Holi at Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan

Holi at Banke Bihari Temple in Vrindavan is not just a festival in Vrindavan, its a celebration of life. Every year thousands of people throng to this beautiful town to celebrate Holi at the temple dedicated to Lord Krishna and play Holi with God himself.

Holi at Banke Bihari Temple, Vrindavan

The tradition of Holi at the Banke Bihari Temple is also really interesting. It is believed that on the day of Holi, the almighty only sits and observes his devotees play Holi and himself does not participate in the festivities. So it's actually the day before the main Holi festival, that the temple comes alive when God himself actually plays Holi with his devotees. The priests spray holy water and colors and the devotees chant in unison.

Check out the video below to know more about the Holi celebrations at Vrindavan. Also, do subscribe to my Travel Channel for more videos and stories from my Travels in India and across the globe.

Before going ahead, let us learn a bit more about the Banke Bihari Temple itself. The word 'Banke' means bent and 'Bihari' means enjoyer, and these words give the name to Lord Krishna here. The temple was established by Swami Haridas in the year 1862 and since then has become the cultural and the religious centre of the town.

The Holi celebrations at the temple starts at 9am and goes on till 1.30pm. As expected, there are thousands of devotees who come and play Holi and the place is packed through the hours the temple is open. However, most devotees come, play Holi and leave shortly. In my opinion, it's the photographers and journalists who stay here the longest. In the process they get to experience Holi for the longest, though most do not join the crowd to play Holi directly.

The Holi crowd at Banke Bihari Temple is unbelievable!

Colors getting splashed around!

Its a sight unlike any other, and no words or images can recreate the environment. You have to be there in person to experience the thrill, as you walk within the crowd and get sprayed with water and colors every few minutes. The energy within the space is unbelievable.

My visit to Vrindavan this year happened purely by chance, and was completely unplanned. This also meant that I ended up soiling my clothes and my camera (almost)! But at the end of the day I was a very satisfied man :)

Holi at Banke Bihari Temple is not the first major Holi celebration in the area, it actually starts with Lathmar Holi at Barsana a week before the actually Holi event.

Here are some images from Holi festival from the Temple.

Lots of people, lots of colors...Holi festivities at Banke Bihari Temple

The seat of God - Banke Bihari! 

Young men dancing to the music!

And more people playing Holi at the Banke Bihari Temple

It was great to walk within the crowds just in front of seat of Banke Bihari himself

Meanwhile outside the temple also there was lots of fun. People play for a while inside and soon shift outside to play even more. This is especially true for the localities who are prepared with colors and water and wait at the doorsteps of their houses in the narrow lanes all around the temple. I tried walking in those and got drenched multiple times. Then, I hatched a conspiracy with the kids and actually joined them in throwing colors on others - they considered me one of them and actually spared me any more collars :) Of course my camera was packed as I became the fearless warrior on the streets!

Right outside the temple there is also quite a bit of food (though I didn't see any bhang thandai), and people keep taking breaks to drink some chai, eat some kachori and bite into some jalebis. It's not the best food, but it's quite decent. I had come almost directly from the Railway Station, was was rather starved. Breakfast happened only around noon even as people continued to play more and more Holi with Banke Bhiari ji inside the temple.

Here are some images from the life ousted which is super fun and super colourful! I recommend spending as much time outside as inside, and also a few conversations with people. I now regret not interviewing some more people for my Tell me your Dream project. Next time I shall always be ready :)

And dandy, don't forget to leave me a comment if you liked the post :)

Banke Bihari Temple from outside

Let's throw some colors :)

A young girl ready to attack!

Bunch of local dudes in sunglasses :)

Spraying colors from cans!

Another colored face :)