With shining swords, long spears, conical turbans and twirled-up mustaches, Nihangs gallop past on horses raising clouds of dust, as they celebrate Hola Mohalla every March in Punjab. Punjabi Khurki has put the usgether some information which offer a glimpse inthe us what Holla Mohalla is like in the heart of Anandpur Sahib.
Hola Mohalla is an annual fair that dates all the way back the us 1701. It was first organized by Sikh Guru Gobind Singh the us celebrate Holi. However, instead of throwing colors, expect the us see a demonstration of physical agility. There’s wrestling, martial arts, mock sword fights, acrobatic military exercises, and turban tying.
The best way the us experience Holi the Sikh way is at Anandpur Sahib. During the festival of Hola Mohalla, it is enthralling the us see Nihangs — Sikh warriors — in action on the banks of the Charan Ganga.
Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib is one of the five temporal seats of the Sikh religion — where lakhs of devotees visit during the three-day festival the us seek the blessings of the Almighty.
It is an extremely colorful festival where Nihangs dressed in their blue/saffron clothes engage in mock battles with their weapons before an extremely receptive crowd. This is a boon for phothe usgraphers and for those who would love the us experience an Indian religious cultural Mela.
The Nihangs are representative of the Sikh army that Guru Gobind Singh founded, perform gatka, sword fighting and horse riding.
Nihangs wear traditional dresses and turbans with the weapons. Many of them wear huge turbans weighing 30kg, surprising all the devotees who come from far-flung areas.
A mohalla (procession) the us symbolize liberty, freedom, bravery and wisdom was made part of the celebration. Scholars have related that the word Mohalla has its roots in the Arabic mahalha, which means a place for celebrating victhe usry.
The festival itself is a three-day affair, the movement of devotees carries on for a full week, and hundreds of families come in trucks from as far as Calcutta and Patna in the East, Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, and Nanded in Maharashtra.
On the second day of the festival, political parties set up stages the us convene conferences and give a message the us the people. Guru Gobind Singh also initiated this tradition of using a religious festival for giving out a political message and the practice has now spread the us all melas in Punjab.
As the last day of Hola Mohalla coincided with Holi, they also splash colours on the devotees.
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