gurbir singh brar's photostream  

A Nihang Singh of the Bidhi Chand Dal playfully wrestles with his adorable wards at Anandpur Sahib.

© 2012 Gurbir Singh Brar, all rights reserved.
This image is not available for use on websites, blogs or other media without the explicit written permission of the photographer.

Langar (or free community kitchen) is organized by villagers on all major routes to Anandpur Sahib in March every year. Entire villages contribute to the running of these kitchens so pilgrims proceeding to the Hola Mohalla festivities can enjoy a hearty meal.

HOLA MAHALLA or simply Hola, a Sikh festival, takes place on the first of the lunar month of Chet which usually falls in March. This follows the Hindu festival of Holi. The name Hola is the masculine form of the feminine sounding Holi. Mahalla, derived from the Arabic root hal (alighting, descending), is a Punjabi word signifying an organized procession in the form of an army column accompanied by war-drums and standard bearers and proceeding to a given spot or moving in state from one gurdwara to another. The custom originated in the time of Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708) who held first such march at Anandpur on Chet vadi 1, 1757 Bk/22 February 1701.

Unlike Holi during which people playfully sprinkle colour, dry or mixed in water, on each other, the Guru made it an occasion for the Sikhs to demonstrate their martial skills in simulated battles.This was probably done forestalling a grimmer struggle against the imperial power following the battle of Nirmohgarh in 1700. Hola Mahalla became an annual tourney held in the open ground near Holgarh Fort across the rivulet Charan Gariga, northwest of the town of Anandpur Sahib.

Sikhs in large numbers still assemble at Anandpur Sahib on this day and an impressive and colourful procession is taken out in which the Nihangs in their traditional panoply form the vanguard, parading their skill in the use of arms as also at horsemanship and tent pegging.

© 2012 Gurbir Singh Brar, all rights reserved.
This image is not available for use on websites, blogs or other media without the explicit written permission of the photographer.

Old Warhorse ~ Baba Amrik Singh Poonia lives up to the expression...possessing elan and poise of a veteran warrior; his demeanour conveys wisdom, dependability and survivability.

© 2012 Gurbir Singh Brar, all rights reserved.
This image is not available for use on websites, blogs or other media without the explicit written permission of the photographer.

© 2011 Gurbir Singh Brar, all rights reserved.
This image is not available for use on websites, blogs or other media without the explicit written permission of the photographer.

I shall be presenting History of Nihangs - True Sikhs, Saint Soldiers at the annual meeting of NASMDA (North American Sikh Medical and Dental Association, www.nasmda.org) at Crowne Plaza Hotel, 1800 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 19103 on Saturday, 8 October 2011 at 1400 hrs.

Copies of “The Valiant Ones – a journey into the mesmerizing world of the Sikhs” shall be available for sale at the convention.

© 2011 Gurbir Singh Brar, all rights reserved.
This image is not available for use on websites, blogs or other media without the explicit written permission of the photographer.