Kolkata: After two years of low-key celebrations amid rising COVID-19 cases, ‘Dol jatra’ or Holi was marked with grand fervour this time at Mayapur — the global headquarters of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) — with close to a lakh devotees taking part in the annual fiesta on Friday, smearing each other with colours and dancing to the beats of Hare Krishna’ chants.
The religious organisation also observed the 536th birth anniversary of 15th century saint Chaitanya MahaPrabhu on this occasion, its spokesperson Subrata Biswas said.
Devotees from 92 countries offered prayers early in the day, and some of them were seen adorning the temple premises with seasonal flowers and strings of multihued lights.
Priests blew conch shells and performed arati’ amid traditional beating of drums, before the revellers set out to play with gulal’ (coloured powder).
At Belur Math, the global headquarters of Ramakrishna Math and Mission, monks participated in the prayer sessions and chanted mantras on the occasion of ‘Dol jatra’.
Entry of visitors, however, was restricted for the third year in a row, given the fact that the pandemic hasn’t ended yet, a spokesperson at the Math said.
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