Essay on “Hola Maholla” Festival
Hola Maholla is an annual festival held at Anandpur Sahib in Punjab. It was started by the tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh, as a gathering of Sikhs for military exercises and mock battles on the day following the festival of Holi. It reminds the people of valour and defence preparedness, concepts dear to the Tenth Guru who was at that time battling the Mughal Empire.
The mock battles are followed by music and poetry competitions. The Nihang Singhs carry on the martial tradition with mock battles and displays of swordsmanship and horse-riding. They perform daring feats such as Gatka, tent pegging, bareback horse-riding, and standing erect on two speeding horses. There are also a number of durbars where Sri Guru Granth Sahib is present and kirtan and religious lectures take place. On the last day, a long procession, led by ‘Panj Pyaras’, starts from Takht Keshgarh Sahib and passes through various important Gurudwaras. For people visiting Anandpur Sahib, langars are organised by the local people.
