Indore: After two-year hiatus, Holi festivities begin with Holika Dahan

Indore (Madhya Pradesh)

For the last three centuries, Holi has been celebrated in Indore. The celebration began during the Holkar era in the late 18th century. Holkars were the first to introduce this festival in the city. Since then, ‘Holika Dahan’ (now known as Sarkari Holi) is held outside Rajwada Palace where all the citizens took part. After the celebration, people used to take the fire from the bonfire to lit their area’s Holika with it.

The Holkar family used to play Holi with natural colours inside Rajwada. Guests from neighboring states were also called for celebration.The festivals of Bhagoria and Rangpanchami are an important part of Holi celebrations in MP. Bhagoria is celebrated by tribes of Bhil and Bhilalas where God of Dance Bhagoradev is worshipped.

On Thursday, before Holika Dahan at Rajwada, Holika was worshipped as per tradition. Members of the Holkar dynasty were present in the programme. After the worship of Sarkari Holi, Holika Dahan was done.

After Holika Dahan, people rubbed ‘gulal’ on the faces of their friends and family members. Many families threw Holi parties in hotels and farmhouses on Thursday evening. Another major celebration was at Rajwada where the air filled with ‘gulal’ as people came together cheering and dancing to hip Holi-themed songs. Besides Holi celebrations, Indoreans looked forward to delicious food. From sweets to savoury dishes, people relished Holi delicacies before indulging in festive mirth.

Sindhi sweet Gheeyar's mouthwatering flavour on Holi

The sweets of Sindhi society are not only in Indore, but in the whole country. Naresh Phundwani, a social worker of Indore Sindhi society said that where different types of sweets are made in every festival, the demand for Sindhi sweets Gheeyar becomes tremendous on the festival of Holi. The specialty of this Gheeyar sweet is that the shape and colour of this sweet is exactly like jalebi but its taste is different. From 7 days before Holi to 3 days after Holi, this sweet is distributed among families wishing Holi.

Published on: Friday, March 18, 2022, 02:06 AM IST