Among all the Holi celebrations in India, Barsana, Vrindavan Braj and Mathura deserve a special mention. People from all corners of India, indeed the world, gather every year in Mathura-Vrindavan to feel the essence of Holi in the land of Krishna.
People relive the Holi legends associated with Radha and Krishna and play the pranks that young Krishna played on the gopis, the girls who herded cattle. Just breathe this air and immerse yourself in the feeling of love and romance. The myriad colors of Holi are merely a facade over this.
With an immensely strong bond with Krishna, the people of Mathura and Vrindavan celebrate Holi for over a week. Every major Krishna temple celebrates Holi on a different day. There, the effigies are paraded through the streets and whose names are extolled by the crowds: Shri Radhey! Shri Krishna!, to the rhythm of the great drums, known as dhols.
The most popular and characteristic location to celebrate Holi is Mathura, a small village 70 km south of Delhi. The most significant and famous events take place around this area, and the main day takes place right in the town of Mathura.
And here we are: below is a list to outline the fundamental steps of the party and where they take place.
1: Lathmar Holi (Barsana and Nandgaon)
The first event is perhaps the most characteristic, because it sees women chasing men and beating them with a stick (Lathis) and for this reason it is called Lathmar Holi. The cities where Lathmar Holi is celebrated are Barsana and Nandgaon.
From the village Nandgaon where he lived, Krishna and his friends used to go to Radha's village, Barsana, to "colour" her and her friends, and in turn the girls would playfully beat the boys, with twigs (a tradition that is still maintained today, during the Holi celebrations).
Like every other Radha-Krishna story, this one too has become a tradition and has evolved into the festival we know so well. The celebrations of Mathura Vrindava Holi begin a week earlier than the rest of the country and continue till the last day of the celebrations.
I recommend reaching these locations early in the morning so you can enjoy the moments of dancing and throwing colors, before it fills up with people and consequently even simply walking through the streets becomes much more difficult.
How does it work? Along the streets there will be these women with their faces covered who will take turns beating men who are defending themselves with a shield.
When to go to Barsana or Nandgaon? The event starts about 7 days before the main Holi in Barsana and 6 days before in Nandgaon, but the dates change every year so check carefully before you go.
How to Get to Barsana or Nandgaon? If you are in Delhi the best solution is to take a taxi, or a train to Mathura. If you are in Mathura, you can take a taxi or a tuktuk or you can take public transport (bus)
2: Phoolon wali Holi (Vrindavan)
Vrindavan, in Uttar Pradesh, is the city of 5000 temples, the one where Krishna is said to have spent his childhood. Holi is particularly popular in Vrindavan, so much so that residents and visitors begin celebrating a week before with throwing colors, petals and other traditional rituals.
The small Banke Bihari temple, located in the heart of Vrindavan, becomes the scene of one of the most incredible and spectacular celebrations of Holi. In fact, in this temple, it is not colors that are thrown but flowers! The visual impact is very spectacular and it is definitely an event you cannot miss!
The whole thing takes place at 4 pm and lasts for about 15-20 minutes, during which flowers are thrown to the devotees who have gathered in the temple. If you are not on time it is very easy to miss the event given the huge queue of people that forms to enter the temple, so we recommend that you be there at least an hour early to be among the first to enter.
Due to the small size of the temple and the huge amount of people trying to get in, it is very easy to get trapped in the sea of humans. It is better to be among the first to avoid finding yourself in the middle of the bulk of the crowd.
How to reach Vrindavan? From Delhi it is possible by taxi or from Mathura by shared local vehicles.
Another interesting place for Holi celebrations is Gulal-Kund in Braj, a beautiful lake near Govardhan mountain. Here the festival is commemorated on a more regular basis. Pilgrims can see Holi reenactments throughout the year at this lake. The local boys, who act in the Krishna-Lila drama troupes, enact Holi scenes for the pilgrims.
3: Widow's Holi (Vrindavan)
Widows in India have always had a difficult life. Many times they are removed from their homes and forced to live in Ashrams in Varanasi or Vrindavan. At first, tradition wanted widows to dress in white during this celebration and not use colors, but this tradition has changed for some years, because widows have also decided to use colors.
This event takes place at the Gopinath Temple in Vrindavan, around 12 pm.
4: Holi at Banke Bihari Temple (Vrindavan)
This is the second major event that is held in this temple. This time, instead of throwing flowers, the holy men throw the classic colored powder or water.
When does it take place? This event takes place the day before the main event, from 9 am to 12 pm. Unlike the flower throwing event, where there is little time to enter the temple, here the whole thing lasts at least 3 hours and so there is no need to rush and hurry.
Despite this, I recommend arriving at least 10 minutes before the temple opens because in the first hour everything is much more liveable and the crowds are much smaller. The festival takes place mainly inside the temple, but I assure you that even along the streets there will be no way to escape the colors.
5: Procession to Mathura
It is on the ghats of Mathura, the birthplace of Krishna, where Holi is most intensely celebrated. This colourful and fun procession starts from Vishram Ghat and goes to Holi Gate.
After the event at the Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan in the morning, go to Mathura where there is a beautiful procession of chariots enacting religious scenes, or you can find chariots with local music that party-goers line up to dance. Of course, there is no shortage of opportunities to throw colors or colored water at each other here too.
I recommend being on the streets of Mathura around 3 pm as the parade starts around 4 pm or so. To enjoy it at its best, it is suggested to find a raised point along the streets where the parade will pass, so you can take photos and enjoy the event calmly. Afterwards, you can't miss the classic walk through the crowd that dances, sings and throws colors!
In the evening after the procession there are other small shows in the streets. The largest one takes place in the evening around 10 pm in front of the Holi gate, which is the gate that marks the entrance to the old town of Mathura.
The main event takes place in front of this entrance, where the effigy of Holika is burned, creating a huge bonfire. Besides this, I suggest going for a walk along the banks of the Ghat where there will be many small religious functions.
When? One day before the main event.
How to reach the location? From Delhi it is possible with a taxi or if you have been to the event in Vrindavan in the morning it is advisable to take one of the many shared vehicles.
5: Main Day
The main event takes place all over the country of Mathura and starts from the first light of the day. Beyond the festive streets, one can go to the Dwarkadheesh temple where, like in the other temples, people dance, throw colors and celebrate.
I recommend being at the temple shortly before 10 am, which is the opening time. During the main day of Holi, you just have to walk through the streets of the town to witness street concerts, local dances and of course end up getting smeared by the classic throwing of colors.
At the historic Dwarikadhish temple in Mathura, the festival starts very early around 7 am with the preparation of the traditional drink of this festival, Bháng. At the gate of the Dwarikadhish temple, many people gather and wait singing and dancing till the time of the temple opening.
The priest marks the beginning of the festival by throwing colours on the crowd. It is a delightful experience to see so many people playing Holi, singing and dancing. The atmosphere here in this temple is very serene and friendly.
6. Huranga: Dauji Temple
The day after Holi, about 30 km away from Mathura, the unique farewell to Holi is celebrated at the Dauji temple, where women tear off men's clothes and beat them with them. What this tradition offers is a fun and colorful image as Holi is played by throwing colored powder.
