India Travel

Rangotsav (Holi) Festival In Mathura & Barsana

Rangotsav (Holi) Festival In Mathura And Barsana
Written by Ishan Mishra

Rangotsav festivals in Mathura and Barsana have always been a big affair.

Mathura and barsana fill with colors during the holi festival. Every alley and corner of the region witnesses the celebrations which could last for weeks.

Preparations for rangotsav start a week early and are celebrated a week ahead of holi. Many events take place during the festivals and the entire town of Mathura and barsana are decorated with colors and flowers.

According to the sources the preparations for the festivals are said to be done till 9th of march and are instructed by DM navneet singh chahal.

The PWD department was also instructed to make the roads connecting Barsana pothole-free, barricading the cisterns, arrangement of 33 parking places, arrangement of cranes, installation of 38 barriers.  Executive Engineer PWD said that Barsana to Govardhan road will be made pothole-free in a day.  The road from Kosi to Nandgaon will be completed by March 9.

The EO of the Nagar Panchayat will do the work of sending one boat, two divers in Priyakund, arrangement of painting at Rangili Chowk, arrangement of 31 tankers for drinking water, arrangement of 15 mobile toilets, animals roaming freely in cowsheds.  Work will be done to build 20 generators, lost and found centers for cleaning and lighting.  Along with decorating Barsana with grandeur, Teerth Vikas Parishad will organize a cultural program for two days at Radha Bihari Inter College.

Plastic has been mounted on 336 pillars by the Electricity Corporation.  Plastic will be installed on pillars in 212 Nandgaon.  Bad poles will be removed.  The CMO of the Health Department said that 9 camps, 11 ambulances, and two additional CMOs will stay in the fair for two days.  The ARM of the Transport Corporation said that 100 buses will be run in the fair for two days.  70 buses will run on Govardhan Road, 30 buses will run from Kosi Road.  SSP Dr. Gaurav Grover said that the Lathmar Holi Mela area will be monitored by CCTV.  Some constables will be posted in civil dress.

In the meeting, Yoganand Pandey ADM Finance, Harendra Malik SP Traffic, District Development Officer Sudha Singh, SDM Govardhan Sandeep Verma, SDM Umbrella Kamlesh Goyal, CO Govardhan Gaurav Tripathi, ARM Naresh Chand Gupta, SDM Mont Inder Nandan Singh, SDM Mathura DP Singh, CMO Dr. Ajay Kumar Verma, CFO Pramod Sharma, District Tourism Officer DK Sharma, Pankaj Verma of Braj Teerth Vikas Parishad etc. were present.

Where To Stay

For accommodation there are loads of dharamshalas, guesthouses,  and budget hotels in Mathura and Vrindavan. Just remember to book your room ahead of time, as there may not be any available during Holi week.

How To Reach

Reaching Mathura, Vrindavan and Barsana is easy from Delhi; many buses travel on a regular basis. The distance between Delhi and Mathura is 183 kilometers, and driving between the two cities through the Yamuna Expressway takes about 3 hours and 20 minutes. Alternatively, you can hire a cab and travel by train also arranged specially for holi festival.

4 Best Places To Visit In Mathura & Vrindavan During Holi

1. Shri Krishna Janmasthan Temple

Shri Krishna Janmasthan Temple

2. Dwarkadheesh Temple

Dwarkadheesh-Temple-Mathura.jpg

3. Vishram Ghat

Vishram-Ghat-Mathura.jpg

4. Banke Bihari Temple

Holi celebration in Mathura and Vrindavan is totally different. Here at Braj (the area consisting of Mathura, Vrindavan, Nandgaon and Barsana), you’ll find the entire city in the submerged in colors and everybody from the locals to the tourists, devotees, pilgrims, and even the priest celebrate Holi in a really joyful manner.

 

Date of the Holi celebrations — as said earlier, The actual date of Holi celebration in the entire country is on 18th March 2022. However, you’ll notice that celebrations in these cities and the surrounding areas begin at least a week before this date.

 

Other things to do in these cities during Holi — once you reach Mathura and Vrindavan, you aren’t limiting yourself to only the the Holi celebrations, but will also consider these things to do in the cities:

Day 1 – The Lathmar Holi of Barsana

Men from Nandgaon visit Barsana on the first day of Holi celebrations, about a week before the main Holi festival, to tease the women there with color splashes. This is to recall the moments between Lord Krishna and Goddess Radha, he visited this place to play with colors with her. Till today, you will find this tradition alive when the women mimic Goddess Radha and playfully beat the men visiting with a stick — that is why this is named as Lathmar Holi in India.

Day 2 – Lathmar Holi in Nandgaon

During the day 2 of Holi celebrations in Braj, you will find the men from Barsana visiting the ladies of Nandgaon and teasing them with splashes of colors. And in return the women from this city beat the men playfully with sticks and they try to defend themselves playfully.

Day 3 – Phoolwalon Ki Holi

The Banke Bihari Temple on Holi Day 3 will amaze you the most. On this day the festival is celebrated with colorful flowers. Yes, you read it right. The priest of the temple opens the gate at around 4:00 PM in the evening and sprinkles colorful flower petals on the devotees for half an hour. Not only this— he also sprinkles coloured water on them as well. 

Day 4 – Widow’s Holi

Sadly, a few years ago, the widows in these cities weren’t allowed to play Holi. But recently, this has stopped and now they are very much a part of this festival. During this, everybody heads towards the Pagal Baba Ashram. Here these widows have devoted their life to God and paint each other with beautiful colors.

Day 5 – Braj ki Holi

On the fifth day, you’ll have to be very active if you want to attend the entire buzz happening at Braj this Holi or to play the most glorious Holi at the Banke Bihari Temple at Vrindavan. You can be a part of the very jolly and super excited mob which participates in a cheerful procession and gets drenched in colors and Bhang. by evening, you’ll witness the Holika Dahan (the burning of edifice symbolizing evil – thereby welcoming the good).

Day 6 – Holi in Dwarkadheesh Temple

This is the actual day of Holi. You should visit the Dwarkadheesh temple in the morning at 10:00 AM to see the rush of devotees and locals enthusiastically playing with colors and drinking glasses and glasses of thandai. 

Day 7 – Huranga

On Huranga, head to the Daoji Temple during the 7th day of Holi. Basically here you’ll see the men becoming naughty and teasing the women with colors and the women not only beat these men with sticks but also strip them. This tradition becomes all the more exciting, with the added fun of colors and Bhang. 

About the author

Ishan Mishra