Being able to welcome the new season with immense positivity and joy in Lord Krishna’s birthplace, brings sheer contentment to everyone who celebrates Holi in Mathura and Vrindavan. That’s the beauty of these two places, their beauty gets further enhanced during this festival with so many pilgrims waiting to be coloured, in the colour of their favourite lord.
However, if you want to experience craziness with kids aiming water balloons at you, or if you want to witness crowds of men being chased away by sticks, then too, Mathura & Vrindavan are the places to be. 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.
So this, Holi book your package to Mathura and Vrindavan and celebrate your Holi in the divine land of Lord Krishna and Radha.
Listed below are few places you can visit during your trip.
- Phoolon Wali Holi
While Lord Krishna was born in Mathura, he spent most of his childhood in Vrindavan and used to visit Radha in her village, Barsana. Radha was a very fair and beautiful girl, and Krishna used to feel jealous of her.
He often used to complain to Yashoda, his mother, that why was his skin colour darker than Radha. Numerous hymns, try to capture the essence of this discourse between Krishna and Yashoda. One day Yashoda told him to colour Radha in the colour of his choice. Krishna then went to Barsana and covered Radha and her friends in roses and other flowers. Years later, devotees still come to Vrindavan especially to the Banke Bihari temple, to relive Krishna’s innocent Holi played with flowers.
A night before Holi, Ekadashi the Banke Bihari temple is decorated with flowers and different incarnations, and all the tourists and pilgrims visit the temple. The priests, throw flowers mixed with sandalwood on the people to begin the Holi celebrations.
The Phoolon Wali Holi will be played, on the 8th March at Banke Bihari Temple, Vrindavan.
- Widows Wali Holi
In India, widows have for centuries, been deprived of any pleasure in life, post the death of their husbands. They are not allowed to wear coloured clothes, makeup or any fancy thing that can be remarked as “pleasure” in life. And, for years widows have been prohibited from playing and celebrating Holi.
But widows from Pagal Baba Widow Ashram broke all the barriers as they rejoiced in Holi a few years back. This celebration of colour and freedom has become a tourist attraction now.
Every year a week before Holi, the Pagal Baba Widows comes together and smear dry colours on each other, they all sing and dance to the traditional songs of Holi and fill their colourless lives with an abundance of hopefulness and happiness. These widows gather at the Gopinath Temple, Vrindavan to celebrate this beautiful festival of colours and joy.
So, visit the Gopinath Temple, during your visit, make sure you visit these wide hearted widows and play Holi with them in the most genuine way, and rejoice in their happiness.
- Lath Mar Holi
With the significance that during Lord Krishna’s teenage year, to tease Radha, he, along with his friends, reached Barsana intending to smear colour on her. Radha and her girlfriends instead chased the boys with sticks out of Barsana.
An imitation the same is done in Barsana five days before the actual Holi, wherein six days before Holi, women pray at the Radha Rani temple and celebrate Holi by smearing colours on men. The next day, men visit the Radha Rani Temple to play colourful Holi with the women while they drive them away by using sticks, thus getting its name, Lath Mar Holi.
You would see men holding shields, while women hold big sticks not to let men put colours on them. It’s a strange picture of Holi but has a profound mythological reason. And you would surely want to witness and recreate an episode of history with the natives of Barsana.
- Banke Bihari Temple
The most visited temple of Vrindavan, and the location with the maximum fun during Holi. With people Climbed high onto the Temple walls, and the temple compound filled with hundreds of people all ready to play and immerse themselves in the true spirit of this 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.
Moreover, in case you’re not a huge fan of the stuffed compound, you can also get VIP passes to see Lord Krishna from the closest distance possible and celebrate Holi with his blessing.
- Mathura Holi Procession
After the festivities in the Banke Bihari Temple, the crowd gathers at the Vishram Ghat from where the procession begins. Then, it heads to the Holi Ghat, there are more than ten vehicles in the parade, each decorated with incarnations, music and in some, there are kids dressed up as Radha and Krishna dancing to the songs of their love and interactions. While proceeding, the people on the vehicles throw colours at others and celebrate Holi in its full swing.
Anyone with good photography skills and an eye for aesthetic beauty would be in their space during this rally; the colours, the smiles on everyone’s face, and the playfulness and happiness that people have for this festival are the most picturesque moments one may ever witness or capture!
Conclusion:
Mathura and Vrindavan are divine lands, and there is nothing better than celebrating this colourful festival in the birthplace of Lord Krishna. With serenity and joy filling the aura of these cities, you can be assured to have a peaceful and fulfiling Holi.
So, do not waste time thinking and wondering, get yourself the best deal by booking in advance! You never know when the prices of such bookings might become higher. The second step should be figuring out your conveyance options. For this, you should choose
ECOS (India) Mobility and Hospitality Pvt. Ltd. based out of Delhi, are known as premium ground transportation service providers. Check out www.ecorentacar.com to book the rental of your choice through a trustworthy site and travel hassle-free.
Moreover, there are a lot of travel websites offering deals covering all the prominent locations for the Holi celebration. You can compare these packages and pick the one that suits you best so that you have a great experience on a shoestring budget.
