https://indianfestivals.net/blog/ Behind-the-scenes notes on Indian festival research: fieldwork, source discoveries, and methodological reflections. 2026-06-29T00:00:00Z Land Of Festivals Research Team https://indianfestivals.net/about.html Content available under fair use. Primary source quotations from public domain texts. Land Of Festivals static site generator https://indianfestivals.net/blog/sambat-jalana.html 2026-06-29T00:00:00Z 2026-06-29T00:00:00Z

In 1896, W. Crooke documented the Dravidian tribes of Mirzapur burning a stake called Sambat Jalana — 'the burning of the old year' — on the same date as Holi. This may represent a pre-Hindu festival layer that predates the Holi we know by centuries.