Dol Utsav 2013

Holi  is a spring festival celebrated as a festival of colours. It is a Hindu religious festival which has also become popular with people of other communities.

It is primarily observed in India and Nepal. It is also observed by the minority Hindus in Bangladesh and Pakistan as well in countries with large Indic diaspora populations following Hinduism, such as Suriname, Malaysia, Guyana, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, the United States, Mauritius, and Fiji.

Holi is also known as Phagwah (Assamese: ফাকুৱা), Festival of Colours, or Doḷajātra (Oriya: ଦୋଳଯାତ୍ରା) in Odisha, and as Dol Jatra (Bengali: দোলযাত্রা) or Basantotsav ("spring festival") (Bengali: বসন্তোৎসব) in West Bengal and Assam.

Holi is of particular significance in the Braj region, which includes locations traditionally connected to the Lord Krishna: Mathura, Vrindavan, Nandagaon, and Barsana, which become tourist destinations during the season of Holi.

As per the Hindu calendar, Holi is celebrated on the Phalguna Purnima (Full Moon), which comes in February or March in the Gregorian Calendar.

In Bengal and Odisha, Dol Purnima 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, is taken out in procession, in a swinging palanquin, decorated with flowers, leaves, colored clothes and papers.The procession proceeds forward to the accompaniment of music, blaring of conch shells, trumpets and shouts of 'Jai' (victory).

Dol Purnima becomes all the more significant for Bengalis, because this is also the birthday of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (1485–1533). He was a great Vaishnava saint, who popularized modern sankirtana. He elevated the passion of Radha and Krishna to a high spiritual plane. He underlined the emotional at the cost of the ceremonial side of devotion. Followers of Chaitanya School of Vaishnavism, believe Chaitanya to be the manifestation of Krishna. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu believed that the essence of sadhana is always the loving remembrance of Hari.

In Kolkata Dol is celebrated allover the city with lots of joy. Special programs are organized on the day at Santiniketan, Jorasako Thakur Bari, Golf Green and other places.