Celebrate Holi in the craziest style and paint yourself with the most saturated colours of the Indian tradition.

Best Places To Celebrate Holi In India:- Most Indians have spent their childhood celebrating Holi by throwing colours, balloons and water at others passing on the streets. Every locality has two things in common during Holi, gangs of brats and groups of elderly. Both groups celebrate the festival in different styles, while the children and teenagers throw coloured water and balloons from their homes, the elderly people use gulal (dry colours), sing folk songs and walk from street to street and home to home.

Indians celebrate their festivals in various ways. All states have their unique traditional way to celebrate the festivals and Holi is not an exception. If you want to experience a new way to celebrate Holi this year, we have a list of the most exotic places where you can find yourself having a completely different kind of celebration. Below are the 6 best places to celebrate Holi in India.

Varanasi

We are listing Varanasi at the top of our list because the celebration in Varanasi is way different from the rest of India. Where Holi is celebrated with colours across the country, Varanasi celebrates the festival with ashes. On the ghats of Manikarnika, the followers of Lord Shiv play Holi with the ashes collected from the cremated human corpses. The event is called the Chita-Bhasmi holi and the legend behind the celebration is that Lord Shiva played the Holi here with Gans (ghosts, and spirits). The ascetics of Kashi started playing the Chita-Bhasma Holi, but now the common people also join them and celebrate the festival.

There is famous folk music dedicated to the Chita-Bhasmi Holi by Pandit Chhannulal Mishra:

खेल मसाने म होर, fदगबर खेल मसाने म होर

भत fपशाच बटोर, fदगबर खेल मसाने म होर

लfख सुǎदर फागुनी छटा के मन से रंग गुलाल हटा के fचता भ म भर झोरp,

fदगबर खेल मसाने म होर, भत fपशाच बटोर, fदगबर खेल मसाने म होर

Hampi

Holi celebration in South India is not very popular, though Hampi, being one of the most sought-after travel destinations in India, celebrates Holi with the utmost joy. Unlike Varanasi, the ruined city of the Vijayanagara Dynasty celebrates Holi in a very offbeat style. Crowded with western tourists, Hampi celebrates Holi with colours, dance, music, and food and ends the festival by bathing in the Tungabhadra river. Visiting Hampi during Holi would add extra colours to your Hampi trip.

Purulia

Situated far away from the city crowd, Purulia is the westernmost district of West Bengal. It is surrounded by green lush forests, cascading waterfalls, and a variety of flora and fauna. Holi in Purulia is called Basanta Utsav by the locals and it is all about the cultural celebration.

The local tribe celebrates the festival by performing Chau dance, Natua dance, Darbari Jhumur and other folk rituals on the songs of Bengali Baul musicians.

Punjab

Punjab has its own Punjabi way to celebrate Holi. Traditionally known as ‘Hola Mohalla,’ the festival holds an important significance for Sikhs. Hola Mohalla was started in 1701 when the tenth Sikh Guru – Guru Gobind Singh protested against the Mughal’s oppression.

Hindu community celebrated #Holi with full religious enthusiasm all across Punjab. Dance on traditional tunes on "Damadam-Mast" and others was also observed. #ReformingPunjab

pic.twitter.com/LBkltfl9qT

— Reforming Punjab (@ReformingPunjab) March 11, 2020

The annual fair is celebrated in Anandpur Sahib as a three-day fair at the Anandpur Sahib Gurudwara. The festival starts with the reading of the holy book of Sikhs – the Guru Granth Sahib and then the Hola Mohalla celebration commences. The main sight of the festival is the performance by the Nihang warriors, which includes Gatka (martial arts), sword fights, horse riding and other stunt performances. The fair ends with some colour, dance and finally the savoury Langar.

Jaipur

The colours of Holi turn the ‘Pink City’ into a rainbow. You can explore multiple events, including Rajasthani folk music, dance, and the famous elephant festival. The highlight of Jaipur Holi is the special event for visitors at the Khasa Kothi Hotel with support from Rajasthan tourism. The Govind Dev Ji Temple is also a must-visit place on Holi. The temple and the idols of Radha-Krishna are decorated with flowers and people celebrate Holi with colours, flowers and Chandan.

Jaipur Shaheen Bagh

This Holi, we the people of India, firmly stand with the Truth. #AnekRangKeShaheenBagh #Holi pic.twitter.com/1q4CACxjfS

— We The People of India (@ThePeopleOfIN) March 10, 2020

Mathura and Vrindavan

The festival of Holi is often associated with lord Krishna and Mathura, is the birthplace of Shri Krishna. The place witnesses the most colourful and spectacular Holi celebration. It is hardly possible that any Indian hasn’t heard of Mathura and Vrindavan Holi festivals. The procession of Holi commences at Vishram Ghat and finishes near Holi Gate. The famous attractions for Holi celebrations in Mathura are the Dwarkadheesh temple and Sri Krishna Janmasthan temple.

The Holi celebration starts a week earlier in Vrindavan and the atmosphere in the town is charismatic. Flower’s Holi (phoolon ki Holi) in Vrindavan is a major attraction for anyone. The Banke Bihari temple celebrates Holi only with flowers. Widow’s Holi is yet another event to enjoy the charm of the Vrindavan Holi celebration, where people (especially the widows) celebrate Holi at Pagal Baba Widow Ashram. The other Holi events that you can enjoy in Mathura and Vrindavan are Dhulandi Holi, Lathmar Holi, Rang Panchami, and Huranga.