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 majestically 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 religious significance of this event?

Image 1, 2 and 3 Nihang Singhs at Hola Mohalla (www.nihangsingh.org)

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, refused 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, volunteered to take Prahlad in her lap and sit on a burning pyre with him. She was under the impression that she had gained immunity from perishing by fire and thus the fire would naturally 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 making 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 observance 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 festival. 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 Glorious 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...
Image 1- Archery demonstrations http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/ holamohalla/Interesting Image 2- Young Nihang Singh http://www.scribd.com/doc/42026246/ Nihang

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 Glorious 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 frivolities 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 training. What he wanted to guard against, was indulgence in wasteful energies and meaningless rituals. The Gurus 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 energise 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 programme of remembering God even amidst these pleasures and enjoyments.
Image 1- Young Nihang Singh http://www.scribd.com/doc/42026246/ Nihang

Guru Gobind Singhs Innovation So in the month of March, in the year 1700A.D after the advent of the Khalsa, the Guru introduced this very interesting 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 Mohalla and named it Holgarh. The word Mohalla, according 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 participants. 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 formations and strategies, while inspiring the onlookers with their extraordinary skills. The Guru was the keen observer of such engagements and used to give his valued directions occasionally to boost their morale. The conquering and the defeated armies were awarded by Guru Jee.

Image 1- Archery demonstrations http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/holamohalla/ Interesting Image 2- Skilled Sikh horseman http://www.scribd.com/doc/42026246/Nihang

Maintenance of tradition The above traditions are still maintained and repeated every year. In Amritsar, the Mohalla 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 Mohalla 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 displaying sword tricks and other acrobatics, like an army on assault, marching out of the city of Anandpur. After paying homage at Holgarh and climaxing 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 processions ends at Takht Shri Keshgarh Sahib at sunset.

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/

Lessons to be learnt The Holla Mohalla festival, while maintaining the fine traditions, teaches us some important lessons. We have to face the struggle for existence and survival and meet the challenge of this present-day Mohalla of the world with faith, perseverance and determination, 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 responsibilities 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 ritualistic 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 request 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 Singhs article in The Sikh Review magazine in 1968, ( Volume 16, Issue 13). It can be found at www.punjabdigilib.org.

Image 1 Gatka displays http://www.flickr.com/photos/ gurbirsinghbrar/4534796183/sizes/z/in/photostream/