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Lathmar Holi of Braj in Vrindavan
Radha's village answers Krishna's with bamboo staves, songs and clouds of colour
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.
Where to watch
Shriji (Radha Rani) temple, Barsana: on the Brahmanchal hill; Laddu Holi in its courtyard and the Lathmar day in the lanes below.
Nand Bhavan, Nandgaon: the temple and lanes of the return Lathmar day.
Banke Bihari temple, Vrindavan: colour and flower Holi from Rangbhari Ekadashi to Holika Dahan; entry is paused at intervals on peak days.
Gopinath temple, Vrindavan: the widows' Holi, on a date announced each year.
🎟 Free viewing
- Everything in the Lathmar week is free and open; nothing is ticketed
- The lanes below the Shriji temple in Barsana on the Lathmar day (watch from a raised step, clear of the staves)
- The lanes around Nand Bhavan in Nandgaon the next day
- The Banke Bihari temple and its lanes from Rangbhari Ekadashi
- The Gopinath temple courtyard for the widows' Holi (ask before photographing)
🗓 Programme
Laddu Holi at Barsana
Barsana's Holi invitation goes to Nandgaon, and when word comes back that Nandgaon accepts, the Shriji temple celebrates by throwing laddus over the crowd in its courtyard (about 25 quintals of them in 2026). It opens the Lathmar days.
Shriji (Radha Rani) temple, Barsana, about 45 km from Vrindavan
Lathmar Holi at Barsana
Nandgaon's men, welcomed at Priya Kund, come up into Barsana with leather shields and teasing songs, and the women of Barsana meet them with long bamboo staves in the lanes below the Shriji temple. It is a rite with set roles, not a fight: the men only parry.
Barsana; outside vehicles are stopped at parking areas and the last stretch is walked
Lathmar Holi at Nandgaon
The return visit on Phalguna Shukla Dashami: Barsana's men go to Nandgaon, Krishna's village, and play Holi with Nandgaon's women around the Nand Bhavan temple, the Rangili Chowk and Yashoda Kund, with staves, songs and gulal.
Nand Bhavan, Nandgaon, about 8 km from Barsana
Rangbhari Ekadashi at Banke Bihari
Colour Holi begins at the Banke Bihari temple on this Ekadashi (the temple calls it Aamla Ekadashi) and runs daily until Holika Dahan; petals and colour are thrown over the crowd.
Banke Bihari temple, Vrindavan
Widows' Holi at the Gopinath temple
Widows from Vrindavan's ashrams play Holi with flowers and gulal, a custom long closed to them, organised by Sulabh International since 2013. Ask before photographing.
Gopinath temple, Vrindavan