For many of us, the meaning of Holi has changed very much since we grew up. We all used to play outside with water guns, gulals and balloons. But now, Holi means the day you expect your Whatsapp to flood with Happy Holi wishes or Instagram images popping with holi colours. Bollywood holi songs playing, society celebrations or holi parties with friends. However, the streets generally remain quiet as societies have turned nuclear, and Holi celebration has become a closed affair, especially in metro cities. To experience the real essence of Holi and explore the places in India that remain rooted in the traditional customs and folk tales, and celebrate Holi with full fervor, we take you to Vrindavan, the land of Lord Krishna.
You get to experience the wildest, sane Holi in Northern India where everyone comes together to celebrate, enjoy thoroughly and immerse yourself in this joyful festival. It’s a true delight for your spirit and soul, to witness Holi here. Colours thrown in the air, people happily smearing colours on each other, and secretly feeling the presence of Lord Krishna in the premise is the ultimate bliss.
The Holi celebrations at the Banke Bihari Temple starts at 9am and goes on till 1.30pm. Thousands of devotees come and play Holi here and the place is packed throughout the open hours. A riot of colours can be seen at the Temple where the magnificent celebrations begin on Choti Holi, the day of Holika Dahan. The temple comes alive on this day with such lively and powerful energy and colours all around in the air and on devotees’ faces. The priest of the temple throws colors, flowers and holy water on the crowd with everything chanting Lord Krishna’s name together in unison.
What makes Holi celebration in Banke Bihari Temple even more enthralling is that God (Lord Krishna) also celebrates the festival with his devotees. Devotees are allowed to apply color to the lord who is adorned with white clothes.
It was a celebration of life and an unforgettable experience at Banke Bihari Temple which cannot be described or recreated by pictures. One should surely visit Vrindavan around Holi to experience the magic. We had so much fun documenting the whole celebration which started from the streets itself. People were throwing colours on each other without any differences, wishing a Happy Holi.
We went to see Holika Dahan in the evening near the Guru Sangha Ashram. The effigies were set up at different places around the city on short distances. Children were running around, bringing “Pooja Samagri” and later on enjoying the heat after playing all day with water.
The next day on Holi, we went to Radha Radha Raman Temple. Celebrating Holi here was a crazyyy experience! All the devotees were covered in different colours and dancing to ‘Ho Ho Ho Holi Haiiiii’ together. They were loving getting clicked as water guns, dry and wet colours were smeared on everybody inside the temple complex while devotional music or bhajans are played in the background.
We made a short visit to Raman Reiti Temple where wet holi was being played in the evening.
On the last day, we planned to take the bus from Mathura to Delhi as I wanted to see the Yamuna Aarti at Vishram Ghat there. It was a 30 min ride from Vrindavan to Mathura. We did some shopping first and ate sweets from near the Holi Gate and then walked towards Vishram Ghat. Those were such beautiful and pious moments as I felt so calm and happy, sitting on the boat, which charged a small amount for watching the Aarti with a front and better view. There were hundreds of people more to pray and take blessings from the Lord.
It was a sudden plan, hence we were not able to experience the other Holi festivities which start a week before the Main Holi. Here’s a list of the other important events :
- Lathmar Holi in Barasana and NandGaon
- Phoolon Wali Holi in Mathura and Vrindavan
- Widow Holi at Pagal Baba Widow Ashram in Vrindavan
- Dhulandi Holi in Mathura Vrindavan
- Huranga Holi celebration in Dauji temple, Baldeo, Mathura
Stay and Food:
Book in Advance. There are a lot of options depending on the budget and accommodation but it is very hard to find a room around or on Holi upon reaching. Also, pick a hotel close to the venue so you don’t have to travel much on the day.
There’s not much food variety or shops opened on Holi, so stock your hotel room with food, lest you starve on the day of Holi. You’ll find kachori, gujiya, jalebi, puri, dhokla, lassi, bhang, etc on the streets to cherish. Also, food delivery apps don’t deliver in Vrindavan.
Tips and Important Information:
- Dress appropriately and wear clothes covering most of the body. Wear a cap or a scrap to cover your head and sunglasses (Beware of monkeys, they take away sunglasses)
- If you’re a photographer, protect your gear with a rain cover or plastic wraps. It will be impossible to change lenses during the celebration as there will be color and water all around, so carry a lens that can capture fast movements quickly in low light.
- If you’re a girl like me, avoid going Solo as it is not much safe there for us. There are many miscreants and guys eve-teasing or trying to harass by later on saying “Bura na mano Holi hai”
- Do not carry any valuables.
- Do proper Research and Planning for a real and better experience.
How To Reach:
You can travel from Delhi to Mathura by train or road as the distance is around 141kms (by train) and 162kms (by road), and Mathura to Barsana is around 50kms. Vrindavan is about 12 kms and a 30-minute cab ride away from Mathura.
wanderersodyssey.travel.blog 
Thank you. It was very informative
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