Reasons to Celebrate Holi Festival in Vrindavan

Remember the song from Toilet Ek Prem Katha, Gori Tu Latth Maar? How colourful and interesting it was! Women beating the men playfully with sticks and men trying to protect themselves with shields amid waves of colours! This is what you can actually witness if you plan a Vrindavan Holi tour. This Lathmar Holi has been a proud ritual of Barsana and Nandgaon. Sensing a story behind this Holi celebration? There is! As mythology goes, Krishna and his friends went to Barsana to play Holi with Radha and gopis. But what Krishna and his friends returned with was playful beatings with sticks from the gopis. And that has been turned into one of the ways to celebrate Holi in Vrindavan.

Phool is a Hindi word translating to flower. And yes, this Holi event is exactly what it sounds like, a Holi with flowers instead of colours. As much as we love playing with the different colours, a Holi with flowers will be really fun! To be a part of the flower Holi in Vrindavan, make your way to the famous Banke Bihari Temple. Here, in a 20-minute long (rather short) time, flowers are showered on the devotees of Krishna coming from all over the country and also the world. The priests and other members of the temple also take part in this celebration along with the visitors.

As we said, it lasts for only 20 minutes, we suggest that you reach the temple as early as you can! If you end up missing the Phoolon Wali Holi in Banke Bihari Temple, don’t be upset. Because later on, the temple holds another event where the devotees are showered with colours and water.

This one among the Holi events in Vrindavan does stand out from the others, that’s for sure! Because not only does it celebrate Holi in a grand manner, it also breaks the stereotype that widows should embrace white and give up all other colours! And it was the Pagal Baba Widow Ashram that broke the stereotype (in 2013) and asked all the residing widows to play with colours. Since then, every year on Holi, widows gather in the Gopinath Temple and celebrate with colours. Thanks to the Pagal Baba Widow Ashram. This was long due and it showed a new light of hope to the widows. When you see so many different colours covering the white and how it brings a smile to the face of so many women, your heart will fill with happiness and warmth too!

You are in Vrindavan, so Krishna’s Leela is a must-see! And Krishna’s Leela becomes even more lively during Holi. At Guland Kund in Braj (near Govardhan Hills), locals come together and enact the stories of Krishna's childhood and him playing Holi with his friends. Watching all the plays and musicals on the auspicious day of Holi will be a delightful experience.

What can be more exciting and enjoyable than gathering with your loved ones and playing with colours? A long procession of colours and dancing! The Holi procession takes place in Mathura, from Vishrama Ghat to the Holi Gate. The road between the two destinations stays filled with people adorned with multiple colours and a festive mood. You can join them too! While you dance, throw colours and basically, celebrate Holi with a high-spirited crowd, do look out for the major attractions of the procession, vehicles nicely decorated with colourful flowers and kids dressed as Radha and Krishna dancing on the open backs and decks of the vehicles!

In houses or wherever else we go to attend Holi parties, gujiyas and bhang are the common names on the menu. And the same goes for the Holi celebrations in Vrindavan. Digging in the sweet and crunchy snacks and sipping on the delicious and refreshing drink while sitting on the Dwarkadhish Temple where people play with colour and dance on the beats of traditional drums, oh, what a memorable experience that will be! And you won’t want to miss that. The priests here start making bhang as early as 7 in the morning. So, though the main celebrations start after 10 am, you can reach before that and start your Holi celebrations!

If you have even an ounce of hesitation left, this is our trump card! Not one, not two, nine days to celebrate Holi, that’s what awaits you in Vrindavan. The chain of celebrations starts on the 11th and continues till the 19th of March! Holi celebrations of day 1 and 2 in Barsana, day 3 in Nandgaon, day 4 at Banke Bihari Temple, day 5 in Gokul, day 6 at Gopinath Temple, day 7 and 8 in Mathura and finally, day 9 in Baldeo! Can’t decide which one is the best place to celebrate Holi in Vrindavan? Don’t then, plan a long trip and keep all these places on your list. Because Vrindavan’s Holi is going to be the most mind-blowing among the March festivals in India!

Hope you have saved the dates and started your planning. A tip here! Book a hotel way in advance because most hotels will be filled quite fast. After all, thousands of people come to Vrindavan for Holi celebrations. And on that note, wishing you a happy and safe Holi.