Holi 2026: Wave of faith surges in Mathura on Rangbhari Ekadashi, devotees play "Phool ki Holi, everyone eager to catch a glimpse of Banke Bihari
Mathura: The excitement of Holi has reached its peak in Braj. On Friday, on the auspicious occasion of Rangbhari Ekadashi, Vrindavan, the city of Krishna, witnessed such a surge of faith that the streets seemed too small. A huge crowd of lakhs of devotees gathered at the world-famous Thakur Banke Bihari Temple since morning. It is believed that Thakur Ji formally begins playing Holi with his devotees from this day.
As soon as the doors of the Banke Bihari Temple opened, the entire complex echoed with chants of "Banke Bihari Lal Ki Jai." The Goswami community showered devotees with abir-gulal (colourful powder) and flowers on behalf of Thakur Ji.
Devotees were eager to be drenched in the colors of their deity. Children, the elderly, and foreign visitors—everyone seemed eager to catch a glimpse of Banke Bihari and get smeared with the colors showered from his hands on their foreheads.
In view of the crowd pressure, the administration and temple management have made elaborate security arrangements. Railings have been installed inside and outside the temple for devotees to have darshan safely in queues. Police are deployed at every corner, and CCTV cameras are monitoring the crowd.
The temple's Goswami said, "Today is Rangbhari Ekadashi, and from today onwards, Thakurji ascends from the sanctum sanctorum to the Jagmohan to play Holi with the devotees. Thakurji is offered special saffron color and colors prepared from flowers. There is great enthusiasm among the devotees, and keeping safety in mind, arrangements have been made for smooth darshan."