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Celebrate Holi In The City Of Its Birth

Celebrate Holi In The City Of Its Birth
People celebrate the traditional Holi at Radharani temple. Holi is the most celebrated and colorful festival of India, Photo Credit: Shutterstock
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Take part in Holi in its purest form in the sacred cities of Mathura and Vrindavan

Meenketan Jha, Puneet K. Paliwal
March 21 , 2019
02 Min Read

Legends say that Krishna was cribbing to his mother about friend, Radha, who had a fair complexion while he had a dark complexion. Yashoda, his mother, suggested that he colour Radha with colous in a playful manner thus setting the foundation of this ancient festival. 

The Banke-Bihari Temple in Vrindavan is one of the most visited locations during Holi with it engaging in a week-long celebration. In these seven days, an idol of Krishna is dressed in white cloth and is brought to the devotees to play Holi. With a series of harmonious melodies playing in the background, the atmosphere is simply breathtaking. Priests take to the occasion like a fish to water as they rain a parade of colors onto the devotees who have come from far and away. Phoolon waali Holi (Holi with flowers) is another stunning extravaganza that you simply have to be a part of. Flowers are showered adding to this mesmerizing cultural fiesta. Barsana's Holi celebrations is unconventional, in an astounding ceremony called the Lathmar Holi, the women of Barsana beat up the men from Nandgaon with a stick (don't worry, men are allowed to protect themselves with a shield). Barsana was believed to be the home of Radha. It was here that Krishna would come to meet Radha but would be chased away by her friends. Hence, the basis of Barsana's unique tradition. 

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People celebrate the traditional Holi at Radharani Temple

Indian women celebrating Holi, the Hindu spring festival of colours, at Gopinath Temple in Vrindavan

An Indian widow partakes in Holi festivities at Gopinath Temple in Vrindavan

Portraits of individuals after they have taken part in the Holi celebrations

Colourful Holi procession on the streets of Vrindavan

Holi brings happiness and joy to every corner of the nation

Men in traditional Indian dress engage in a free-for-all war of colours in Mathura

People throw colors at each other during the Holi celebration at Krishna Temple

Holi at the Banke Bihari Temple is a scintillating affair

A man blows powdered color (gulal) on passing people on eve of Holi in Barsana



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