging, gatka or fencing, jousting and other war-like sports." They are also proficient at horseback-riding stunts and archery.Hola Mahalla or Hola Mohalla or simply Hola is a Sikh festival, which takes place on the first of the lunar month of Chet, which usually falls in March.
![sikhiwiki holla mohalla sikhiwiki holla mohalla](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/2E6KAKY/a-nihang-or-a-sikh-warrior-rides-two-horses-as-he-performs-during-the-holla-mohalla-festival-in-anandpur-sahib-in-the-northern-state-of-punjab-india-march-24-2016-hola-mohalla-or-the-festival-of-nihangs-is-celebrated-during-the-festival-of-holi-marking-the-congregation-of-sikh-devotees-from-all-over-the-country-reutersajay-verma-tpx-images-of-the-day-2E6KAKY.jpg)
The Nihang Singhs are the modern day descendents of Guru Gobind Singh's army, and are unique among Sikh orders for being military in nature and for the distinctive rich blue of their traditional robes and large turbans, which are often embellished. The tradition has since spread from the town of Anandpur Sahib to nearby Kiratpur Sahib and the foothills of the Shivaliks, and to other Gurdwaras around the world. On February 22, 1701, Guru Gobind Singh started a new tradition by overseeing a day of mock battles and poetry contests at Holgarh Fort. The Guru was in the midst of fighting both Aurangzeb of the Mughal Empire and the Hill Rajputs, and had recently established the Khalsa Panth fighting force. The event was originated by Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru. Hola may have been originally created to distract Sikhs from Holi, which is also known as the Festival of Colours and commonly considered the most energetic of Indian festivals. Hola is a masculine term, meant to be distinguished from the more feminine Holi the Hindu spring festival of Holi takes place the day before Hola Mahalla. Ahluwalia notes that the related Punjabi term mahalia (which was derived from the Arabic root hal, meaning to alight or descend) refers to "an organized procession in the form of an army column accompanied by war drums and standard-bearers, and proceeding to a given location or moving in state from one Gurdwara to another." The words 'Hola Mohalla' would thus stand for 'the charge of an army.'" Dr. The festival concludes with a long, military-style procession near Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib, one of the five most sacred places in Sikhism.īhai Kahan Singh, who compiled the Mahan Kosh (the first Sikh encyclopedia) at the turn of the 20th century, explained, "Hola is derived from the word halla (a military charge) and the term mohalla stands for an organized procession or an army column.
![sikhiwiki holla mohalla sikhiwiki holla mohalla](https://c8.alamy.com/comp/2G17HC7/india-punjab-anandpur-sahib-hola-mohalla-festival-of-sikh-comunity-2G17HC7.jpg)
For meals, visitors sit on the ground in neat rows called pangats and eat vegetarian Langars provided by volunteers. The festival lasts for a week, and consists of camping out and enjoying various displays of fighting prowess and bravery, followed by kirtan, music, and poetry. It most often falls in March, and sometimes coincides with the Sikh New Year. Hola Mahalla (also Hola Mohalla or simply Hola) is a Sikh festival which begins on the first day of the lunar month of Chet in the Nanakshahi calendar.