Varanasi, Mar 10 (PTI) For the first time, Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi will celebrate Holi using colors, abir and gulal sent as a gift from Laddu Gopal of Shri Krishna Janmasthan Temple in Mathura, temple officials said on Monday.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Vishwabhushan Mishra, said an exchange of festive gifts between the two temples has been initiated for the first time.
“As a part of this tradition, a special gift from Kashi Vishwanath Dham was sent to Laddu Gopal in Mathura. In return, offerings including colors, abir, and gulal, have reached Kashi Vishwanath Dham and will be used in the Holi celebrations on Rangbhari Ekadashi and Holi,” he said.
The tradition was started following discussions with Krishna Janmasthan officials Kapil Sharma and Gopeshwar Chaturvedi and will continue in the future, he added.
The temple is currently hosting a three-day grand celebration for Rangbhari Ekadashi, a traditional folk festival.
On Sunday, the second day of the festival, devotees, dignitaries, and locals participated in the Haldi Utsav (turmeric ceremony) of Shri Kashi Vishwanath and Mata Gaura.
Devotees from Mathura brought gifts and gulal for Kashi Vishwanath, while tribal devotees from Sonbhadra offered herbal gulal made from Palash flowers, temple authorities said.
CEO Mishra and Deputy Collector Shambhu Sharan performed rituals and offered herbal gulal to Shri Vishweshwar Mahadev, they said.
A silver palanquin procession of Shri Kashi Vishwanath and Mata Gaura moved through the temple courtyard, with devotees showering flowers, turmeric, abir, and gulal while singing devotional songs, they added.
In the evening, a grand flower-adorned palanquin procession carried the silver idols of Kashi Vishwanath and Mata Gaura around the temple premises, as devotees chanted “Har Har Mahadev”, officials said.
Commissioner Kaushal Raj Sharma also offered turmeric, flowers, and gulal to the deities and extended prayers.
The Haldi Utsav drew a large crowd of devotees and residents of Kashi, with many participating in the ritual of offering turmeric to the deities.
The three-day Rangbhari Ekadashi celebrations are being organized in adherence to the temple’s long-standing traditions, preserving religious and cultural heritage, the temple authorities said.
(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)
