Holi is an ancient festival of India and it was initially referred to as ‘Holika’. In spite of being such a colorful festival, there are various aspects of Holi which makes it so significant for our lives. Initially, it was a festival that was celebrated for good harvests and the fertile land. Hindus still find it as a length of experiencing spring’s abundant colors and saying farewell to winter.

One of the popular legends based on Holi is that once there lived a devil and powerful king, called Hiranyakashipu. He considered himself as god and expected everyone to worship him. Whereas his own son Prahlada, was a devoted disciple of God Vishnu and Vishnu was Hiranyakashipu’s enemy. Adding to this his son’s devotion for Vishnu made him extremely angry and upset that he decided to kill him, but all his attempt to kill his son failed.

Prahalda was always protected by Vishnu’s mystical powers. Finally after many failures Hiranyakashipu asked his sister Holika to help him kill his own son. Holika had a special power that prevented her from being harmed by fire. Holika was asked by Hiranyakashipu to enter an intense fire with Prahlad in her lap. It is believed that Prahlada wasn’t harmed in the fire because of his extreme devotion to Vishnu; instead Holika was burnt down to nothing.

The ritual of burning Holika or the ‘Holika dahan’ comes mainly from this legend. The burning of Holika is celebrated as Holi in Hinduism. This colorful festival is also connected with the legend of Radha and Krishna, which describes the extremely delighted Krishna, once applied colors on Radha and the other Gopi’s. This prank of Krishna later became a part of the festival.

On the whole Holi is a colorful festival which helps in bringing the society together. For, this festival is also celebrated by non-Hindus as everybody likes to be a part of such a colorful and joyous festival. It is also said that even the enemies turn in to friends on this festival by forgetting all the negativity of their past. So let’s revitalize all relationships and strengthen bonds.

Team Ishta Devata once again wishes you and your family a joyous and colorful Holi, God bless…

Immerse yourself watching this video of Sri Krishna’s Puja below.