Best smallish city for Holi

Any dates and places would be much appreciated!

I'm landing in Delhi on 3/2 and a contact in Vrindavan would be great, but I'm not particularly interested in hiring a guide.

Well quite, But time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted, even if it's someone else who has done the recce.

Agreed, I just didn't want to lead you on if you were promoting a tour or such. Please, pm me with your friend's contact details and I will be in touch. The dates and places seem to be pretty specific for Holi in Braj and I am having a hard time locating good info online.

Well that's it, one needs the local Braj timings, anyway i can get that but not tonight - Yeah I'll send you Jagannath's number - Actually he now runs the NGO which i set up in VVN, so he's a good lad to know locally and is plugged in to what's what. Holi in Braj can be a really fun and state altering experience, but be prepared to be immersed, immersed in the colours of love, exuberance is of the youthful, so exuberance and getting trashed is to be expected!! A drenching in the colours of love, for after all this is Braj, the land of Radha.

There's also a fire running event at Phalain village - this is no hot coal stunt, but a seriously large, wide, unstable and life threatening bonfire, over which a Temple priest runs, usually about 3am. It's the re enactment of the story of Prahlad and Holika, from which Holi has derivated..

I was just reading about Phalain and Barsana, I am in awe. On other threads I have been advised to skip the area or even Holi entirely, but as long as I can find a place to sleep I can handle a week or so of crowds and exuberance.

I doubt you would be able to find a room in Vrindavan so short before Holi if you don't have it prebooked weeks ahead, or visit in person at least immediately after your arrival in Delhi. Forget about other places like Barsana or Nandgaon where no tourist infrastructure exists.

Right that's the spirit- suggest you buy a Kurta pyjama outfit or two, plus a gumcha (light cotton towel, turban multi purpose item) or two, in Delhi at Gandhi Ashram outlets or available in VVN - am giving you two email id's here - can't be bothered about the PM -

info@friendsofvrindavan.com and copy to -
jagannathpoddar@indiatimes.com

I had a word this morning, time is tight for rooms but mail your requirements, how many people, dates and Jagannath will see what can be done. Post those requirements & dates here as well....

Radhe Radhe (is local for Namaste, Please, Thanks, Bye)

Dauji is my favourite location, this is the other side of Mathura, near Gokul - Dauji means elder brother, in this case Balaram -

http://www.indiamike.com/photopost/s.../28014/cat/500

PALEFACE

Thanks very much for your information. I am very excited about what you de3scribe it sounds right up my alley.

I hope to be in India for Holi and I think I will go for our suggestion in Vrindavan!

This is excellent. Is Friends of Vrindavan the NGO you set up? It sounds like a great project.

It's just me and the fiance, and dates are flexible for us. It will depend on when we should be there. On a guess based on dates from last year, it seems to me that the first big day of the Braj Holi will be March 5th in Barsana. If that is correct, then we would be coming in from Delhi on March 4th and leaving March 12th.

It is Yes - you better email Jagannath right away to make contact - using VVN a sa base to go to other villages is also a decent plan - you can do that by those awful Tempo's, i.e. to Barsana etc or hire a Taxi, my man Bacchu is good for that.

As expected, I'm having trouble finding accomodation in Rhaj, and I'm considering hiring a taxi for the day out of Delhi to at least see Lathmar Holi.

Can anyone following this thread confirm that Lathmar Holi in Barsana is on March 5th?

Thanks!

Hi, i am a photographer who is coming to Vrindavan to cover Holi this year, can anyone recommend temples to be around going locations to shoot from, rooftops etc.
Are people happy to have there picture taken and will people respect my equipment and not put colored paint all over my lenses?

Also somebody mentioned earlier in the thread about priest walking over bonfires during the celebrations, where does this occur i would definitely like to shoot this.

Final question, me and my partner need to leave Vrindavan at 12:00pm on the day of holi to get to delhi airport for a flight to the south, will it be possible to hire a driver to take us on the day of holi?

Thanks everyone in advance

Tim

Radharaman temple near to JaiSingh Ghera (Ras Lila) People happy to have pic taken - Yes but powder gets everywhere and cameras will get it too - it's not paint Man.... You'll miss it, as it's after 11th...

That will be difficult & finding a driver willing to risk his vehicle will be a needle in a haystack job...

Thanks for your quick reply,
sorry i meant powder, typo.

I thought most of the festivities were starting to finish around midday, is this correct.

If anybody knows of a driver that would be great?

Thanks again