Mathura, Vrindavan drenched in colour on Lathmar Holi

Mathura, UP, March 22: Five days before the actual Holi festival, women revelers beat men with sticks in the traditional Lathmar Holi at Barsana, the village of Lord Krishna's consort Radha. Thousands of pilgrims and tourists thronged a little known hamlet of Barsana near Mathura where hundreds of village women revellers chased and beat men with wooden sticks in the colourful festival that heralds the arrival of Holi, the festival of colours. The festivities began after men donning colourful turbans and dressed in traditional attire of lose shirt and trouser visit the local Radha Rani temple in Nandgaon and get smeared in herbal colours while offering prayers. Geared with shields, the coloured men then head towards Barsana near Mathura in UP where local women draped in vibrant saris wait for them with wooden and bamboo sticks. Legend has it that Lord Krishna visited his beloved Radha's village on this day and playfully teased Radha and her friends. Since then, men from Krishna's village, Nandgaon, visit Barsana to play Holi in the town which is also renowned for having the only temple dedicated to Radha in India. Celebrating the unique age-old tradition women chase men away with sticks in the alleys of the town. Men also sing provocative songs in a bid to invite the attention of the women armed with sticks. Women then go on the offensive and use long sticks to beat men who protect themselves with shields as they shout the names of Hindu deities ‘Sri Radhey or Sri Krishna.' The annual festival has become immensely popular over the years and now draws hundreds of devotees from across the country along with tourists who flock the town to witness the unique festival. “We come here each year to play Holi and celebrate the festival with great zeal. The festival is celebrated with much fanfare here, people smear colours on each other including children and elderly persons,” said Rachna, a devotee from Punjab. Meanwhile, men and women sprayed and smeared colours at each other during a colourful procession that was taken out on the streets. People from across India visit Barsana to play this Holi with great enthusiasm. A visibly thrilled tourist from Switzerland, who witnessed the festival for the first time said he had never experienced something as exciting as this. “It is very cool to see so many people, come together to party and throw colours and celebrate. It's cool to see the unity of the people. In my country we have celebrations in which people come together and have a good time but nothing to the extent of the waythat Indians do it,” said Adam, a holidaying tourist from Switzerland. A local woman who participated in beating the men further explained the mythological significance of the festival. “People come from Nandgaon posing as Lord Krishna to play Holi with those who pose as Radha during which men are beaten with sticks hence the festival is called ‘Lathmar Holi.' On the second day women go to Nandgaon to celebrate the festival. The festival is celebrated in the spirit of brotherhood,” said Renu Singh, a devotee. Holi is celebrated for 45 days in villages of Mathura District, as the entire Braj region has millions of devotees of Lord Krishna. The celebrations are considered incomplete without the 'Lathmar' Holi event. Holi brings together people from all classes and age groups as they play with colours, distribute sweets other than taking out processions. This year, the main festival of Holi would be celebrated on March 27.