Sikhi Explored Sunday 18th March 2012 Volume 1 | Issue 9

Hola Mohalla

Waheguru Jee Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Jee Ke Fateh!

On Friday 9th March (2012), Sikhs worldwide celebrated Holla Mohalla, a festival that majesti-

cally depicts the teachings of the Gurus and predominantly portrays the martial aspect of a

Sikhs life. In this article we will explore how and why Sikhs celebrate Holla Mohalla, and look

at the connotations it has with the Hindu festival of Holi.

Firstly, the festival of Holla Mohalla is always celebrated one day after Holi. So to understand

why these events have this specific relationship with each other, it is necessary to take a look

at the history of Holi.

Holi

In the Hindu calendar, the Holi festival is celebrated widely by people of all ages. For a few

days people try to forget their worries and indulge in sprinkling coloured powder and water

on friends, relations and everybody they come across. It is a period for people to enjoy the

forthcoming spring and so is usually celebrated at the end of the winter season, when there is

a full moon.

It is a truly vibrant and colourful festival, but beyond the fun and excitement, what is the reli-

gious significance of this event?

Image 1, 2 and 3– Nihang Singh’s at Hola Mohalla

(www.nihangsingh.org)

Image 1- Archery demonstrations http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/

holamohalla/Interesting

Image 2- Young Nihang Singh http://www.scribd.com/doc/42026246/

Nihang

Origin of Holi

Like all other Hindu festivals, Holi too has a touch of mythological undertones. The legend

goes that Holika was the aunt of a God-loving child called Prahlad. This devotee of God, re-

fused to recognise his agnostic and ego-ridden father, King Harnaksh, as the Divine Lord.

Instead he continued to sing the praises of God Almighty and due to this, was subjected to

severe tortures. Eventually, with a view to burn Prahlad to death, his aunt, Holika, volun-

teered to take Prahlad in her lap and sit on a burning pyre with him. She was under the im-

pression that she had gained immunity from perishing by fire and thus the fire would natu-

rally only consume the body of Prahlad, leaving her totally unaffected. But by the Will of

God, the aunt Holika burnt to ashes and Prahlad came out unscathed in this fiery ordeal.

Thus the Hindus celebrate every year, on a full moon, the decimation of the vicious Holika

and the survival of the devotee Prahlad, by sprinkling colour on one another. There are some

other stories regarding the origin of the Holi Festival, but the one stated above is the most

widely accepted version.

So the background of this festival is morally sound and flawless, but in its actual observance

around the Gurus time and arguably even now, people have lost sight of its true significance

and seldom remember the exceptionally heroic and determined part played by Prahlad to

uphold the supremacy of the Divine Lord. Instead of cherishing his lofty character and mak-

ing it a solemn occasion to perpetuate his memory of sacrifice and steadfastness against all

brutal pressures, the countrymen of Prahlad have since drifted into mere ritualistic obser-

vance of the festival. Fun and frolic simply took over memories of the fragrant past.

Sikhi and Holi

As the Sikh faith originated in India, the Gurus also observed the Hindus celebrating this fes-

tival. It is even given a mention in the Guru Granth Sahib Jee on the 1180 Ang. Written by

Guru Arjan Dev Jee, Holi and the celebrations in spring are used as a poignant metaphor to

make every Sikh understand, that EVERY day should be celebrated as if it was a new year.

Today is a day of celebration for me. Today I am in supreme bliss. My anxiety is dispelled, and I have met the Lord of the Universe. Today, it is springtime in my household. I sing Your Glori-ous Praises, O Infinite Lord God. Today, I am celebrating the festival of Phalgun. Joining with God's companions, I have begun to play. I celebrate the festival of Holi by serving the Saints. I am imbued with the deep crimson colour of the Lord's Divine Love...

My mind and body have blossomed forth, in utter, incomparable beauty. They do not dry out in either sunshine or shade; they flourish in all seasons. It is always springtime, when I meet with the Divine Guru. The wish-fulfilling Elysian Tree has sprouted and grown. It bears flowers and fruits, jewels of all sorts. I am satisfied and fulfilled, singing the Glori-ous Praises of the Lord. Servant Nanak meditates on the Lord, Har, Har, Har.

With my extremely limited understanding, I interpret this shabad to mean that for the Sikh

of the Guru, Holi is played by serving the Lord. Powdered colours when thrown on each

other may make that person look colourful, but after a little washing they will come straight

off! So what colour will uplift us forever? Guru Jee says that He is embued with the colour of

Gods LOVE and his celebration of Holi is by singing the Lords praises and through seva of

the Gursikhs.

Anyhow, such waste of national energies in mere frivoli-

ties could not be viewed by Guru Gobind Singh Jee with

equanimity or indifference, who planned to prepare the

nation for an active revolt against religious or political

domination and against social abuses of every kind. This

is not to say that he did not approve of the idea of his

country-men enjoying life but he wanted to build up the

physical and moral vitality of the nation. In fact, feats of

physical endurance formed an integral part of his train-

ing. What he wanted to guard against, was indulgence in

wasteful energies and meaningless rituals.

The Guru’s way

Guru Gobind Singh gave the Khalsa a new idea, a new form and new strengths. He also gave

a new and distinctive shape to the celebration of their festivals, which were designed to en-

ergise the Khalsa physically, morally and spiritually, to enable them to undertake their new

responsibilities with fresh vigour and determination. One day after the Holi celebration, he

organised the Hola Mohalla festival with the object of infusing martial spirit among the

Khalsa, in which he combined the joyful celebrations with physical feats of chivalry. It must

be noted that whilst this was enjoyed, it was not overlooked by the indispensible pro-

gramme of remembering God even amidst these pleasures and enjoyments.

Image 1- Young Nihang Singh http://www.scribd.com/doc/42026246/

Nihang

Image 1- Archery demonstrations http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/holamohalla/

Interesting

Image 2- Skilled Sikh horseman http://www.scribd.com/doc/42026246/Nihang

Guru Gobind Singh’s Innovation

So in the month of March, in the year 1700A.D after the

advent of the Khalsa, the Guru introduced this very inter-

esting and novel programme of rejoicing the Sikhs on

this festive occasion. He built a new fortress in Anandpur

for the specific purpose of the celebration of Holla Mo-

halla and named it ‘Holgarh’. The word Mohalla, accord-

ing to Bhai Sahib Dr Vir Singh, signifies a mock battle

which is raged by the contending armies to achieve an

objective, without causing any physical injury to the par-

ticipants.

He organised the contending groups from amongst his followers, dressed in distinctive

uniforms of white and saffron colours, and conducted a mock fight to give them realisitic

training and ultimately prepare the Khalsa for the upcoming struggle to fight for justice

and peace. Both of the opposing groups engaged in the mock fight, formed themselves

according to their strategic battle order with full armour and were expected to exert their

best to achieve and occupy a fixed objective without firing shots or shooting arrows. For

about three hours the mock battle used to go on in full fury, directed by the experienced

commanders on both sides. They employed all the

skilled tactics and manoeuvres that they had learned,

and applied them in various assaults with full force and

drive, allowing no quarter to the adversaries. The sole

object was to build team camaraderie, practice forma-

tions and strategies, while inspiring the onlookers with

their extraordinary skills. The Guru was the keen ob-

server of such engagements and used to give his val-

ued directions occasionally to boost their morale. The

conquering and the defeated armies were awarded by

Guru Jee.

Image 1– Gatka at Anandpur Sahib http://www.flickr.com/

photos/91138507@N00/2881949599

Image 2– Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib, Anandpur http://www.flickr.com/photos/

harvey408/2556433820/sizes/m/in/photostream/

Maintenance of tradition

The above traditions are still maintained and repeated every year. In Amritsar, the Mo-

halla procession, under the Khalsa saffron flag, starts from the Akal Takht, and winding

its way through the busy through-fares

of the city, ends at Gurdwara Barj Baba

Phula Singh where physical feats are

demonstrated. Although the Holla Mo-

halla festival is celebrated in most of

the Sikh Gurdwaras, at Anandpur Sahib

(birth place of the Khalsa) this annual

celebration, is accompanied with huge

crowds, reminiscent of the old royal

splendour, and reflecting the spirit of sports and mock battles as originally introduced by

Guru Gobind Singh. The celebrations last for about a week, with recitations of the Sri

Guru Granth Sahib and Sri Dasam Granth, congregational kirtan, and katha etc. On the

last day of the Holla Mohalla procession, over 100, 000 people gather to be inspired by

the display of the Khalsa. Its special feature is the participation of the Nihangs, whom in

large numbers, fully armoured and wearing blue uniforms, riding on horses, raise loud

shouts of Sat Sri Akal, reciting, revelling and dis-

playing sword tricks and other acrobatics, like an

army on assault, marching out of the city of An-

andpur. After paying homage at Holgarh and cli-

maxing the celebrations, the colourful procession

marches towards the sandy banks of Charan

Ganga, where sports are held and where the old

and young Nihangs display some rare feats of

physical daring, horsemanship and various kinds

of advanced athletic shows. The Mohalla proces-

sions ends at Takht Shri Keshgarh Sahib at sun-

set.

Image 1– Gatka displays http://www.flickr.com/photos/

gurbirsinghbrar/4534796183/sizes/z/in/photostream/

Lessons to be learnt

The Holla Mohalla festival, while maintaining the fine traditions, teaches us some impor-

tant lessons. We have to face the struggle for existence and survival and meet the chal-

lenge of this present-day Mohalla of the world with faith, perseverance and determina-

tion, otherwise we are bound to be eliminated. There is no place for fear or insecurity.

The evil and virtue are always at a constant clash and those who shirk their responsibili-

ties and ignore the realities of life which is a blend of tragedies and comedies, are

caught napping and lose the battle of survival. While guarding against the mere ritualis-

tic performance of this tradition we must maintain it in practice and spirit. We may decry

tradition because in its decadent stage its encourages superstition and blind conformity

but without it there could be neither progress nor survival. We should try to carve out

our destiny in the light of the teachings of the Guru so that we should gain physical,

moral and spiritual perfection.

Sadly, this is the last Sikhi Explored article of the series. The team would like to thank the

sangat for its support and humbly apologises for any mistakes we have made. We re-

quest that you share these first 9 articles with friends and family, to help propagate our

rich history. We would love your feedback and you can email us at sikh.soc@kcl.ac.uk

Waheguru Jee Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Jee Ke Fateh!

References: This Sikhi Explored, was based upon Dr Kirpal Singh’s article in ‘The Sikh Review’ magazine in

1968, ( Volume 16, Issue 13). It can be found at www.punjabdigilib.org.