Holi in Brij

Hindus across the nation and world celebrated Holi with much fervour and passion on March 10. In Brij, Holi officially starts on Vasant Panchami and culminates with Dauji ka Huranga, the next day of Dhulandi. This 40 days long period is called Faag-Mahotsava in Brij which attracts thousands of people from across India and the world every year. 

Witness the colors of Dhulandi in Brij with these striking photos of the temples and streets of Mathura, Vrindavan, Gokul, Barsana and Nandagaon. 

People enjoying the splash of yellow color during Holi celebrations at a temple

Young women smearing Gulal on their friend on Holi

Two women coloring each other during Holi festivities in Brij

A young boy putting color on the face of an elderly women

Women playing Holi outside their houses

  

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Holika Dahan celebrations in Mathura

People roast green cereals in Holi bonfire and exchange sweets

The ancient city of Mathura where Lord Krishna was born celebrated the festival of Holika Dahan with great fervour. To mark the occasion, huge bonfires along with statues of demoness Holika carrying Prahlada in her lap were placed at all the main squares and marketplaces of Mathura. But, the grandest of the celebrations were conducted at Holi Gate, where a large number of women performed Holika Puja till 4 pm. Holika Dahan was conducted late at 9 pm.  

Holika Puja at Holi Gali

The main event of Holika Dahan was conducted by Holikotsava Samiti at Holi Gate. A large number of women from nearby regions conducted Holika Puja at Holi Gate. Along with traditional items of Puja like whole turmeric, whole rice, Kumkum and Gulal a string of small cow dung cakes was also offered to Holi bonfire. Following the Puja, Parikrama of Holi bonfire was done by women with a cotton thread. The Puja rituals were concluded with Aarti. Thousands of women conducted Holika and Prahlada worship from 10 am to 4 pm. At 7 pm, Karshni Guru Sharanananda worshipped Holika and performed Aarti. Local artists performed various cultural events. A large crowd gathered to witness the celebrations often obstructing the traffic in the region. Other major locations of Mathura including Holi Gali, Rangeshwar temple region and Dampier Nagar square also held Holika Dahan events.  

A group of women worshipping Holika and Prahlada

People buying green cereals for roasting in Holi bonfire

At Holi Gate and Holi Gali, Holika Dahan was performed at 9 pm and 11 pm respectively. A large number of locals along with visitors gathered around the Holi bonfire for the event of Holika Dahan. People took a piece of burning cow dung cake to light the Holi bonfire at home as it is considered auspicious.

                     A local resident sharing her thoughts on Holika Dahan

As the festival of Holi also coincides with the harvesting season in many parts of the country, people also roasted green cereals like wheat and chickpea in the Holi bonfire. Later these roasted cereals were shared with loved ones and neighbours and Holi wishes were exchanged along with traditional sweets like Gujiya and Gulab Jamun. The next day of Holika Dahan is Dhulandi or Rangwali Holi. People across the Brij region will play Holi on March 10.

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Holika Dahan today, statues of Bhakta Prahlada and Holika placed in decorated pavilions

The first day of the festival of Holi, Holika Dahan will be celebrated today, which is Purnima of Phalguna Shukla Paksha. Holika Pujan and Holika Dahan will be conducted when the Purva Phalguni Nakshatra prevails in Leo. To mark the occasion, huge statues of Holika and Prahlada have been placed at every major marketplace and square in Mathura. Holika Dahan will be done in the evening at the right Muhurat.   

Preparations for Holika Dahan had started from Vasant Panchami with the placing of Holika or a wooden stick at major squares and crossroads in the city. Subsequently, more and more sticks along with cow dung cakes were placed around the Holika to be burnt on Holika Dahan day. As a part of the occasion, big statues of demoness Holika and Prahlada is placed on the Holi bonfire as a symbolic representation of the age-old event. In Mathura, Holika Dahan will be conducted at Chowk Bajar, Bharatpur Gate, Holi Gate, Krishna Nagar, Arya Samaj Road, Vikas Bajar and Masani Chauraha.

Statue of Holika and Prahlada placed in a Pavillion at Holi Gate, Mathura

Artisans start making Holika statues 4 months prior

Local clay artisans called Kumhar started making Holika and Prahlada statues around 4 months before the Holika Dahan festival. As per the local artisans, the process of statue-making involves many steps, first being the preparation of structure with clay and cardboards. The structure is then dried in sunlight followed by painting and highlighting. The last part includes the decoration in which statues are decked in beautiful clothes and ornaments.

Statues of Holika and Prahlada made by local artisans 

Guru Sharanananda Maharaj will inaugurate the main celebrations at Holi Gate

General Secretary of Holikotsav Samiti of Mathura, Madan Mohan Shrivastav told Drik Panchang correspondent that the main event of Holika Dahan will be held at Holi Gate square at around 7 in the evening. Guru Sharanananda Maharaj will preside over the celebrations while various political leaders and people’s representatives will also mark their presence. Local artists will perform in the cultural event for which a huge pavilion has been erected at the square.

Holika Dahan Muhurat

Holika Dahan Muhurta - 06:26 PM to 08:52 PM

Duration - 02 Hours 26 Mins

Bhadra Punchha - 09:37 AM to 10:38 AM

Bhadra Mukha - 10:38 AM to 12:19 PM

Holika Dahan during Pradosh with Udaya Vyapini Purnima

Purnima Tithi Begins - 03:03 AM on Mar 09, 2020

Purnima Tithi Ends - 11:17 PM on Mar 09, 2020

Items needed for Holika Puja

One must sit facing either East or North direction while doing Holika Puja. For Puja, place a water pitcher, flower garland, Kumkum, Akshat, scent, flowers, thread, jaggery, whole turmeric, Moong beans, Batashe, Gulal and coconut in a Thali. Furthermore, also take green cereals to roast in Holika bonfire.

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Brij gets a Holi makeover, markets decked up with colorful Pichkari and Rang-Gulal

People throng markets defying the Coronavirus threat; the demand for herbal colors rises

The city of Lord Krishna, Mathura is once again ready to welcome the festival of colors, Holi. But, the current happenings in India and the world have been impacting the market greatly for the last few weeks. Be it the novel Coronavirus or the latest bank crisis, the market is facing blows from all directions. Moreover, ongoing political upheaval is also reflected in the preparations of Holi celebrations. Drik Panchang correspondent visited main markets of Mathura to get a clearer picture of Holi preparations in the city.

Customers buying Pichkari at a local market in Mathura

Firstly, people seemed largely unfazed with the Coronavirus threat and thronged markets in large crowds to make their purchases. With the festival of colors Holi just one day away, markets across Mathura could be seen brimming with enthusiastic customers of all ages. All the main markets were decorated with colourful *Gulal and *Pichkari of different shapes and sizes. PUBG and Doraemon Pichkari were particularly attracting children, while gift boxes of red, pink, yellow and green Gulal were the centre of attraction amongst young people.

Colorful Gulal at display in a local market

The main market areas in Mathura, the Holi Gate, Chhatta Bajar, Chowk Bajar, Bharatpur Gate, Kotawali Road, Arya Samaj Road and Vikas Bajar are the focal points of Holi activities. The enthusiasm with which the people of Brij prepped up for Holi could be experienced in those stuffy markets where ancient and modern India goes hand-in-hand. Pichkaris decorated with modern-day cartoon characters and mobile games were displayed in glass-cabinet to attract children. Then there were Gulal in bright hues of yellow, green, red and orange and traditional headgear of Brij, Pagadi, hooked passersby of every age and group.

Colorful Pagadi for Holi celebrations

Like many festivals, during the Holi festival also, choices of young people and children dictate market trends. As per the local shopkeepers, Pichkaris as costly as ₹ 1,200 were available in the market. Rang and Gulal were available in various sachets, most popular were the sachets of 100 grams available in the price range of ₹ 10-45. The demand for organic color has risen substantially over the years and markets even in small cities like Mathura can be seen catching up with the current trends as organic Gulal finding their place on the shelves.  

Market prices for color and Pichkari

Pichkari – ₹ 10 to Rs 1,200

Chemical Gulal – ₹ 60 for 5 kg

Organic Gulal – ₹ 10-40 for 100 grams

Colorful hats – ₹ 10-60

Pagadi – ₹ 40-60

Beard and Mustache – ₹ 10

Wig – ₹ 50-80

Color spray – ₹ 20-100

Wet color – ₹ 60 for 100 grams

*Pichkari - Water gun

*Gulal - Color powder 

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Holi at Shree Banke Bihari Temple, Vrindavan

After experiencing the unique Lathmar Holi at Barsana and Nandagaon, Holi festivities in the Brij region shifted to the ancient town of Vrindavan. Every Ashram and temple in Vrindavan was packed with visitors who reached there to experience the celebrations where Lord Krishna and Radha Rani once played Holi and performed Maha Raas. Most interestedly, Holi in Vrindavan was played with flower petals, Abeer-Gulal and organic color made from Tesu flowers.

Thousands gathered to play Holi with Shree Banke Bihari Ji in Vrindavan

The Holi celebrations in world-famous Banke Bihari Ji temple were held in the evening of Rangbhari Ekadashi on March 06. The celebrations started with the special Holi Shringar of Shree Banke Bihari Lal by temple priests. Bihari Ji was decked in special white attire for the occasion and his face was beautifully decorated with Rang and Gulal. To play the Holi with his devotees, Thakur Banke Bihari left Garbha Griha and got seated at a platform outside to give his devotees a better glimpse of him.

Devotees offered Abeer-Gulal and flowers to the entrance gate of the temple as a gesture of respect and then proceeded inside the main hall to play the Holi with Thakur Ji. Every corner of the temple reverberated with the chanting of Thakur Ji’s name and traditional Holi songs of Brij region. First, temple priests showered quintals of flowers on the devotees. As per the statistics, around 1.2 tons flowers of marigold and colorful roses were used for the Holi celebrations. Afterwards, when priests began to shot a warm yellow color of Tesu flowers from huge water guns in silver and gold, there was no containment of emotions. The whole ambience turned yellow, the color of spring and joyfulness. These were the 4-hours of their life that no one present in the temple premises will ever forget.

Holi celebration at Shree Banke Bihari Ji temple, Vrindavan

Holi in Brij is unique in many ways, but one thing that makes it unique amongst all is the color of love that people have in their heart for Lord Krishna. Thousands of visitors reached Vrindavan just to play Holi with their beloved Thakur Ji and to get themselves soaked in the colors of Love and Bhakti of Lord Krishna.      

Other temples of Vrindavan including Saptadevalaya Radhavallabha Temple, Radharaman Temple, Radhadamodar Temple, Radhagovinddev Temple, Gokulananda Temple and hundreds of Kunja-Ashram celebrated the Holi with equal fervour.

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Barsana comes alive with the celebrations of Lathmar Holi

Barsana displayed its unique hue of Holi festivities with the world-famous Lathmar Holi on March 04. The celebrations were held at a place called Rangili Gali near Ladliji temple. The whole atmosphere was made alive with colorfully clad men and women and the beats of traditional music. The highlight of the celebrations was the lighthearted teasing of men and the playful retaliation of women by beating the men up with wooden sticks.  

Women beating up men with wooden sticks during the Lathmar holi in Barsana

Men or Gwalas as they are called in Nandagaon reached Barsana in large groups to play the Lathmar Holi with the Gopis of Barsana. Men were decked in traditional attire and headgear called Pagadi and women in Lehanga-Chunari for the occasion. Singing traditional Holi songs and laced with shields, water guns and Gulal the Gwala-Mandali made their way to Ladliji temple. To welcome the party, people of Barsana were ready with a large quantity of color made from Tesu flowers and huge water guns. As soon as the party reached the temple, they were drenched in the beautiful yellow color of Tesu flowers.

The revelries of Lathmar Holi began in Rangili Gali with the playful teasing and lighthearted jokes of men from Nandagaon. Women, ready with wooden sticks, beat them up amid the environment of high-spirited fun and laughter. Furthermore, the traditional Holi songs of Brij and the dancing enthralled everyone with the charm of the ancient land of Lord Krishna and Radha Rani. 

A dancer dancing on the beats of traditional Holi songs of Brij

Amidst all the fun, an age-old tradition of presenting a flag symbolizing Lord Krishna was also observed. As per the traditions, the flag was smeared in Gulal and decked in flower garlands for the ritual. Then, as a symbolic representation of Lord Krishna, it was taken in front of the statue of Shree Radha Rani at the Ladliji temple where the union of Radha-Krishna was performed by the temple priests. Afterwards, folk songs were sung in Brij Bhasha by groups of folk singers from Nandagaon and Barsana.  

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