About Hola Mohalla
Hola Mohalla is the Sikh gathering of martial display, kirtan, poetry and langar held at Anandpur Sahib in Punjab, and in 2027 it runs from Tuesday, 23 March 2027, the day after Holi. Guru Gobind Singh began it in 1701, and Nihang orders still lead the mock battles, gatka and the closing procession.
The name explains the day. Hola is the masculine form of Holi, coined to set the occasion apart from the festival of colours. Mohalla, from Arabic, means a column on the move: an organised procession with war drums and standard-bearers, going from one place to another in formation. Put together, the words describe a mock campaign rather than a party.
Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru, held the first one at Anandpur Sahib in February 1701, two years after he founded the Khalsa. The Sikhs of the time were fighting the Mughal administration and the hill chiefs around the Shivaliks, and the Guru turned the day after Holi into a training assembly: divide into two sides, fight a mock battle on the bed of the Charan Ganga stream below Anandgarh fort, then sit down to kirtan and poetry.
When is Hola Mohalla celebrated?
Sikh reckoning places Hola Mohalla on Chet Vadi 1, the first day of the dark fortnight of Chet, which is the day after the Phalgun full moon. In practice that means the day after Holi, and it moves with the lunar date rather than sitting on a fixed Gregorian day.
The religious observance is one day; the mela at Anandpur Sahib is not. The Punjab government and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee run a programme of several days around it. For the 2026 mela the administration planned an eight-acre tent city, 25 parking zones, 60 shuttle buses and 100 e-rickshaws to move pilgrims. Announced mela dates and the Chet Vadi 1 observance do not always coincide, so check the SGPC or district administration notice for the year you are travelling.
What happens at Hola Mohalla in Anandpur Sahib?
Hola Mohalla at Anandpur Sahib opens with the five nagaras before dawn, runs through days of gatka, horsemanship, kirtan and langar, and ends with the mohalla procession to Charan Ganga.
- Before dawn on day oneThe five nagaras
Copper and brass war drums kept at Kila Anandgarh Sahib, said to date from Guru Gobind Singh's time, are sounded together. Sikh tradition reads them as the five Khalsa virtues: truth, contentment, compassion, righteousness and humility.
- Through the daysGatka and horsemanship
Nihang dals camp in chhaunis around the town and hold gatka bouts with real weapons, tent pegging, bareback riding and stunts on horseback.
- Through the daysKirtan and kavi darbar
Continuous kirtan at Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib, along with dhadi jathas, poetry competitions and religious discourse. Akhand Path recitations run alongside.
- All day, every dayLangar
Villages along the route set up their own langars. Families send grain, ghee and vegetables, and serve travellers in rows on the ground.
- The final dayThe mohalla
Panj Piare lead the column from Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib, with Nihangs on horses and elephants, gulal in the air and the cry Jo bole so nihal, sat sri akal. It ends at Charan Ganga, where the first mock battle was fought.
How it differs from Holi
Sikhs do play with colour on the day, and gulal is thrown in the procession. But the frame is different, and a message that treats the two as the same thing will read as careless.
| Holi | Hola Mohalla | |
|---|---|---|
| Centre of the day | Colour play at home and on the street | Martial display, kirtan and a procession at a gurdwara complex |
| Origin story | Holika and Prahlada, Kamadeva, Radha and Krishna | Guru Gobind Singh's assembly at Anandpur Sahib in 1701 |
| Who leads it | Families, neighbourhood groups | Nihang dals, Panj Piare and the SGPC |
| Food | Gujiya, thandai, dahi bhalla | Langar: dal, roti, kheer, karah prasad, served free to everyone |
| Greeting | Happy Holi, Bura na mano Holi hai | Hola Mohalla diyan lakh lakh vadhaiyan |
Guru Gobind Singh is also remembered on Guru Gobind Singh Jayanti, his birth anniversary, and the Khalsa's founding is marked at Vaisakhi in April. Hola Mohalla sits between the two as the day the Khalsa rehearses what it was formed to do.
Etiquette for visitors and for wishing
Do
- Cover your head and take off your shoes inside any gurdwara at Anandpur Sahib, and wash your feet at the entrance.
- Eat in the langar if you are offered, and sit in the row. Refusing is fine; being served and then wandering off is not.
- Ask before photographing Nihangs, gatka bouts or anyone at prayer. Many are happy to be photographed; being asked matters.
- Greet with Sat Sri Akal or Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh. Both work for a visitor.
Avoid
- Don't carry or consume tobacco, alcohol or meat inside the complex.
- Don't throw colour at anyone at Anandpur Sahib without invitation, least of all at armed Nihangs in the procession.
- Don't call it "Sikh Holi" in a message. It is a distinct observance with its own history.
- Don't send a wish that only mentions colour and sweets; mention seva, sangat or courage instead.
Hola Mohalla diyan lakh lakh vadhaiyan. May the Guru's Charhdi Kala stay with you and your family all year.
Wishing you a blessed Hola Mohalla. Hope you get to Anandpur Sahib this year, or at least to a good langar.
Safe journey and a good darshan at Keshgarh Sahib. Eat at every langar you pass, and send a photo of the mohalla.
Hola Mohalla diyan vadhaiyan, ji. Thank you for teaching us what Guru Gobind Singh Ji stood for. We are keeping it going here too.
Today is Hola Mohalla, the day after Holi, when Sikhs remember Guru Gobind Singh's 1701 gathering at Anandpur Sahib. Not a colour festival. Come for langar with us.
Hola Mohalla diyan vadhaiyan. You do the seva part of this all year, not just this week, and we notice.
- Hola
- Masculine form of Holi, coined by Guru Gobind Singh for this occasion
- Mohalla
- A column on the move; an organised procession with drums and standard-bearers
- Nihang
- An order of armed Sikhs in blue who lead the martial display; the name is usually traced to a Persian word for crocodile
- Gatka
- Sikh martial art fought with sticks and, at Hola Mohalla, with edged weapons
- Chhauni
- A Nihang encampment, several of which are pitched around Anandpur Sahib
- Panj Piare
- The five beloved ones, who lead any Sikh procession
- Charhdi Kala
- High, unfalling spirit; the state a Sikh is meant to hold in any circumstance
- Charan Ganga
- The seasonal stream below Anandpur Sahib where the first mock battle was held
How to wish someone on Hola Mohalla
Hola Mohalla is not Punjab's version of Holi, so a colour-and-gulal message misses it. Good wishes name what the day is actually about: courage, seva, langar and Charhdi Kala. "Hola Mohalla diyan lakh lakh vadhaiyan" is the standard Punjabi greeting. If your friend is travelling to Anandpur Sahib, a line about a safe journey and good sangat is worth more than a generic festival wish.
Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.
Language tip: English, Hindi + regional language.
When is Hola Mohalla in 2026 and 2027?
Hola Mohalla is set by the Hindu lunisolar calendar, so it falls on a different date each year. In 2027 it falls 19 days later than in 2026. Hola Mohalla runs 3 days.
- 2026may vary by location
- 2027may vary by location
Frequently asked questions
When is Hola Mohalla in 2027?
Hola Mohalla 2027 falls from Tuesday, 23 March 2027 to Thursday, 25 March 2027. The exact date can vary by location and local calendar, so confirm with your community.
Is Hola Mohalla the Sikh version of Holi?
No. It falls the day after Holi and gulal is thrown in the procession, but it is a separate observance started by Guru Gobind Singh in 1701 at Anandpur Sahib as a gathering for martial training, kirtan and poetry. Calling it "Sikh Holi" misses what the day is for.
What does the name Hola Mohalla mean?
Hola is the masculine form of Holi, chosen to distinguish the occasion from the festival of colours. Mohalla, from Arabic, means an organised column on the move, a procession with war drums and standard-bearers. Together the words describe a mock military campaign.
How do you wish someone on Hola Mohalla?
"Hola Mohalla diyan lakh lakh vadhaiyan" is the usual Punjabi greeting, and "Sat Sri Akal" or "Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa, Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh" work in any Sikh setting. A wish that mentions courage, seva or Charhdi Kala reads better than one about colours and sweets.
Where is Hola Mohalla celebrated?
The main gathering is at Anandpur Sahib in Rupnagar district, Punjab, around Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib and the Charan Ganga stream, with Kiratpur Sahib nearby. Gurdwaras across Punjab, India and the Sikh diaspora hold smaller programmes of kirtan, gatka and langar on the same days.
Can non-Sikhs attend Hola Mohalla?
Yes. Anyone may enter the gurdwaras and eat in the langar, provided they cover their head, remove their shoes, and leave tobacco, alcohol and meat outside. Ask before photographing people, especially Nihangs and anyone at prayer.
What is gatka?
Gatka is the Sikh martial art demonstrated at Hola Mohalla, trained with wooden sticks and shown at the mela with real weapons. Nihang orders have kept it going since Guru Gobind Singh's time, and their bouts, along with horsemanship and tent pegging, are the best-known part of the gathering.
Last verified by the Kehdoo team on .