Holla Mohalla: A three day festival where one can witness the soul of Khalsa.

What is Hola Mohalla?
It was back in 1700s when Guru Gobind Singh Ji founded Khalsa (an army of warriors) and started holding a sports day to see the war preparedness of his army and reward the outstanding warriors. Since then, this day became an annual event where all the warriors would come and showcase their martial skills and be a part of the cultural magnificence.
Today, at the event, these warriors gather to display their skills of the martial tradition and horsemanship with spectacular mock battles (gatka), swordsmanship, archery, tent pegging and bareback horse riding.







Must dos at Holla Mohalla
- Visit the Gurudwaras
- Experience the cultural events like electrifying religious and warriors’ ballads (Dhaddis) and shabad keertans that soothes the mind.
- Eat at Langars offering non-stop meals until after midnight.
- Visit Shaheedi Bagh; this is where tents and horses are tied along; making of shardai – a traditional drink of Sikh warriors.
- Join Holla Mohalla procession via the Gurudwaras till Mela Grounds.
- Experience the thrill of the mock battles at Keshgarh Gurudwara and mela grounds.
- MUST experience the tent-pegging and horse-riding events on third day at the mela ground.
- Marvel at the grand makeshift houses created in trucks, trolleys and tractors; their home for all the three days of the festival.
- Witness the cult of youth in their full form, who prepare extensively to look at their best at the festival.
How to reach Anandpur Sahib
- Flights/Trains from Delhi to Chandigarh are available, I went early morning by road that took me about 4-4:30 hours (250 kms)
- From Chandigarh, Anandpur Sahib is another 80 kms by road
Accommodation
- Ensure prior booking as the accommodation is limited during the festival.
- For luxury farm stay, you can book at Anand @ The Sutlej
Beautifully written.. Right from history, events and things to do.
Covered everything concisely <3
Thanks a ton Arvind, glad that you find it informative 🙂
It’s a nice blog page you got, keep up the good work.
Thanks Jaspal 🙂
First up very well written, very informative and organised. With photos and all it makes me want to go and attend this event more now. Thanks for this blog and am now putting this onto to do list for when i visit india next time. Keep
It up and please write blogs on other such beautiful festivals as well ???
Much thanks for your appreciation!
I am glad my post was able to give you an insight into what an incredible experience Hola Mohalla is. Trust me, you wouldn’t regret being a part of this beautiful celebration!
Priya, you are blessed with skills – an extremely multi-talented girl. You write beautifully, with a flair in your script and a proclivity for original content. The manner in which you have captured the expressions in each picture, and narrated your experience is just fabulous. Your work brings out the ethnicity of the festival. Keep up the incredible work, girl! Travel more, capture more, and keep spreading the magic through your work..!
Thanks so much for your kind words! I have simply captured how I experienced the celebration, which is definitely an incredible sight to witness. Glad to know that you feel I was able to do justice with the festival. would surely cover such similar celebrations, keep visiting the site! 🙂