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10 Places to Celebrate Holi in India - Festival of Colors

  • Admin
  • 24 May 2023
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"Rang barse bheege chunarwali / Rang barse….”. Rang or colours add an extra dimension to our daily life and are ingrained in the social fabric of India. So is the 'festival of colours'- Holi, which is celebrated with joy, pomp, vigour, food, music and dance all over India.

Holi, also known as Basant Utsav, announces the end of winter and marks the beginning of the King of the seasons, Spring or Rituraj Basant, which has a rich religious and social background. The celebration usually starts with the spraying of powdered colours dissolved in water in the morning and ends with the spraying of gulaal or aabir in the evening.

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Youngsters go around touching the feet of the elders and seeking their blessings with a pinch of gulaal. Different sweet dishes are also prepared and savoured with love.

As stated earlier, Holi in India has many forms. You can go completely religious and witness it in a subdued form or you can enjoy it full flegedly with bhang and a DJ.

Also read: 

When is Holi celebrated in India in 2024?

This year, Holi is celebrated on 25th March 2024 with Holika Dahan on 24th March 2024.

Come, let's visit the various parts of the country and get a glimpse of the festival in different avatars.

1. Mathura, Uttar Pradesh


The celebrations start a week before the actual date. So you can well imagine the degree of enthusiasm with which the festival is being celebrated. Being the birthplace of Lord Krishna, it is one of the best places to visit during Holi. According to folklore, the throwing of colours originated with Radha and Krishna doing the same.

Temples are decorated, and a colorful musical procession starts from the temples to the Holi ghat to the river. A religious ambiance is created with chants and hymns. The Dwarkadhish Temple is a site worth visiting in Mathura.

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2. Vrindavan and Barsana, Uttar Pradesh


These two places form a religious pair together as Lord Krishna spent his childhood in Vrindavan, and Barsana is the birthplace of Sri Radha, the consort of the Lord. Therefore, the love for Radha and Krishna is very well reflected through the ancient traditions, devotion, and the uniqueness of the celebrations.

Phoolon wali Holi, as the name suggests, is played with flower petals being showered by the priests of the Banke Bihari Temple on the pilgrims in Vrindavan.

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3. Barsana


Barsana has the tradition of Lath-mar Holi wherein the female folks beat up men from Nandgaon in friendly banter. This is the place where the Lord used to tease the ladies. The Ladliji temple, dedicated to Sri Radha Rani, will greet you with its unique traditions.

Delicacies like laddo, thandai, sweets, and songs reverting to the love story of Radha and Krishna will give you an intoxicating experience.

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4. Delhi


The National Capital of India also comes in the list of the best places to celebrate Holi. The effigy of Holika is burnt as a symbol of the victory of good over evil. The next day, people enjoy the Holi with non-toxic colors, street food, DJ, bhang, etc, amidst 40 National and International performers. Holi Moo is also one of the popular events.

If you are planning to celebrate Holi in Delhi. Choose the Indian Luxury train travel journeys:

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5. Shantiniketan, West Bengali

‘ ore grihobashi ..khol daar khol, laglo j dol.. ‘

The Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore introduced the festival of Holi as a symbol of universal love and brotherhood. Since then, the Basant Utsav has been celebrated in a very unique way. Students of the university get dressed in Basanti or yellow colored garments. Women adorn their heads with palash and krisnachura flowers. A lively procession singing songs of Tagore celebrates the festival with dance and aabir.

A huge gathering of tourists and locals throngs the premises to witness this proud moment of the Bengali culture. 

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6. Anandpur Sahib, Punjab

Different Holi celebrations can be witnessed here, as instead of colours, blue-clad Sikh monks called Nihangs can be seen participating in mock sword fights, wrestling, acrobatic military exercise, and turban tying. Known as Hola Mohalla, this annual event dates back to 1701, which was started by Guru Govind Singh as a protest against the rising Mughal intolerance. This traditional form of martial art performed by the fierce Sikh warriors is known as ghatkha.

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7. Hampi, Karnataka


For a simpler version of Holi, you can opt for Hampi, where it is celebrated for 2 days. The crowd welcomes the Spring amidst the spraying of colours, drumming, and dancing against the backdrop of the ruins of the Vijaynagara empire. All around you can see colorful races filled with joy. At the end, people wash off after frolicking in the Tungavadra river.

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8. Puruliya, West Bengal


If you want a change, you can opt for a tribal flavour of Holi in the tribal district of West Bengal. Basant Utsav is celebrated in 3rd day long festival. The special attractions include the Chhou dance, the Natua dance, the Darbari Jhumur, and the songs of the wandering folk baul singers. A carnival-like ambiance is created by the drum beats accompanied by the acrobatic stunts.

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9. Jaipur, Rajasthan

Elephants comprise the key element in the royal celebrations of Holi in Jaipur. Elephant Parade, elephant beauty contests, and elephant tug of war were the popular lures in the past when it came to extravagant Holi celebrations.

Due to the pressure from some Animal Welfare groups, the event has not been held since 2012.

You may try Eliholi or some private parties for your Holi enjoyment.

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10. Mumbai, Maharashtra


The megacity of Mumbai celebrates Holi in its signature style with matki phor as its main event. Coupling the age-old traditions with modern fun can really be interesting.

Going by the naughty gimmicks of Lord Krishna, the boys assume themselves as the gual baal and form a huge human pyramid around the coloured pots of makhan, milk, and colored water. One among them climbs up the pyramid as the Lord did to steal makhan from the market to conquer them. Spraying of colours, food, dance, and  Bollywood music follows.

So, lets drown ourselves in the divine love of Radha Krishna and sing “ aaysi hori kabahu na kheli, kabahu na yuu Rang daari …. “

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11. Udaipur, Rajasthan


Holi is the color of the festival that is celebrated throughout the city. Royal celebrations are seen around the City Palace and Manek Chowk, but the local markets of old Udaipur and the narrow lanes do not celebrate Holi.

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