A riot of colours in Vrindavan

Holi celebrations picked up momentum an hour late Thursday due to the nip in the morning air in the Sri Krishna land from Goverdhan to Gokul in Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh.

The crowds started swelling in temples and a riot of colours soon followed.
"Its difficult to recognise faces. They all look so colourful," said musician Acharya Jaimini.
"However the geet-sangeet paksh (musical element), once the chief feature of Holi festivities, is getting diluted. A degree of vulgarity has also invaded the revelry in the name of playing Holi," Jaimini lamented.

In Mathura, groups of pilgrims showered coloured water and gulal on passersby near the Dwarkadheesh temple. And at the Vishram Ghat on Yamuna river, it was a huge cloud of red gulal, said Gopi, a priest.

The rural hinterland in Goverdhan, Barsana and Nandgaon, witnessed high pitched Holi celebrations, that will continue for a couple of days.

At the Dan-Ghati temple pilgrims continued to pour in to play holi with the presiding deity, the little Krishna who is believed to have lifted the Goverdhan parbat (mountain) to protect the Braj basis from the wrath of Indra Dev.

In Agra's posh Kamla Nagar colony, residents divided themselves in two groups - one representing Radha's Barsana and other Krishna's Nandgaon. The men smeared gulal and threw colours on females of Barsana to the accompaniment of high decibel music, the Rasias in Braj Bhasha (language).

Media manager of the event Premendra Jain told IANS: "We never saw such fervour and enthusiasm earlier. The whole colony was out there to see the fun and people of all shades mixed around freely to keep the Holi spirit and tradition alive."

In Jasrana's Bada Gaon in Mainpuri district, people geared up a little late for Holi due to a slight chill in the air.

Activist Sughendra Pratap Singh told IANS: "In our village mostly youth will move around the whole area with colour and gulal and play holi, breaking barriers. Holi unites people and helps bridge the gap."

However, in the dalit heartland of Agra, Holi celebrations in BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party) supported areas were subdued.

"A strange kind of mayoosi (a pale of gloom) has descended and the fervour is clearly lacking in the festivities," noted activist Naresh.