Gulal (or gulaal) and Abeer (or abir) are synonymous with the festival of Holi in India. In present times, especially in urban centres where synthetically formulated colours have replaced herbal colours, very few people realise what does gulal and abeer actually mean?
Hindustani English Dictionary by John Shakespeare published in 1849 entered Gulal as, “A farinaceous powder dyed red (generally, the meal of barley, rice or singhārā, dyed with bakam wood: Elliot), which the Hindus throw on each other in the holi.” The same dictionary defined Abir as, “Saffron, ambergris, a perfumed powder (of various colours used in the holi).
S. W. Fallon in his dictionary published in 1879 recorded similar definitions for both the terms.
Saiyad Muhammad Hadi, Assistant Director of Land Records and Agriculture of N.W Provinces & Oudh, in his A Monograph on Dyes and Dyeing published from Allahabad (now Prayagraj) in 1899 notes, “Gulal is a red powder used by the Hindus at the time of Holi for sprinkling upon each other, and is made in three different ways, viz.:- (1) The European red dye powder is mixed with flour of singhara (Trapa bispinosa) and a little water and the mixture dried in the sun. (2) Shangarf (cinnabar) is mixed with the flour of singhara (Trapa bispinosa) and water and the mixture dried. (3) Singhara flour is kneaded with a strong decoction of sappan wood and dried. Abir is another powder used in the sameway as gulal and is made by mixing gulal with finely powdered talc.”
A Dictionary of the Economic Products of India prepared by Professor George Watt in 1899 records, “Gulal, (is) a coloured powder used along with Abir at the Holi festival. It is generally prepared from sappan wood, alum, and flour, but has of recent years been largely supplanted by a cheap powder coloured by means of an aniline dye.” The dictionary also notes, “Abir (sometimes called Phák, Beng., or Phaku, Ass.), or the white perfumed powder which is mixed with the red Gulal powder and used at the Holi festival.”
Watt further notes,
“The Bengal Holi powder is prepared from Curcuma Zedoaria, Roscoe (or common flour or arrow-root), Sappan-wood, and alum. “In Bengal aniline magenta is now largely used to colour the flour obtained from Zedoaria, and being cheaper has almost superseded the older preparations.” (Mr. T. N. Mukharji, Calcutta.) Dr. Buchanan Hamilton says that in some parts of Bengal the yellow dye obtained from Bixa Orellana is used as a gulal.
“The Bombay Holi powder or Gulal is made of flour coloured with Sappan-wood and alum.
“A whitish Abir made from the following:- Andropogon muricatus, Hedychium spicatum, Santalum album, Sorghum vulgare (flour).
“The buff-coloured Hindi Gulal, known as Ghisi, contains, in addition to the above, the following:- Cerasus (Prunus) Mahaleb, Artemisia Sieversiana (imported), Cedrus Deodara, Cloves, Curcuma Zedoaria, Cardamoms.
“Deccan Abir or Bukka is of a black colour, and in addition to all the above contains the following:- Aquilaria Agallocha, Costus Root, Jatamansi, Liquid Storax.
“The Abir the Jains is of a pale yellow colour. It is called Vasakshep; it is made of- Santalum album, Saffron; Camphor (Borneo); Musk.”
A Monograph on Dyes and Dyeing also tries to trace the origin of playing colours on Holi. Hadi writes,
“On the occasion of the Holi festival a custom prevails among Hindus of sprinkling yellow coloured water on each other, and of smearing themselves with a red powder called “gulal.” There are many legends about the origin of this custom, but the following is the most commonly accepted of all:-
“There once lived an atheist Rája, by name Hirannya Kashyap, who had a son, Prahlad. The boy one day chanced to pass by a kiln and saw that some kittens, who had fallen into the kiln, escaped miraculously unscathed.
“Astonished at the sight, he inquired to what there escape had been due, and was told that the kittens were ever uttering the name of God, “Ram, Ram,” and that to this they owed their lives. Much impressed at what he heard, Prahlad began to repeat “ Ram, Ram,” until it became quite a habit. This roused the ire of his atheist father, who devised many plans of killing his son. The Raja had a sister, Holika, who possessed a mystic robe that could not be burnt. Wearing this robe she could stand in any fire unharmed. It was proposed that she should take the boy Prahlad into a fire and there leave him to be burned, but as it chanced the mystic robe was snatched from her by some supernatural agency and she was burnt to death, whereas Prahlad escaped unscathed. On hearing the news the friends of Holka threw dust upon each other in expression of their sorrow, while devout men who rejoiced at the delivery of Prahlad sprinkled yellow water upon each other to mark their joy.
“One of the theories about the use of the red colours on the Holi occasion is that the red is understood to represent menstrual blood- a sign of fertility, the association of fertility being ultimately connected with the Holi or harvest festival.
“Mr. Crooke explains that the dancing, singing, waving of flags, screaming and throwing of red powder are based on certain ceremonies to scare away evil spirits. Some Pandits explain that the use of the dye solution originated in the time of Vikramaditya and is continued to commemorate his accession to the throne.”
