Ram ki Holi

Whenever we speak of Holi, the love sparks of Krishna and Radha and of course the celebrations at Vrindavan immediately come to our mind. Holi celebration in Kullu is a bit different from other parts of India and that led me to asking my grandparents about the reason behind this difference. 'Ram ki Holi' is what I got as an answer to this. Lord Ram is the most important part of the spiritual lives of the people in Kullu. No festival is complete without his presence and even Holi is celebrated in Ayodhaya-style. The festival of colours is celebrated a day before it is rejoiced by the rest of the country. The day starts with neighbourhoods gathering to play Holi together. The traditional songs sung by the people showcase their emotional bond with their centuries old culture. Singing, dancing and enjoying local delicacies like stuffed Bhaturas and Siddus continues throughout the day. Evening sets in and people clean up well to attend  'Fag' at the palace of the King of Kullu. At most places in India, 'Holika dehen' is done on the night before Holi while in Kullu, this activity takes place after the day-long celebrations. At the palace, there are two piles of wood. One is dedicated to Lord Ram while the other belongs to God Narsingh who is considered the most powerful of all and is highly revered as 'Bda Devta' in the region. After a little puja at the temple of Lord Ram, his idol is carried by the priests in a 'palki' towards the pile of wood. The King of Kullu lights the same and Lord Ram, then, revolves around the fire. At the top of the burning heap there is a red cloth tied to one of the sticks with a few coins in it. The 'Mahants', a special clan in the town, have a battle among themselves to take that cloth out of fire along with the coins. After this is done, Lord Ram goes back to the temple and with that God Narsingh arrives at the palace ground. The same activity is performed around the other pile and this is how 'Fag' comes to an end. People take one burning stick from each of the two heaps to light the same in their kitchen. It is said that this would bring good luck to the household. The tradition and heritage of small towns like Kullu come alive at events like this. The magnificence with which this festival is celebrated in India is quite projective but exploring its intricacies in the remote areas instils great pride for our culture as well as for the people who have preserved it with their beliefs and devotion.