Holi Festival in India

Holi is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus. It is also known as Festival of Colors, held at the end of the winter season on the last full moon day of the lunar month Phalguna (February/March), (PhalgunPurnima), which usually falls in the later part of February or March.

Holi is also called the Spring Festival - as it marks the arrival of spring the season of hope and joy. The gloom of the winter goes as Holi promises bright summer days. Nature too, it seems rejoices at the arrival of Holi and wears its best clothes. Fields get filled with crops promising a good harvest to the farmers and flowers bloom coloring the surroundings and filling fragrance in the air.

In India, it is one of the major festivals thus it is celebrated with enthusiasm and gaiety with grand festivities. In fact, because of its popularity tourists search for cheap airfare to India just to witness the fascinating activities of this festival.

Entire India wears a festive look when it is time for Holi celebration, hence the beautiful sight brought about by this festival is more than worthy of cheap flights to India. Market places get abuzz with activity as frenzied shoppers start making preparations for the festival. Heaps of various hues of gulal and abeer can be seen on the roadside days before the festival. Pichkaris in innovative and modern design too come up every year to lure the children who wish to collect them as Holi memorabilia and of course, to drench everybody in the town. Womenfolk too start making early preparations for the holi festival as they cook loads of gujiya, mathri and papri for the family and also for the relatives. At some places especially in the north women also make papads and potato chips at this time.

The main day, Holi, is celebrated by people throwing scented powder and perfume at each other. Bonfires are lit on the eve of the festival, also known as Holika Dahan (burning of Holika) or Chhoti Holi (little Holi). After doing holika dahan prayers are said and praise is offered. The bonfires are lit in memory of the miraculous escape that young Prahladaccomplished when Demoness Holika, sister of Hiranyakashipu, carried him into the fire. Holika was burnt but Prahlad, a staunch devotee of god Vishnu, escaped without any injuries due to his unshakable devotion. Holika Dahan is referred to as Kama Dahanam in South India.

Great excitement can be seen in people on the next day when it is actually the time for the play of colors. Shops and offices remain closed for the day and people get all the time to get crazy and whacky. Bright colors of gulal and abeer fill the air and people take turns in pouring color water over each other. Children take special delight in spraying colors on one another with their pichkaris and throwing water balloons and passers by. Women and senior citizen form groups called tolis and move in colonies - applying colors and exchanging greetings. Songs, dance on the rhythm of dholak and mouthwatering Holi delicacies are the other highlights of the day.

There is also a tradition of consuming the very intoxicating bhang on this day to further enhance the spirit of Holi. It is so much fun to watch the otherwise sober people making clowns of themselves in full public display. Some, however, take bhang in excess and spoil the spirit. Caution should therefore be taken while consuming bhang delicacies.

After a fun-filled and exciting day, the evening is spent in sobriety when people meet friends and relatives and exchange sweets and festive greetings.

People believed that the spirit of Holi encourages the feeling of brotherhood in society and even the enemies turn friend on this day. People of all communities and even religions participate in this joyous and colorful festival and strengthen the secular fabric of the nation.

Legends of Holi Festival

Holi has various legends associated with it. The foremost is the legend of demon King Hiranyakashyap who demanded everybody in his kingdom to worship him but his pious son, Prahlad became a devotee of Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashyap wanted his son to be killed. He asked his sister Holika to enter a blazing fire with Prahlad in her lap as Holika had a boon which made he immune to fire. Story goes that Prahlad was saved by lord himself for his extreme devotion and evil minded Holika was burnt to ashes, for her boon worked only when she entered the fire alone.

Since that time, people light a bonfire, called Holika on the eve of Holi festival and celebrate the victory of good over evil and also the triumph of devotion to god. Children take special delight in the tradition and this has another legend attached to it. It says that there was once an ogress Dhundhi who used to trouble children in the kingdom of Prithu. She was chased away by children on the day of Holi. Therefore, children are allowed to play pranks at the time of 'Holika Dahan'.

Some also celebrate the death of evil minded Pootana. The ogress tried to Lord Krishna as an infant by feeding it poisonous milk while executing the plan of Kansa, Krishna's devil uncle. However, Krishna sucked her blood and brought her end. Some who view the origin of festivals from seasonal cycles believe that Pootana represents winter and her death the cessation and end of winter.

In South India, people worship Kaamadeva- the god of love and passion for his extreme sacrifice. According to a legend, Kaamadeva shot his powerful love arrow on Lord Shiva to revoke his interest in the worldly affairs in the interest of the earth. However, Lord Shiva was enraged as he was in deep mediation and opened his third eye which reduced Kaamadeva to ashes. Though, later on the request of Rati, Kaamadeva's wife, Shiva was pleased to restore him back.

Exciting Spots in Bangalore

India, with its vast land area, diverse culture and traditions has a lot of interesting places to offer to its visitors. Each place is unique in its own way with its own set of festivals, authentic cuisine and famous tourist attractions. One of those places is Bangalore, also known as Bengaluru. It prides itself as the city which has witnessed the rise and fall of great empires such as the great warrior Tipo Sultan and the rule of East India Company. The richness of its exotic culture and the significant role it played in the country’s history entice tourists to book airfare to Bangalore.

Bangalore is a subtle mix of cosmopolitan and traditional culture, thus it features a modern way of life being the IT Hub of India at the same time projecting a deep respect for its traditional beliefs and practices. From the bustling city to the quiet life in the outskirts, visitors won’t run out of things to do in Bangalore.

The Vidhana Soudha is among the popular tourist destination in Bangalore because of its magnificent architecture. Vidhana Soudha is the State Legislature and the Secretariat of Karnataka, designed with 12 granite pillars in Neo-Dravidian style. It also bears the essence of Chola, Rajasthani and Kannadiga architectural style. This building has 4 domes, on top of the biggest dome stands “Ashoka Sthambh” (4 lions facing 4 directions) – the national emblem of India.

Another ancient structure worth visiting is the Tipu Sultan Fort. It houses the Tipo Sultan Palace, known for its stunning artistry. The palace is a two-story building made mainly of wood with arches, pillars and balconies reflecting an Islamic design of architecture. The fort also features the Ganapati Temple and a museum containing a number of relics dating back to the period of Haider Ali and Tipu Sultan.

Historical buffs will surely enjoy a trip to the Bangalore Palace. It was built in the year 1887 bearing the style of Tudor architecture. Believed to be inspired by the Windsor Castle of England, the place is smeared with lawns, towers and arches. Some windows of the palace were designed in Gothic, paintings and rich wood carvings. Nowadays, the place is a popular venue for concerts, exhibitions and weddings.

The city of Bangalore also boasts well-maintained parks gardens and gardens such as the Cubbon Park, Bannerghatta National Park and Lalbagh Gardens.

The famous Lalbagh Gardens was built by Haider Ali and cultivated later by Tipo Sultan. Considered as the most beautiful botanical garden in India, Lalbagh Gardens features a “Glass House” with over 1800 species of trees, herbs and plants. The garden encompasses a land of 240 acres, housing a lawn clock which is a first of its kind in the country and one of the four Kempe Gowda Towers.

A stroll in the Cubbon Park will bring tourists face to face with statue of significant people in Indian’s history such as Queen Victoria, Chamarajendra Woodeyar, Major Gen. Sir Mark Cubbon, Rajya Dhurandhar, Sri K. Sheshadrilyer and Edward VII. With its beautiful flowers, trees and fountains, the park creates a natural and soothing environment perfect for relaxation.

On the other hand, Bannerghatta National Park is famous to tourists because of some of its main attractions like Tiger and Lion Safari, Crocodile Farm and Butterfly Park. The safari was divided into two sections namely carnivore and herbivore. It is home to a wide variety of animals such as royal Bengal tiger, hyenas, bison, black buck, leopard, barking deer, elephant and wild boar. The park also serves as sanctuary for those animals that were rescued from circus.

Ulsoor Lake is also an ideal place to just relax and soak in to the feeling of serenity and peacefulness. It is the largest lake in Bangalore well-known as a destination which offers rowing facilities and home of the boat club. One can just sit down, relax and enjoy the scenic beauty of the surrounding tiny islands.

There are some tourists who booked air tickets to Bangalore mainly to see the breathtaking scenes of Nandi Hills and travel back in time exploring the historic relics scattered around the place. Two temples of Lord Shiva can be found at Nandi Hills, one is at the foot of the hill while the other one is at the foot. Other attractions are the cliff named “Tipu Drop” where convicts where pushed as a form of a death sentence, “Amrutha Saravora – a lake on top of the hill, a secret tunnel which served as an escape facility for kings during the ancient times and a fort built by a chieftain.

For those who would like to learn more about the history of India particularly the city of Bangalore, the Government Museum and Karnataka Folk Museum have all the information complete with collections of artifacts reflecting the different periods of time.

Karnataka Museum was established to promote the folk culture of Karnataka. All the collections about the folk culture are kept safely in three buildings namely Lokamatha Mandiral, Lokamahal and Chitrakuteera. Temple chariot, ancient carvings, videotapes of folk-dance, artifacts, puppets, earthen jars and mask are some of the interesting collections to see at the museum.

Set up in the year 1886, the Government Museum possesses some of the rare collection from different periods of time which played a significant role in the country’s history. The museum has 18 galleries presenting Neolithic finds like antiques, jewellery, and textile from various civilizations. Sculptures, old paintings and coins are some of the artifacts kept in the museum.

Art lovers will have wonderful time looking at the paintings in Venkatappa Art Gallery. This art gallery in Bangalore displays the works of Indian people who became famous because of their extraordinary gifts in arts. Works of famous painter Venkatappa, wood sculptor Rajaram and Hebar adore the walls of the gallery.

Bangalore is also famous because of its religious places for worship such as Nandi Bull Temple, ISKCON Temple Complex and Venkataramana Swami Temple. Learn more about the religious beliefs and practices of the people as you visit each temple and get acquainted with their sacred figures.

Indeed, Bangalore is a wonderful place for exploration and discovery. With all the travel deals offered by various online companies, traveling to Bangalore and other parts of India has become more affordable. For some cases booking air ticket online will give you the best airfare deal especially during promotional period thus spending holiday overseas can costs much lesser than the usual cost.