Devotees celebrate Holi with flowers in Rajasthan's Pushkar city

Pushkar, Feb.21 (ANI): Days ahead of the Holi festival (March.1) when the rest of the country will celebrate the day with friends, family and loved ones, it was celebrated in Rajasthan's Pushkar city in a special way by Lord Krishna's devotees.

Holi, popularly known as the festival of colours, holds a distinct meaning here where it is celebrated with flowers. It usually falls in the Hindu month of Phagun (February to March). It is viewed as the harbinger of spring and new life.

On Saturday (Feb.20), local residents here celebrated Holi with flowers instead of colours, as has been the general practice, while dancing to drumbeats and devotional songs in praise of Lord Krishna.

Artistes from various parts of the country gathered in Pushkar to perform Raas Leela (dance recitals depicting Krishna's flirtatious interludes with village maidens).

Troupes of singers who render folk songs particularly associated with Holi also flocked to the town to participate in the festivities.

"On this occasion, we play Holi with flowers. Artistes from various regions like Gwalior, Mumbai and Jaipur have gathered here to take part in the celebrations. They perform dances based on Lord Krishna's leelas (deeds). We also welcome the idol of Lord Ganesha with colours and decorate it. Later, we will play the Holi Phag Mausam with everybody. We play this every year and everybody takes part in the celebrations," said Pawan Kumar, a local resident.

Devotees dressed as Lord Krishna and his beloved, Radha, danced and threw flowers on each other, drawing tourists attention towards the special way of enjoyment of a festival here.

"I have been in Pushkar for the last two days and so far, my stay in this town has been great. The dances, songs, people dressed in Lord Krishna are really beautiful. The people are very welcoming here. I really like it over here. The way Krishna is dancing is very good to watch. I wish I had some colours to throw on everybody," said Sara, a United States tourist.

Holi, the festival of colours, celebrates the coming of spring and the forthcoming harvest. The festival brings together people from all classes and age groups as they play with colours, distribute sweets and take out processions. By Kishore Solanki (ANI)