I walked down the steps onto the Pakarma and I put my head down and everything changed. I don't know how long I was with my head down but I was heavily crying when I lifted my head.
I felt that my skin stopped existing, sort of merged into something. I don't know how to describe it. I was there with a friend and as I lifted my head up and they saw what was happening, my friend said "you've come home, this is where you belong". I spent a lot of time sitting on the rooftop, trying to figure out what was happening.
I knew that somehow this was home but I never believed in reincarnation. When everybody was doing Rehras Sahib, I felt very much that was something I knew. As we walked out in the evening, in the shopping street, an old Sikh gentleman came up to me and started talking in Punjabi, I had no idea what he was saying. He called me into his shop, gave me every single English book on Sikhi he had, made me pay for it - he didn't give them. That was the rest of my trip through India, we were there for a month and I just read all I could.
Flew back home, about two months later I started wearing a Dastar, looked for Sangat near me in Belgium and there was a Gurdwara Sahib. I think with that retreat things got really established for me. Mahraj blessed me with Amrit on Vaisakhi , so it's been an ongoing journey ever since. Interesting journey. Definitely not ended yet. This short documentary offers a little snapshot of the Hola Mahalla festival.
If you have the privilege of attending be careful of where you stand - you don't want to be in the path of galloping horses!!! This video and write up are part of an ongoing series exploring Hola Mahalla and the Sikh diaspora. Footage from the Hola Mahalla documentary has been used for this short documentary.
Hola Mahalla is a little known Sikh festival that takes place annually, in India with an estimated attendance of over a million people travelling to see the week long festival. Dubbed the Sikh Olympics, it involves sword fights, daring horse stunts and a dab of spiritualism that are with an ever decreasing number of nomadic Sikhs.
These days people attend the festival to witness two distinct activities the Sikh martial art of Gatka and the horse stunts that vary from a basic level to advanced. For example standing on a horse whilst it is stationary. Senior officials such as generals of the enemy would be on elephants and Sikhs would attempt to climb up the giant animal by standing on their own horse.
The more skilled Nihangs have developed this technique further and utilised it whilst riding two horses. The riders are stood on each horse with their bare feet and either hold the reins in their hands or in between their teeth. The intrepid and enthusiastic performers from various corners of the town prepare themselves for many years to perform brave acts like tent pegging, Gatka mock with real weapons , bareback horse riding, stand on two horses at the same time and many other war sports.
The colorful and well decorated procession leaves the Takhat Keshgarh Sahib one of the Sikh religious places and it moves around the city Gurudwaras before coming back again to Takhar Keshgarh. The taste of local flavors and cultures are associated with each and every aspect of the enthralling occasion.
Savor the tastes of the traditional Punjabi meals, specially prepared for the tourists and outsiders. The Guru felt that the ancient festival of Holi had lost its significance over centuries. The event, as described by the parable of bhakt Prahlada and the destruction of the evil king Hiranyakashipu, was meant to convey a message of unswerving faith, devotion, hope, and the ultimate victory of good over evil, even against all odds.
Envisioning a long struggle ahead for the Sikhs against persecution from the Mughals, and realising the need for them to be both strong in their faith as well as prepared physically for battle, the Guru decided on Holi as the occasion when all Sikhs would reaffirm their faith in the Khalsa tradition and prepare for the fight against evil.
So, on the Holi of AD, the Guru personally organised and supervised a series of military drills and mock battles to the accompaniment of recitations of the holy scripture. From then on, Hola Mohalla became an integral part of the Sikh faith. With the establishment of Sikh sovereignty over all of Punjab by late eighteenth century, Holi celebrations acquired a grandeur not seen for a long time in north India. The imperial capital, Lahore, would be immersed in preparations weeks before the festival, as Maharaja Ranjit Singh loved spending lavishly on the festivities.
It was also not uncommon for foreign dignitaries to be in attendance at the celebrations. The Punjab at this time was the only Indian kingdom that had not been annexed by the British empire. Within a few years, the First Anglo-Sikh war would break out and the land of five rivers would be drowned in blood. The Hola Mohalla festivities at Anandpur Sahib are marked by the recital of the Guru Granth Sahib kirtan , as well as performances of folk and Sikh devotional music.
The entire community partakes of simple meals at the community kitchen langar. Dressed in either electric blue or saffron robes with imposing turbans, the Nihangs remain the highlight of the festivities as they display their martial skills to the entire Sikh sangat. Competitions are held for sword-fighting, tent-pegging, bareback riding, and other ancient martial sports. An essential part of the Hola Mohalla festivities is the traditional drink of the Nihangs — shardai or sukhnidhaan the giver of bliss.
On the concluding day, the Sikhs participate in a ceremonial procession that starts from Takhat Keshgarh Sahib touring through Anandgarh and Lohgarh Gurudwaras and ends at the Takhat Keshgarh Sahib. Pious hymns are sung ritualistically while drumbeats echo through the routes.
Another aspect to this festival is the community service in the form of 'langars' or community kitchen. Tourists and visitors irrespective of their caste or creed are seated in a row and offered traditional meals. The divine and sumptuous meal is prepared by the local people who generously offer rice, milk, vegetables and other ingredients for preparing the pure food.
The pilgrims are respectfully offered food. The display of courage and acts of valour on the field is complemented by participating in the inspirational tradition of religious poetry, singing and chanting which focus on solidarity and unity.
0コメント