The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1917-06-21
THE BASANT MELA
A Popular Festival Celebrated in the Northern
Part of British India
ASANT PANCHMI
By II. r. Ferger, in The Adran,


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IYylW4H of the festivals in North
lE&y India. It is held on the
fifth day of the light half of the
month Magh, which always comes
near the end of January, to cele-
brate the beginning of spring. In
India, spring comes much earlier
than in the States. Already the
days are distinctly warmer. There
are still occasional frosts at night,
but the days are bright and sunny.
The winter wheat is foot or more
in height, and near the villages and
towns it is being cut as fodder for
the animals.
The fields are being plowed for
the spring crops. In the Sahib's s
gardens in the cities, pansies, vio-
lets and roses are already blooming
outdoors.
The Hindu has many such melas
or fairs, and all turn out dressed in
their best, with the brightest of
colors, ready for a good time. 1t
is the custom on this day for all to
wear pugrees or turbans dyed the
spring color, a bright yellow. And
when one looks down over a crowd
from a housetop it looks like a
great field of yellow poppies.
In Lahore, most of the people
go for the day to the fields around
the tomb of Haqiqat Raj, about
two miles from the city. The day
has very little religious signifi-
cance, and no connection with this
particular person, but the custom
has grown up to spend the mela at
that place.
Haqiqat Raj was Hindu boy
who lived in a village near Lahore
during the reign Of the Moghul
emperor, Shah Jehan, the builder
of the Tai Mahal, about three hum
dred years ago. He studied in a
mosque with number of Muham-
medan boys under the village
maulvie, or priest. On one of the
Hindu festivals, to Durga, he
came to the school very late. The
maulvie asked him the cause of
his tardiness, and the caste mark
on his forehead. The other boys
started to give him gall (abuse) J.,
calling him an unbeliever, dog of
hereto, son of pig, grand
son of an owl and other pictur-
esque epithets. He probably re-
turned it as good as it came. Any
how quarrel was started. Finally
the Muhammedan qazi or local
Judge ordered that the case should
be taken to Lahore, to the gov
ernor, Khan Muhammed Khan.
After lengthy trial, the judgment
was given that the boy should be-
come Muhammedan by reciting
the Kalima or creed, There is no
God but God and Muhammed is
his prophet" or die. The boy
stood firm and refused to thus save
his life. The case was then re-
ferred to the emperor at Delhi,
but the same judgment was given.
The boy still stood firm and was
executed and buried near Lahore.
Naturally he was looked upon as a
martyr by the Hindus, and in time
his tomb became the place to cele-
brate the Basant Mela for the peo,
pie in and around Lahore.
All morning the roads leading to
the place were full of those going
there in preparation. OK carts
loaded with the stalls and cooking
utensils of sweet-meat sellers, men
with the baskets on their heads
full of toys of all descriptions,
others with loads of sugar cane.
other carts were loaded with the
parts of the native merry go.
rounds and Ferris wheels, beggars
of all sorts s-lepers, blind, hunch.
backed, lame and halt, getting
along surprisingly we'll as com
pared to their pitiable condition