Eid-e-Gulabi: Did you know Holi has a rich Muslim history too?
Holi has a Muslim history as well.
Holi has a Muslim history as well. Revered Sufi saints like Hazrat Nizamuddin Aulia and Ameer Khusro have, in their chaste Persian and Hindvi poetry, adored the 'pink' festival generously.
Emperor Muhammad Shah (1719-1748) Presides Over Celebrations of the Spring Festival of Colors (Holi Utsava)
The last Moghul Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, allowed his Hindu ministers to smear his forehead with gulal on Holi. He believed that his religion would not be affected by this social ritual.
This enlightened spirit percolated among the Moghuls, right from the time of Emperor Akbar.
Jahangir has been shown holding Mehfil-e-Holi in `Tuzk-e-Jahangiri'. Many artists, specially Govardhan and Rasik, have shown Jahangir playing Holi with Noorjahan, his wife.
Mohammed Shah Rangila is shown running around the palace, his wife chasing him with a 'pichkari'. During Shahjahan's rule in Delhi, Holi was known as Id-e-Gulabi -- Pink Id -- or Aab-e-Pashi -- Shower of Colourful flowers.
Holi symbolises the commencement of a new year with a rabi harvest along with nice weather and refreshing air. The Umarahs, the Rajahs and the Nawabs all exchanged rose water bottles and sprinkled it on each other amid the frenzied drumming of the 'nagaras'.
More colour to Holi is added as it falls near the Muslim festival of Id-ul-Fitr.
Who says Holi is a Hindu festival, asks Munshi Zakaullah in his book "Tarikh-e-Hindustani".
"Jam-e-Jahanuma", an Urdu daily, said in 1844 that during the days of the Moghul Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar, special arrangements were made for Holi festivities.
The major part of this ceremony used to be the sprinkling of yellow colour, prepared from Tesu ke Phool -- flowers producing yellow dye -- squirted with the help of syringes of various forms and kinds made of metal, glass and wood.
There also used to be the snowballing of red and yellow colour even on the king.
"Tehzib-ul-Akhlaq" mentions in 1855 how the king got his forehead smeared with colour.
A real colour riot used to be witnessed when dancing girls, bedecked with jewellery, used to go past the ramparts of the Red Fort, the veiled princesses ecstatic at the sight of the libertinism of Holi songs and the classical dance.
Most Holi songs were sung in the havelis and the lobbies of the rich. Some groups were known as Kufr Kachehris -- mock courts.
Urdu poetry gives a special place to Holi's colourful ceremonies. The greatest work on Holi has been compiled during the 17th and 18th centuries in Persian and Urdu.
Quli Qutab Shah, a renowned south Indian poet, wrote about Holi in his inimitable Hyderabadi Urdu, describing the festival of colours in the Braj and Bundelkhand regions in India's north.
Fayeez Dehlvi of Shahjahanabad wrote pleasing verse on the celebrations.
Wajid Sehri, a Delhi poet, mentions how Akbar Mahabali used to have many colourful ponds to enjoy a Holi dip.
Equally enjoyable are the poems of Mir Taqi Mir who joined the court of Nawab Asaf-ud-Daulah and wrote in praise of Jashne-e-Holi. Poets like Khwaja Haider Ali Aatish, Insha and Taban have written great Holi songs.
*Written by "Firoz Bakht Ahmed is a columnist, educator and grandnephew of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, India's first Minister of Education
Here are some examples of celebration in Urdu poetry 'Holi' or 'Hori'
🌼Hori Khelungi Kah Kar Bismillah
Poet: Bulleh Shah
By: Ashhad, Badin
hori khelungi kah kar Bismillah
nam nabi ki ratan chadhi bund padi Allah Allah
rang-rangili ohi khilawe jo sakhi howe fana-fillah
hori khelungi kah kar bismillah
alasto-be-rabbekum pitam bole sab sakhiyan ne ghunghat khole
qalu-bala hi yun kar bole la-ilaha il-lallah
hori khelungi kah kar bismillah
nahno-aqrab ki bansi bajai man-arafa-nafsah ki kuk sunai
fasamma wajhullah ki dhum machai wich darbar rasulallah
hori khelungi kah kar bismillah
hath jod kar panw padungi aajiz ho kar binti karungi
jhagda kar bhar jholi lungi nur Muhammad sallallah
hori khelungi kah kar bismillah
fazkuruni ki hori banaun washkuruli piya ko rijhaun
aise piya ke main bal-bal jaun kaisa piya subhan-allah
hori khelungi kah kar bismillah
sibaghatullah ki bhar pichkari allahus-samad piya munh par mari
nur nabi da haq se jari nur mohammad sallallah
'bulliha' shauh di dhum machi hai la-ilaha il-lallah
hori khelungi kah kar bismillah
Before the Mughals, even Muslim Sufi poets had used this festive opportunity to propagate the message of brotherhood. Holi was celebrated at most Sufi monasteries. Nizammuddin Aulia, who is considered to be among the first secular theorists, advocated love for people of all faiths. He also directed his protégée to compose poetry in the language of the commoners and started celebrating Holi at his monastery.
🌼Khusrau was not only an enthusiastic Holi player but also composed verse for the occasion:
Aaj rang hai, maa ri aaj rang hai
Morey khwaja ke ghar aaj rang hai
Mohey peer payo Nijamuddin aulia
Des bides mien phiri ri, tera rang bhayo nijamuddin aulia
Aaj sajan mila morey aangan mien
(Its colour today, my mother its colour today, My beloved is found in my own yard).
This tradition of celebrating Holi became such an integral part of Sufi culture that even today, a ritual “rang” is observed on the last day of the annual celebrations at every shrine.
The tales of elaborate Holi celebrations abound as much in Lucknow as they do In Delhi. Nawab Saadat Ali Khan and Asifuddaula would spend crores on Holi celebrations. The participating nautch girls, singers, prostitutes and courtiers were famously rewarded with gold coins and velvet cloth.
The references to Holi are innumerable in Urdu poetry. Almost no important Urdu poet, from Khusrau to Sahir Ludhyanvi, left this topic untouched.
🌼Nazeer Akbarabadi, who is hailed as an enthusiastic ambassador of Hindu culture, composed eight long poems about Holi. Shah Niaz, a Sufi and a poet, was a contemporary of Nazeer.
He wrote:
Hori hoye rahi hai Ahmad geo ke duwar
Hazrat Ali ke rang bano hai Hasan Husain khilar.
Shah Niaz (Holi is being played at the gate of Prophet Mohammad, Ali has brought colours, Husain and Hasan are playing).
Qayam, an 18th century poet, has famously depicted the real naughtiness of Holi. His importance can be understood through Ghalib’s acknowledgement of Qayam as his Ustad.
In his long poem Chandpur ki Holi,Qayam paints a scene of an inebriated Maulvi who has forgotten his way to the mosque. This is the state of people on Holi. People from all spheres of life whether pious or habitual drinkers, celebrate together and indulge in mud-slinging. It makes everyone equal and free.
🌼Qayam ends his poem with a prayer:
Ilahihai jab takke ye shor o shar ho alam mien
Holi seybaqiasar
(O God let the festivity of Holi survive till the world does).
The Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire was a vast territory, as it controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries, or should we say, during its glory years. The geography of the empire will perhaps paint its magnanimity in the truest sense: It stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus river basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of present-day Assam and Bangladesh in the east, and the uplands of the Deccan Plateau in South India. An empire this large always had various kinds of populations co-existing in harmony, each with its own distinct culture and traditions.
The Mughal Emperors knew about the dynamic nature of their empire, and that is why, they tried to embrace those cultures which were not their own, and sometimes, even took part enthusiastically in rituals and festivals. Holi, the festival of colour, was perhaps foreign to the Mughals. But they fell in love with the essence of colours in the air, and thus, had come to share an interesting relationship with the festival.
How did the Mughals play Holi?
In the 13th century, Amir Khusrau, the Indo-Persian Sufi singer, musician, poet and scholar, reportedly wrote many verses in celebration of Holi: “I shall play Holi as Khaaja has come home, blessed is my fortune, o friend, as Khaaja has come to my courtyard.”
Akbar, possibly one of the brightest rulers India has ever seen, strove to unite far-flung lands of his realm through loyalty, expressed through an Indo-Persian culture, to himself as an emperor. During his reign, Mughal India developed a strong and stable economy, leading to commercial expansion and greater patronage of culture. Akbar knew the importance of tolerance and ‘unity in diversity’, and that is why he encouraged the celebrations of all festivals in his realm with equal gusto.
In fact, Akbar was so enamoured by Holi that he started the tradition of playing it in his court. This tradition was carried forward by many other Mughal emperors who continued to celebrate the festival in their courts. It is said that he was particularly fond of the Holi celebrations in the Braj region.
Jahangir’s description of Holi
Jahangir, the son and successor of Akbar, reportedly wrote in his autobiography ‘Tuzk-e Jahangiri’ that he used to hold Mehfil-e-Holi. He also reportedly wrote, “Their day is Holi, which in their belief is the last day of the year. This day falls in the month of Isfandarmudh, when the sun is in Pisces. On the eve of this day, they light fires in all the lanes and streets. When it is daylight, they spray powder on each other’s heads and faces for one watch and create an amazing uproar. After that, they wash themselves, put their clothes on, and go to gardens and fields.” Many artists, specially Govardhan and Rasik, have shown Jahangir playing Holi with Nur Jahan, his wife.
Holi during Aurangzeb’s reign
A memoir penned in 1707 by Bhimsen Saxena, a Hindu subject of Aurangzeb, titled the ‘Tarikh-i Dilkusha’, states that Khan Jahan Bahadur Kotlashah, Raja Subban Singh, Rai Singh Rathore, Rai Anoop Singh, and Mokham Singh Chandrawat enjoyed the festival of colours. “Khan Bahadur’s sons Mir Ahsan and Mir Muhsin used to be more enthusiastic than Rajputs while playing Holi.” Also, many embers of Aurangzeb’s family used to participate in Holi celebrations with gusto.
The popularity of Holi in the Red Fort
Holi would be celebrated with as much grandeur as Eid in the Red Fort. It was called Eid-e-Gulabi or Aab-e-Pashi (Shower of Colourful Flowers), with everyone joining in. There would be fairs behind the Red Fort on the banks of the Yamuna, and a huge crowd would gather till Raj Ghat. Groups of travelling musicians and artists would gather under the Red Fort and display their tricks and talents. The mimics would imitate the emperor, prince and princesses too and nobody would get offended.
The emperor would lavishly reward the artists, and the queens, princesses and noble women would enjoy the entertainment from their jharokas (overhanging enclosed balconies). The grand celebration of Holi in the Red Fort with singing and dancing would continue throughout the night.
The last Mughal Emperor
The last Mughal Emperor, Bahadur Shah Zafar, allowed his Hindu ministers to smear his forehead with gulal on Holi. He believed that his religion would not be affected by this social ritual. In 1844, ‘Jam-e-Jahanuma’, an Urdu newspaper, wrote that during the days of Emperor Zafar, special arrangements were made for Holi festivities, and goes on to describe the frolicking and exchange of colour made from the tesu flowers. He even wrote a song for the occasion: “Kyun mope maari rang ki pichkaari/dekh kunwarji du’ngi gaari” which means in English “why have you squirted me with colour? O Kunwarji I will swear at you.”
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