Photos: India celebrates festival of colours, Google marks Holi with doodle

Holi also known as the festival of colours was celebrated with great fervour across the country on Thursday. Celebrations begin a night before with Holika Dahan which symbolises destruction of evil, just the way Holika, the sister of the demon king Hiranyakashipu, was killed in the fire. The festival also marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring.

Updated on: Mar 21, 2019 7:03 PM IST

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People dance as others throw coloured powder during Holi celebrations in New Delhi. India on Thursday celebrated the festival of colours--Holi--with full fervour and enthusiasm. (Adnan Abidi / REUTERS)

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Devotees are sprayed with coloured water as they celebrate the festival at the Kalupur Swaminarayan Temple, in Ahmedabad. Holi, the popular Hindu spring festival of colours is observed in the country at the end of the winter season on the last full moon of the lunar month. (Sam Panthaky / AFP)

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Celebrations begin a night before with Holika Dahan here seen in Patna, wherein people perform religious rituals in front of a bonfire and pray for the destruction of evil, just the way Holika, the sister of the demon king Hiranyakashipu, was killed in the fire. (PTI)

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A girl is smeared in colours in Ahmedabad. Amritsar, Kanpur, Vrindavan, Varanasi, Ahmedabad, Tripura, Ludhiana, Bhopal are amongst the few cities that celebrate the festival in a grand manner. (Santosh Hirlekar / PTI)

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Holi, better known as Doljatra in West Bengal, was also being celebrated by the Gaudiya Vaishnavites at temple town Nabadwip. In Shantiniketan, the abode of Rabindranath Tagore, ashramites of Visva Bharati - students and teachers - took part in Basanto utsab, to herald Spring as Tagore song ‘Ore Grihobasi’ rent the air. (Rupak De Chowdhuri / REUTERS)

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People seen celebrating the festival at Central Park in New Delhi. Colours of all hues and the smell of gulal pervaded streets as people of all ages celebrated the festival. (Sanchit Khanna / HT Photo)

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A boy reacts as he is splashed with coloured water during celebrations in Chennai. Giving out all the colourful festive vibes, Google, on Thursday, dedicated its doodle to the festival of Holi celebrated across India. Splashing colours, music, food and lots of happiness, the Doodle, designed by Chennai-based artist Chaaya Prabhat, features everything that Holi stands for. (P. Ravikumar / REUTERS)

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A devotee covered in coloured powder prays during Holi, at a temple in New Delhi. Festivities also include some lip-smacking sweets and savouries, as well as bhang- a customary drink made from cannabis. (Dominique Faget / AFP)

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Visually impaired students of LightHouse for the Blind celebrate with flowers on the eve of Holi in Kolkata. (Arijit Sen / HT Photo)

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People could be seen playing Holi in different ways at different places, here seen a group of people playing with tomato pulp as part of the celebrations in Ahmedabad. (Amit Dave / REUTERS)

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A woman reacts as devotees apply coloured powder on her face during celebrations outside a temple on the outskirts of Kolkata. While the festival is predominantly celebrated in India and Nepal, the festival, these days, is widely celebrated in other Asian and Western countries owing to the presence of Indian diaspora in these regions. (Rupak De Chowdhuri / REUTERS)