Context:
Recently Maghi Mela was held in the holy city of Sri Muktsar Sahib in Punjab.
Relevance:
GS I: Festivals, Facts for Prelims
Dimensions of the Article:
- About Maghi Mela
- Nanakshahi Calendar
About Maghi Mela:
- Maghi Mela is held every year in January or the month of Magh according to the Nanakshahi calendar.
- It is celebrated in memory of 40 Sikh warriors who fought the Mughals in the battle of Khidrana, which was named Muktsar after the battle.
- The battle took place near a pool of water, Khidrane di Dhabi, on 29 December 1705.
- The bodies of the warriors were cremated the following day, the first of Magh (hence the name of the festival), which now falls usually on the 13th of January.
- Sikhs celebrate Maghi with an end-to-end recital of the holy Guru Granth Sahib and religious rituals in all the Sikh Gurudwaras.
Nanakshahi Calendar
- The Nanakshahi calendar was designed by Sikh scholar Pal Singh Purewal to replace the Bikrami calendar, to work out the dates of gurpurab and other festivals.
- It is used to determine the dates of Sikh festivals and commemorations.
-Source: Indian Express
