Jaipur, March 3 The festival of Holi was celebrated with traditional fervor and enthusiasm across Rajasthan after Holika Dahan was observed in the early hours on Tuesday.
Amid confusion over the exact date of Dhulandi celebrations due to a lunar eclipse, many people celebrated the festival on Tuesday, applying colors to each other and taking to the streets.
Some people said they would observe it on Wednesday.
Holika Dahan rituals were performed across the state in the early hours, with people gathering in neighborhoods for the ritual symbolizing the victory of good over evil. Devotees offered prayers and performed traditional circumambulations around the fire.
In Jaipur, a large number of devotees thronged the Govind Devji temple, where special arrangements were made for Holi. Devotees danced to devotional and folk songs and celebrated by showering flowers and colors.
The Rajasthan Tourism Department organized its annual Holi celebration for tourists at the Khasa Kothi hotel premises in Jaipur, attracting a large number of domestic and foreign visitors.
Officials said that natural colored powders were arranged for the event. Foreign guests were seen dancing to DJ music while Rajasthani folk artists presented traditional performances, including Ghoomar, Kalbelia, Chakri, and Kachhi Ghodi dances.
Tourists were welcomed with tilak, colored powder, and aarti, and special arrangements for food and refreshments were made.
Deputy Director of the Tourism Department, Upendra Singh Shekhawat, said that the department celebrates Dhulandi at Khasa Kothi every year to provide visitors with an authentic cultural experience.
