The many moods of Holi at Vrindavan

Our reader Diptendu Roy, who was in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, shared a few images of the Holi festivities captured in his camera. It’s said playing Holi at Vrindavan or just being a part of the festivities is a once in a lifetime experience. You may not want to miss watching these images. We wish our readers a very Happy Holi!

Diptendu Roy
| Updated: Last updated on March 10th, 2020,

Our reader Diptendu Roy, who was in Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, shared a few images of the Holi festivities as captured by his camera. It’s said playing Holi at Vrindavan or just being a part of the festivities is a once in a lifetime experience.

Pic credit: Kosal Katha  

उड़त गुलाल लाल भये बादर, केशर रंग में घोरी रे रसिया This Holi visual is from Banke Bihari Temple. Around 25,000 people from across the country come to be a part of the Holi celebration in the city. Many foreigners visit as well
The Banke Bihari Temple was set up by Swami Haridas in 1864. This is the only temple which does not open up until 9 am. It is believed that the deity had been playing Ras Leele until late in the night because of which it is not woken up early
Holi is celebrated in a most wild and colourful way on the ghats of Mathura. The festival is celebrated for 40 days.
More than 2,000 widows celebrate Holi at Gopinath temple in Vrindavan. This aim is to end the social stigma associated with being a widow in India
It is believed that Lord Krishna would visit Barsana to play Holi with Radha and her friends. It is said that he, along with his friends, would tease them. The women in Barsana would playfully beat the boys up with sticks
Holi and Bhang have a symbiotic relationship. People believe that Holi is incomplete bhang. There are many Bhang shops in the lanes near the Vishram Ghat in Mathura
Imran has been cleaning Krishna’s idol for the past 17 years. He believes that cleaning these brass idols is a form of worship … ‘आ मिटा दें दिलों पे जो स्याही आ गई है, तेरी होली मैं मनाऊं, मेरी ईद तू मना ले!’
The Vishram Ghat, located on the banks of the Yamuna river in Mathura is the place where the traditional parikrama begins and ends. It is believed that Lord Krishna rested at this place after killing Kansa, who was his maternal uncle and the then king of Mathura
This image is from Dauji Temple Baldao Mathura. After playing with gulal, people here use watercolours, which are prepared using flowers. Lakhs of flowers are soaked in around 40,000 litres of water a day before the festival
To avoid any untoward incident, the Uttar Pradesh Police remains vigilant round the clock during the Holi festivities. They celebrate Holi a day after