With some days still left for the grand festival Holi, celebrations have already begun in the temple town of Vrindavan with Rangbhari Ekadashi. Long queues were seen outside major temples on Friday as devotees gathered from early morning.
Traditional ‘rasiya’ hymns filled the air, creating a festive mood across the town.
The celebrations were also made accessible to devotees worldwide. The Shri Bankey Bihari Temple launched a live darshan telecast service. The streaming started at 7.55 am within the temple premises and from 1 pm on its official social media platforms, news agency ANI reported.
Priests at the temple said Lord Bankey Bihari began the festivities by symbolically playing Holi with devotees.
{{/usCountry}}Priests at the temple said Lord Bankey Bihari began the festivities by symbolically playing Holi with devotees.
{{/usCountry}}Gyanendra Kishore Goswami, a sewayat (priest), said the ritual started with Thakur ji sprinkling saffron, rose water, tesu extract and scented water from a pichkari on Radha Rani. This was followed by a playful exchange of colours.
Tracing the tradition to the Dwapar Yuga, he said it is believed that Radha first applied colour to Lord Krishna’s cheeks, marking the origin of Holi in Braj.
After the Ekadashi rituals, gujia and jalebi were offered as prasad. The deity was dressed in white garments and will continue to wear them until Dhulandi, when pink attire will be worn.
Holi celebrations will take place during both morning and evening darshan sessions.
Historian Prahlad Ballabh Goswami said the custom of singing Holi Rasiya in Braj has a long history. He noted that both Hindu and Muslim poets have contributed to these compositions. Hymns such as “Aaj Biraj mein Holi re Rasiya” echoed through temples and the narrow lanes of the town.
Anant Goswami, another temple priest, said Swami Haridas would sing devotional verses while serving the deity. This tradition continues today. Devotees also participated in flower Holi. Laddu Holi and Jalebi Holi will be organised in the coming days.
Shashank Goswami, a temple sewayat, said devotees showed great enthusiasm despite the heavy rush. However, he raised concerns about movement restrictions imposed by authorities, saying they caused inconvenience to senior citizens, women and local residents.
Safety measures amid heavy footfall
Officials temporarily shut power supply to three local transformers at Cheer Ghat, Kesi Ghat and the road to Jugal Ghat near the Radha Ballabh Temple as a precaution. Authorities said large crowds were moving close to electricity panels.
Sub-Divisional Officer Sandeep said supply would be restored once the crowd thinned. He clarified that major temples did not face any power disruption.
Police, fire, electricity and health department teams were deployed along the Parikrama Marg. District Magistrate Chandra Prakash Singh said officials have been instructed to check the use of harmful chemical colours.
Senior Superintendent of Police Shlok Kumar said strict vigil has been ordered. Action will be taken against miscreants, especially those behaving inappropriately towards women, children and senior citizens.
Authorities are also monitoring rumours. A QR code system has been introduced to provide information on hospitals, parking areas, police help centres and health camps.
Foreign devotees join celebrations
At the Radha Damodar Temple, more than 200 foreign devotees joined the celebrations. The rituals had begun during the previous evening’s darshan. The deities played Holi using a silver pichkari while dressed in basanti attire. Prasad was distributed among devotees.
Sukrati Lal Goswami of the Radha Ballabh Temple said a procession with drums and nagaras would pass through prominent areas of the town to invite devotees for evening celebrations. He added that the day also marks the divine wedding of the deity.
Prominent saint Swami Awadheshanand said Holi in Braj is not merely celebrated but "lived", with devotees expressing devotion through song and dance.
(With ANI inputs)