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Lathmar Holi of Braj: staves and colour in Barsana
Radha's village answers Krishna's with bamboo staves, songs and clouds of colour
Lathmar Holi is the most famous day of Braj's Holi, a circuit of about ten days: in the lanes of Barsana, Radha's village in Uttar Pradesh, the women meet the men of Nandgaon, Krishna's village, with long bamboo lathis (staves) while the men parry with shields. It falls on the ninth lunar day of the bright half of Phalguna, about a week before Holi; in 2027 Barsana's day is expected on 16 March, and Nandgaon plays the return the next day.
The days follow the lunar calendar; the Mathura district administration and UP Tourism publish the Braj Holi calendar in January or February.
The legend
In a Braj legend, Radha's friends carry an invitation to play Holi from Barsana to Nandgaon, and Krishna's father Nanda accepts it.
A messenger from Nandgaon arrives in Barsana. Radha's father feeds him laddoos, and the girls smear his cheeks with gulal.
Having no colour of his own, he throws what he has at them: his laddoos.
And when Krishna and his friends come to Barsana to colour Radha, her friends meet them with sticks and chase them off.
So it goes today: laddoos fly in Radha's temple, and the next day the women of Barsana meet the men of Nandgaon with sticks.
Meaning
Sons-in-law
In Barsana the men of Nandgaon count as sons-in-law: Krishna, the story goes, is son-in-law to Radha's father Vrishabhanu.
Gokul
Here they play chhadimar: light switches instead of heavy staves, so as not to hurt the child Krishna.
Vrindavan
Here Holi is also played with flowers: the temples are showered with petals.
Widows
Vrindavan's widows were once kept away from festivals. Since 2013 they have played Holi with dry colour and petals at the Gopinath temple.
Baldeo
The day after Holi the Dauji temple holds the huranga: women tear the men's shirts and whip them with twisted cloth.
Customs
🚩 Nandgaon's flag
The huriyare of Nandgaon, as Krishna's friends, carry their flag to the Pili Pokhar pond, where Barsana welcomes them.
🎶 Samaj
In Radha's temple the Goswamis of Nandgaon and Barsana sing the samaj, songs of Radha and Krishna. Only then do the huriyare go down into the lanes.
Staves and shields
In Rangili Gali, the Colourful Lane, women in festive dress wait at their doors with long staves, and the men shelter behind decorated shields.
Words of the festival
लट्ठमार
lathmar
"striking with the staff", from lath, a long heavy staff
हुरियारे
huriyare
the visiting men who come to play Holi in the next village
रसिया
rasiya
a Braj song of Radha and Krishna; rasiya means "epicure"
टेसू
tesu
flame-of-the-forest flowers, dried in Barsana to make colour and gulal
लाड़ली
Ladli
"the beloved": Barsana's name for Radha
How to greet
राधे राधे
Radhe Radhe!
Braj's greeting in Radha's name, and Barsana is her town. In temples people also say "Jai Shri Radhe", "Glory to Radha".
True or myth
✅ True. A man caught by the women is put into women's clothes and made to dance.
❌ Myth. The roles stay the same: now the men of Barsana visit, and the women of Nandgaon hold the sticks.
✅ True. Devotional rasiyas are often written from Radha's side, about Krishna and his flirting.
Where to celebrate
Vrindavan
Vrindavan is a base for the Lathmar week: day trips to the staves at Barsana and Nandgaon, then Rangbhari Ekadashi at Banke Bihari, when colour and flowers begin in the town's own temples.
What happens over the two days
It begins the day before with Laddu Holi. A Braj legend tells that Radha's friends carried an invitation to play Holi from Barsana to Nandgaon; the messenger who brings the answer is fed laddoos by Radha's father and smeared with gulal by the girls, and having no colour of his own he throws the laddoos back. So the sweets fly in the courtyard of the Shriji (Radha Rani) temple on the Brahmanchal hill.
On the Lathmar day the huriyare (visiting men) of Nandgaon carry their flag to the Pili Pokhar pond, where Barsana welcomes them; in Barsana they count as sons-in-law, since tradition makes Krishna son-in-law to Radha's father. In the temple the Goswamis of both villages sing the samaj, songs of Radha and Krishna, and only then do the men go down into the lanes. In Rangili Gali, the Colourful Lane, women in festive dress wait at their doors with staves; the men shelter behind decorated shields, and rasiya songs, drums and tesu colour (made from dried flame-of-the-forest flowers) fill the air. In 2026 the women came out around 17:00. A man caught by the women is, by custom, dressed in women's clothes and made to dance.
The next day the roles stay the same in Nandgaon: Barsana's men visit, and the women of Nandgaon hold the staves. It is a rite with set roles rather than a brawl, and the blows land on the shields.
Where to watch and where to stay
Barsana and Nandgaon are villages with almost no rooms. Base yourself in Mathura or Vrindavan and go out by car each morning.
Barsana and Nandgaon
Everything is free and nothing is ticketed. For Laddu Holi, the Shriji temple courtyard; on the Lathmar day, the lanes below it, where a raised step taken early keeps you clear of the staves; the next day, the lanes around Nand Bhavan in Nandgaon, about 8 km away. Outside vehicles are stopped at barricades and sent to parking areas, and the last stretch is walked.
Mathura
The most hotels in Braj and the main railway station; Barsana is about 45 km away. Arrive two days before the Lathmar day, on the evening before Laddu Holi. Plan: [Lathmar Holi from Mathura](/en/festivals/lathmar-holi-barsana/mathura/).
Vrindavan
Also about 45 km from Barsana, and the place to stay on: from Rangbhari Ekadashi (18 March 2027 by the temple's calendar) colour and flowers begin at Banke Bihari, and the Gopinath temple holds the widows' Holi with dry colour and petals on a date announced each year. Plan: [Lathmar Holi from Vrindavan](/en/festivals/lathmar-holi-barsana/vrindavan/).
Crowds and safety
This is one of the most crowded days of Holi in India: on Barsana's day the administration deploys about 4,000 police and other personnel, and the lanes are shoulder to shoulder. The staves are meant for the shields, not for spectators, but a crowd surging in a narrow lane is the real risk.
- Take a raised spot early and stay out of the space between the women and the shields.
- Go with company, agree a meeting point outside the village, and keep your phone in a sealed pouch.
- Wear old clothes; tesu and gulal stain.
- Expect to be coloured. A clear no still counts, and if a group gets rough, step into a doorway or head back.
- Photograph the women from a distance, and ask before close portraits.
👣 Booking ahead
Every hotel in Braj is taken for the Holi weeks.
- Rooms
About three months ahead in Vrindavan, where ISKCON's guest houses fill for the whole fortnight; Mathura has more stock but is taken weeks ahead.
- Trains
To Mathura Junction on the day the 60-day window opens; extra trains run for Holi.
- Car and nights
Hire a car for the two village days and leave early. Plan at least four nights, a week if you want Nandgaon and Rangbhari Ekadashi too.
❓ FAQ
When is Lathmar Holi in 2027?
Barsana's Lathmar day is expected on 16 March 2027 (the Navami tithi also touches the morning of 17 March, so confirm in the Braj Holi calendar published in January or February). Nandgaon follows the next day. Holi is 23 March on the central holiday list, while the Banke Bihari temple calendar in Vrindavan marks the colour day (Dhulendi) on 22 March.
In which state is Lathmar Holi celebrated?
In Uttar Pradesh, in Barsana and Nandgaon in Mathura district, part of the Braj region.
Why is Lathmar Holi celebrated?
Braj tradition says that when Krishna and his friends came to Barsana to colour Radha, her friends chased them off with sticks. The villages replay the scene every year, with Nandgaon's men as Krishna's friends.
Is Lathmar Holi safe for visitors?
The rite itself is controlled, but the crowd is very dense. Stand on a raised step early, stay out of the staves' way, go with company and leave valuables behind.
Do I need a ticket for Lathmar Holi?
No. Every Lathmar event in Barsana and Nandgaon is free and open; the only cost is getting there and a bed in Mathura or Vrindavan.