Huranga or Holi at Dauji Temple is one the last prominent Holi celebrations around Mathura and its possibly one of the most fun one as well. A day after Holi in Mathura all hell brakes loose in a small and sleepy town called Baldeo - women beat and strip the men and then throw around their clothes. The men chased by hundreds of women try to take cover, but there is no getting away from it!
Typically, only members from the original family participate in the Huranga though others are welcome to come and witness and take photographs. In reality, any man caught by the women gets stripped and beaten and I barely escaped three such attacks on me :)
Read more about other Holi celebrations around Mathura in the following photo-stories:
The tradition of Holi here is dates back to about 500 years when the Dauji Maharaja Temple was set up in this village. This was done by the head of a specific rich family. With time the family expanded in size and now almost the entire village actually claims lineage from the original family.
History of Huranga at Dauji Temple
The tradition of playing is also unique here. In fact its not called Holi, but Huranga - which means a much more aggressive form of Holi! And interestingly, all the aggression is shown by the women on men, with men simply saving themselves from the rather violent womenfolk. Only members from the original family participate in the Huranga though others are welcome to come and witness and take photographs. In reality, any man caught by the women gets stripped and beaten and I barely escaped three such attacks on me :)
Its absolutely normal for the men to get stripped off their shirts, sometimes more!
All for fun :)
Even if the men lose, they end up having a lot of fun :)
The event
At around 12.30pm, the gates open and men walk into the central courtyard of the temple with buckets full of colors. Women in the traditional colourful clothes are already there and the moment they see men, they attack and strip each man of his upper clothing (though I saw some looking embarrassed in their wet underwear as well), and then beat them up with their own wet clothes. Men hug each other to save one another and women catch one man after the other and show them their power. Men run and tease and men gang up and make strategies to let no one escape. Its all in happy, festive spirits.
There is free-flowing bhang before the event starts though!
And Pooja before the courtyard opens up!
And finally the actual crazy event - Huranga at Dauji :)
The Radha-Krishna connection
The theme basically comes from the Rasleela of Radha-Krishna when they used to play Holi during their days. Krishna and friends would tease the young girls and they would get upset and beat them up! Now the women take their responsibility to live up to the name of Gopis very seriously and I am sure Radha would be impressed with them now!
Women as Radhas
Bunch of women at the exit of the temple
The Afterparty!
I spent quite sometime there clicking pictures, but it was most fun when I actually decided to pack my gear and simply just jump into the red pond of colors within the temple courtyard. Initially it was just kids and I decided to become just like them. I was already in Mathura for a few days and was yet to play Holi properly, and for me this was it! I took off my shirt and decided to jump in by sliding into the water, and also by making water fairies :)
My friends also joined me in later and we had some super fun splashing water on each other as well as other gangs of kids/ guys - all in the spirit of 'Bura na mano Holi hai'. Things almost did get out of hands, but thankfully it did't go beyond posturing. In the end we all hugged and said our goodbyes!
A young man bathing at the pond behind the temple
Young and the old - all participate :)
Kids :)
It's quite a busy life inside the temple - perfect place for the cameras to get water soaked!
Stripped men smiling :)
People come from far and wide to witness this family tradition
Great posts on Holi! It's becoming very useful for me as my hubby and I are heading into India for Holi. For two foreigners like us, is it fairly easy to enter the temples in Mathura/Vrindavan that you mentioned in your posts to observe the festivities? Or do we need to hire a guide?
We were just thinking of doing this trip ourselves and getting train out from Delhi on March 11 to Mathura, using it as our homebase for the next few days.
Any advice you may have for us would be greatly appreciated! I can also be contacted at pam@worldleetravels.ca
It's doable without a guide, but a reliable guide will certainly make it more convenient. None of the westerners I saw there had guides, so I guess it should be ok :)
Please be prepared for improvisations at the event. I have done my best to detail out each of the events, but things often don't go as per plan.
Nice captures!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful pictures!! Amazing!!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks Aravind :)
ReplyDeleteThanks buddy :)
ReplyDeleteIt was quite an event! I think even you can enjoy it, but need to take some extra precautions....
ReplyDeleteHi Sid,
ReplyDeleteGreat posts on Holi! It's becoming very useful for me as my hubby and I are heading into India for Holi. For two foreigners like us, is it fairly easy to enter the temples in Mathura/Vrindavan that you mentioned in your posts to observe the festivities? Or do we need to hire a guide?
We were just thinking of doing this trip ourselves and getting train out from Delhi on March 11 to Mathura, using it as our homebase for the next few days.
Any advice you may have for us would be greatly appreciated! I can also be contacted at pam@worldleetravels.ca
Thanks!
It's doable without a guide, but a reliable guide will certainly make it more convenient. None of the westerners I saw there had guides, so I guess it should be ok :)
DeletePlease be prepared for improvisations at the event. I have done my best to detail out each of the events, but things often don't go as per plan.
Stay together, stay safe :)
Just awesome. Fine details and wonderful snaps. Thank You Sir Siddhartha Joshi for share.
ReplyDelete