Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan is the oldest festival of Hindustani Classical Music in the world, which is celebrated every year at the sacred seat of music, the samadhi of
Baba Harballabh – a saint and an exponent of Hindustani Classical Music.
The first Sammelan was held in 1875 at the
Sidh Peeth-Shri Devi Talab, in
Jalandhar
Jalandhar is the third most-populous city in the Indian state of Punjab and the largest city in Doaba region. Jalandhar lies alongside the Grand Trunk Road and is a well-connected rail and road junction. Jalandhar is northwest of the state ...
. Since then it has been held every year.
Harballabh site
History
The Sangeet Sammelan which has grown from strength to strength in the last 131 years has been attracting audiences and artists from all across the country and abroad. This festival was declared as one of the National Festivals by the Department of Tourism, Govt. of India
The Government of India ( ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...
. All prominent artists of Hindustani Classical Music from India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
have come and performed at the Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan at one time or the other during the last 130 years. Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
accompanied by Vishnu Digambar Paluskar
Pandit Vishnu Digambar Paluskar (18 August 1872 – 21 August 1931) was a Hindustani musician. He sang the original version of the bhajan Raghupati Raghava Raja Ram, and founded the Gandharva Mahavidyalaya on 5 May 1901. He is also credited with ...
visited Baba Harballabh Sangeet Sammelan in the year 1919. Union Ministers, Governors, State Chief Ministers, State Ministers and other VIPs have been visiting to pay their reverence at this festival of music. The festival attracts thousands of music lovers from all over the India and abroad every year. This number is increasing year after year.
In 1956 a Sangeet Academy was constructed under the banner of Swami Hariballabh. While we hear Swami Hariballabh it seems clear that “The key to the mystery of a great artist is that for reasons unknown, he will give away his energies and his life just to make sure that one note follows another... and leaves us with the feeling that something is right in the world.”
The festival
The main aim of the festival was to attract and encourage more and more people for the development of classical Music. There is also a proper syllabus for the pursuers of Music and there is a shrine at the banks of the river with the name Devi Talab. There is a Shiva lingam in the temple nearby and one adores the exquisite phallic image of Lord Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
. On the day of the fair there is also free lodging and accommodation.
Venue
It is held at Devi Talab Mandir, near the Samadhi of Saint Harballabh, from the 27th to 30 December. During this time reputed musicians from all over India gather in Jalandhar to celebrate Indian Classical Music.
See also
*List of Indian classical music festivals
The following is an incomplete list of Indian classical music festivals, which encapsulates music festivals focused on Indian classical music. The origins of Indian classical music can be found in the Vedas, which are the oldest scriptures in t ...
References
External links
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Hindustani classical music festivals
Music festivals in India
Music festivals established in 1875
1875 establishments in British India