In this small town found on the Punjab-Himachal Pradesh frontier, people from all over the world gather in large numbers to witness the yearly event that stars martial games and sports that used to be traditionally performed by the Sikhs during their long war against the Mughals. The military training occurred on the bed of the Charan Ganga River and was personally overseen by the Guru.

It is believed that Guru Gobind Singh formulated Hola Mohalla in 1680. Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, developed on the story of Prahlad to establish this festival. Sri Guru Gobind Singh Ji incorporated a martial attribute to the procedure of celebrating Holi to create Hola Mohalla, celebrated on the day after Holi. Hola Mohalla is the continuation of the spring festival of Holi. Therefore, the words Hola and Mohalla put together mean 'the charge of an army'. Mohalla, as explained by Mahan Kosh, the first Sikh encyclopaedia, means an organized parade. Hola, which originated from the world 'halla' means military charge. The Sikh community commemorates the Hola Mohalla Festival by watching and participating in the martial arts parades, led by the Gurudwara's Nishan Sahibs.įestival Dates: Monday, 29th March to Wednesday, 31st March. Mock battles are also held during the three-day course period. The Hola Mohalla fair was started by the great Guru Gobind Singh of Punjab for the Sikhs to practice military exercises. This year, the Hola Mohalla Festival will be celebrated from 29th March to 31st March. Held at Anandpur Sahib, it is a substantial annual fair held for three days. The Hola Mohalla Festival is celebrated right after the Hindu festival of colours, popularly known as Holi.

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