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Witness the extraordinary Lathmar Holi festival in Barsana and Nandgaon, India, as Lord Krishna's love story unfolds amidst joyful celebrations. Immerse in the vibrant chaos of Holi's cultural and spiritual significance.
India is a land of vivid colours, and it is no surprise that we celebrate Holi as one of our major festivals. Considering our rich cultural heritage, it is no surprise that we have different customs and styles of observing a festival across the country. Lathmar Holi of Barsana and Nandgaon is one such occasion which is world-famous for its unique way of Holi celebration.Last year, some friends flew from Germany specially to witness the grandeur of this festival. Initially, I was sceptical about facing a sea of human crowds, but I decided to join them and experience this once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.
You will find Mathura and Vrindavan soaked in a joyful state during this time of the year. Book your stay in advance as finding a last-minute accommodation is difficult. We were fortunate to find a local in Vrindavan who explained the rituals, and we could not wait any further for it to begin.
Barsana is a small town in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is situated 42 km away from Mathura, which is the birthplace of Shri Krishna and around 7 km from Nandagaon, where the Lord spent his childhood. Holi in Mathura is an elaborate 13-day-long affair. Generally, Lathmar Holi is played in various villages in turns, the most special being the one in Barsana.Laddumaar Holi is celebrated a day before the main event. Radha Rani sends an invitation through her friends, the Raadha-sakhis and Raadha-daasis, from Barsana to Nandagaon. This is a grand procession which is witnessed by all the Gopis. The grand procession chariot stops in front of the Nanda Bhawan. The Brajgopis come down from the cart, placing the invitation on top of their head, and the Thakurji (Priest) in the Nanda Bhawan accepts the invitation on behalf of Lord Krishna.
To rejoice in the acceptance of this invitation, Laddumar Holi is celebrated at Radha Rani temple in Barsana. Thousands of Laddus (Indian sweetmeats) are thrown from the temple balcony towards the crowd standing below on the ground. The devotees have to make some effort to catch hold of at least one laddu prasad for themselves. It was a lot of fun and brought out my inner child as I caught more than one.
The Goswamiji in the Nanda Mahal receives the invitation, and the next day, everyone gets ready to attend Holi in Barsana. They take out the Dhwajarupi Gopal (a flag representing Krishna and Balaram) in a Chaupaayi and go to Barsana on foot. It is said that when Thakurji leaves for Barsana, the whole of Nandagaon becomes deserted. Even a non-devotee can feel the barren and lonely lanes of Nandagaon. The Nandagopals who take Thakurji from Nandagaon to Barsana are called Hooriyaars. Donning their traditional attire of dhoti kurta with turbans, thousands of Hooriyaars visit Nanda Baba and Yashoda Maiyya and ask their permission to take Krishna and Balaram to Barsana to play Holi.
The first stop of this procession is the Radha Raman Temple at Sanket Van. Next, the on-foot procession of Lord Krishna from Nandagaon receives a grand welcome in Priya Kund. They are offered eatables like Thandaai and Bhaang. Interestingly, the Gopals now tie big turbans on their head before entering Barsana to protect themselves from the Lathis. They are ready to play this special Holi with their Dhaals (shields). Throughout the journey, they are drenched in splashing colours and devotion. The procession moves forward and reaches Radha Rani temple. Here, a council is put forth between the two parties. The Brajgopis splash Abhir (gulaal) and other colours, prepared from Kesu flowers from the top of the Radha Rani temple. As if the water sprays are not enough, drums and big buckets are used. Meanwhile, the crowd of spectators is going crazy at this sight.
After two to three hours, the main celebration of Lathmar Holi begins in the afternoon from the Rangili Gali square. The legend is that Lord Krishna would come to Barsana with his friends, and Radha Rani used to playfully beat them with wooden sticks to chase them away. Hence, the beatings continue till the Gwalbaals surrender in defeat and run away from there. This custom is carried out in the same fashion every year to commemorate this legend.The Dhwajarupi Gopal is brought here, and the real fun begins. Now, the Gwal-balins are waiting in the lanes to attack the Gopals. The Hooriyars shield themselves from the loving and playful beatings of the wooden sticks. No doubt, a lot of tourists from all over the world are drawn to this unique sight.
The next day, Nandagaon Holi is celebrated. Radha Rani has successfully chased Lord Krishna and Nandabaals away. But later, she realised that in all the hustle, she forgot to take the colours brought by Shri Krishna. Now, she comes to Nandagaon to meet him and take Abhir. A flag as her representative, Dhwajarupi Shriji, is carried to the Nandagaon by the Brajgopis. The day prior, Nandagaon seemed barren because of Lord Krishna and Balaramji’s outing to Barsana. But today, the vibe has taken a complete turn.Small children dressed up as Krishna would welcome you to Nandagaon with loads of colours and water sprays. I simply cannot help and wonder if Lord Krishna was equally mischievous. You won’t be able to navigate through the Nandagaon lanes with ease. There is something or the other going on in each lane. We were drenched in the festive colours, pouring from everywhere.
There is faith that Shriji herself comes to Nandagaon in her divine form to enjoy the Holi festivities. That is why the Gwalabals here leave no stone unturned to give her a grand welcome. When we reached Nanda Bhawan, we got used to the festival's colour, noise, and madness. It seemed as if the sky is covered with colours. And after getting the divine darshan of the Lord here, I danced and sang with full bliss and surrendered to the mysticism along with all the devotees. I felt as if I had been transported to the Dwapar era. The sight here cannot be expressed in words. The bliss of the devotees can only be felt. The grandeur of this Holi celebration is unbeatable and unbelievable.Holi has been a personal favourite since childhood, with the splash of colours, joy and laughter around. But I never expected this experience could be so divine and overwhelming that I will dwell on it lifelong.
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