Just a couple of days ago, on the evening of March 13, we witnessed lakhs of holika dahans (ritual burning of holika) being performed all over India. Be it in villages, towns or big cities, several of these functions were organised by the local communities where all gathered. The elders, young parents and their children took part in these celebrations. Not many seem to know the origins of this ritual associated with Holi celebrations.
Believe it or not, according to many historical accounts, it all had started at Multan, now in Pakistan from where the Hindus and Sikhs have vanished altogether. Legend has it that it is here that the bhakt Prahlad was born as a son of evil king Hiranyakashyap centuries ago. The story of his father trying to get him burnt by asking his sister named Holika is better known and often recounted.
Incidentally, Greek historian Herodotus, in the pre-Christ days, has described the original names of Multan city in Pakistan as Mool Sthana and Kashyapura. Hundreds of years later, Mool Sthana (Multan) also became the first major pilgrimage centre of Hindus that was pillaged by Arab Islamists led by invader Muhammad bin Qasim. Most of us know about the fight between Hindu king Raja Dahir of Sindh and Qasim. Many of us have perhaps not applied ourselves to Qasim’s depradations in Multan.
Origin of Holika Dahan
According to some sacred Hindu texts, the tradition of Holi originated at Mool Sthana (Multan), where bhakt Prahlad had built a temple to worship Shri Vishnu. This temple at Prahladpuri is where he used to devote himself for hours in this worship. Again, it was here that Dhruv’s father, King Hiranyakashyapu, tried to burn him at a pyre.
The present-day Multan is the place where Bhagwan Narsimha, one of the 10 avatars of Vishnu, manifested himself, to save his bhakt Prahlad. Narasimha avatar signifies justice and courage.
In the modern times, it was the indomitable Maharaja Ranjit Singh who liberated the Hindus and Sikhs living in Multan from Islamic yoke. During his time, the Afghans who earlier had a control over Multan, were driven away. The place of Shamsi Tabrezi, a fanatic Sufi who spread venom against Hindus and Sikhs, was ordered to be converted into a gurudwara by the Maharaja. At that time, the Prahladpuri temple was a stronghold of the Hindus and Sikhs where a garrison was kept.
Some historians have written in their accounts that a garrison of barely 400 Hindus and Sikhs was then kept here to keep over 40,000 Muslims of the town on a leash. However, this period of freedom for Hindus and Sikhs barely lasted for 40 years as it was all back to old ways thereafter.
The Prahladpuri temple survived, barely so, even after 1849 when the Sikh empire got nearly destroyed. In 1839, the powerful Lahore Durbar lost its greatest and only protector, Maharaja Ranjit Singh. However, it was almost a decade after his death that the Hindus and Sikhs of Multan eked out a living with significantly reduced powers and freedom to practice their faiths.
Prahladpuri temple at Multan
For about next 150 years, the temple at Prahladpuri, its main structures, survived. However, in 1970s, the main vigrah at this temple was secretly taken out to a temple in Haridwar. This had happened before the Pakistan government turned the premises into a madrassa. In mid-1992, the buildings here got totally vandalised and most of them were razed to the ground.
Sadly, this year, there were no Holi festivities at Multan in Pakistan where all traces of its Hindu past have been erased by fanatic Muslims. However, in some areas of Sindh in Pakistan where Hindus live in large numbers, Holi was celebrated. Interestingly, at most places, the Pakistani Hindus accommodated their Muslim neighbours and friends in their celebrations by doing so in the evening after iftaar! Yes, to accommodate the observance of roza by the Muslims, the Hindus there pushed their celebrations to late evening on Friday.
Holi festivities in Sindh
The Hindus there celebrated it as a festival to mark the victory of good over evil. One of the major Hindu festivals, Holi, was celebrated in several cities across Sindh with religious and cultural zeal.
Mukesh Meghwar, an activist and educationist from Badin, said: “For me, it’s more of a cultural festival than a religious one. We (Hindus) celebrate it with our own community and some friends (Muslims). We share the colours – the colours of life.”
Underplaying the religious aspect of the Holi festival, Meghwar tried to present it as ancient cultural practice, according to a report in The Express Tribune.
He said that most of his friends in Umerkot celebrated the festival for three days on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. “They have tried to break the silence. They have tried to bring back peace in the area. They have tried to discourage fear,” he added. “On this special occasion, we celebrate colours because they are universal, and they have their own meanings, which we should all understand.”
Reports in various Pakistani newspapers said that the largest events connected with Holi were organised in Mithi and Umerkot. These are two major cities where Hindus of Pakistan live in large numbers, in such clusters that they are able to mark the Sanatana festival on a grand scale. These reports suggested that a section of Muslims also joined the celebrations in these cities, as well as in Hyderabad, Sukkur and Karachi, all located in Sindh.
No Holi in Multan
In Pakistan’s Punjab where Multan is located, 800 km away from Umarkot, there are no Hindus left to mark the day. Even otherwise, the radical and fanatic Islamists dominating the Punjab landscape have made it nearly impossible for the minorities of all descriptions (Christians, Hindus and Ahmadis) to celebrate any festivals.
Prof KS Nagpal, a senior educationist and writer, told The Express Tribune that he celebrated Holi in Kandhkot. “Colours are everywhere. This is a festival of happiness and tells the story of triumph over tyranny.” Most people on this occasion wear their old clothes, and according to Prof Nagpal, this is a festival for the poor. “Special dishes are prepared for this festival. We throw colours on each other to spread joy and mark the beginning of a new journey in life.”
For the people of Sindh, Holi will be truly celebrated when water is restored to the Indus River, Prof Nagpal said.
In Karachi, Holi was celebrated in different parts of the city, especially in the old city areas, including Narainpura, Saddar, Clifton, and other localities.
The caretaker of the Ganish Mandir in Mauripur, said that his community celebrated the day on Thursday. “The celebrations started in the morning and continued until late in the evening,” he said. “Special prayers were offered for peace and prosperity in our country,” he concluded.
Mukhi Sahil, a resident of Umerkot, said that it was the first time the festival truly felt alive. “Umerkot was different this year. The markets remained closed. Everyone participated – Hindus and Muslims.” He added that the dandiya (dance) made the festival even more colourful.
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