Every year on Holi, the world stands divided in to two kinds of people.Those who remain on one side of the shut door, away from the colours and mayhem, and those who open that door, move out and colour the town red. To people on both sides of the door, may we interest you in bringing in this year’s Holi like you have never done before? Ya, even those who go out and splash in pools of colours, there is one more way to celebrate Holi. And those staying away from all the colours, you will fall in love with this Holi. :)

For the uninitiated, there is Holi and then there is ‘Braj ki Holi’. Braj is the region in Uttar Pradesh with Mathura, Vrindavan, Nandgaon and Barsana under its belt, all of them having played a key role in Lord Krishna’s childhood. So, basically Braj is where the real action on Holi is, where it all started. Braj gets intoxicated in colours, celebrates its love and affection for Radha-Krishna and this way of celebrating Holi is unlike all the ways it has been done in the rest of the country. It has to be experienced to be believed.

The festivities begin a week in advance, so you can start packing already. Here’s what awaits you in Braj bhoomi:

1. Witness the playful Lathmar Holi in Barsana and Nandgaon

The legend goes that Lord Krishna along with his friends visited Radha’s village (Barsana) to play Holi with her and her friends. The women then chased them away. On days prior to the Holi day, men from Nandgaon dressed up as Lord Krishna visit Barsana to play Holi where women, dressed as Radha, playfully beat them with sticks (also called lathi in Hindi). And hence the name, Lathmar Holi.

immerse in the huge crowd in the huge compound of Radha Rani temple and watch this fun, crazy spectacle unfold.

2. Watch the love and romance of raas leela at Gulal Kund

Gulal Kund is a beautiful lake near Govardhan Mountain. What’s not to be missed here are local people performing the Krishna leela and re-enacting scenes of Holi for the visitors. Although this happens all through the year here, a visit on Holi is a must to catch all the festive fervor.

3. Feel one with Krishna at Bankey Bihari Temple

Everything, yes everything, fades, all your previous experiences of Holi pale, when you stand here, lost in the crowd. When Lord Krishna, dressed in all whites, is brought closer to the devotees to play Holi with, when coloured water, gulal and flowers are showered by the priests on everyone present in the compound, when the music and bhajans fill the air; in that moment, you will understand why we said everything fades in front of this. And you would only agree that there is no other place you would rather be at.

4. Do the temple-hopping

Oh yes, almost all the temples in Mathura-Vrindavan have some special events lined up during the days leading up to Holi. The best way to soak in the atmosphere is to hop around temples and witness a Holi you have never seen before. 

5. While there, do the Bhang!

There is no Holi without this Holi special. And here, you will find yourself amidst all the bhang action. With the intoxicating atmosphere, there is no way you wouldn’t indulge in a glass or two of bhang-laced thandai and some bhang spiked ladoos!

Enough convincing! You have no excuses, it’s an extended long weekend. Happy Braj-wali Holi to all you lovely people!

 

Naina Madan

From CA to advertising to writing, life has been a true roller-coaster ride. Not that I mind it. When not figuring out how to earn money to finance the travel, coffee and books, I am day-dreaming the travel, the coffee smell and virtually sniffing through new released books.

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