Different forms of Holi – Dol Jatra

Dol Jatra in West Bengal & Odisha

In Bengal and Odisha, Dol Purnima or Dol Jatra (Bengali: দোল যাত্রা); is a major festival. This festival is dedicated to Sri Krishna. On this auspicious day, an image of Krishna, richly adorned and besmeared with colored powder (Abir in Bengali), is taken out in procession, in a swinging palanquin, decorated with flowers, leaves, colored clothes and papers.[1] The procession proceeds forward to the accompaniment of music, blaring of conch shells, trumpets and shouts of ‘Jai’ (victory).

Bengal observes Holi  festival as Dol-purima or Dola-yatra (the festival of the swing). The festival, said to have been initiated by the king Indradyumna in Vrindavan, is spread over 3 or 5 days, starting from the shukla-chaturdashi of Phalguna. A celebration in honour of Agni. and worship of Krishna in image kept on a swing (dola) are the important features.

The day is also celebrated as the birthday of Sri Krishna Chaitanya (A.D. 1486-1533), mostly in Bengal, as also Puri (in Orissa), Mathura and Vrindavan (in Uttar Pradesh).

The festival is observed in the following way by the monastics at Belur Math: On the night just before the Dol-purnima day, a heap of the twigs of trees is set fire to in a simple ceremony. On the Dol-purnima day, a picture of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is placed in the Main Temple. The monastics sing devotional songs on Krishna and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu in front of the picture in the morning. Then they go to the different temples in the Math campus, singing and dancing in a procession. They also throw on one another gulal (coloured powder). After the evening arati of Sri Ramakrishna in the Main Temple, a simple worship of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu is performed, which is followed by a talk on the life and teachings of the Mahaprabhu by a senior monk, and devotional singing.