The famed ‘lathmar’ Holi of Mathura began on Monday with much fanfare and no case of injuries among men, who undergo a ritual beating by women during its course.
Women of Barsana beating men of Nandgaon with sticks during the Latthamaar Holi celebration, at Barsana in Mathura
According to District Magistrate Shailendra Singh, the lathmar Holi was celebrated in Mathura’s Barsana under heavy security and ambulances on standby to tend to the wounded.
“No untoward incident took place despite the presence of several lakh pilgrims,” the District magistrate said.
A glimpse of the Latthamaar Holi celebration, in Sriji temple
Dr Manoj Vashishtha, the in-charge of a local community health centre, said nobody came to the centre for treatment after the festival.
Ritually, men from Nandgaon try to drench the Barsana women, who then reciprocate by attacking the men with sticks, Mr Goswami, one of the revellers, said.
The entire ‘mela’ area has been divided into five zones and 12 sectors for the week-long celebration, which will culminate with Holi on March 25, officials said.
Women of Barsana beating men as part of Holi rituals in Barsana
To avoid traffic congestion, 78 barriers and 45 parking slots were set up in Barsana.
Twenty-nine barriers and 12 parking areas were set up in Nandgaon.
Four watchtowers in Barsana and two in Nandgaon were set up to ensure proper movement of traffic, officials said.
The administration had deployed 150 buses to ferry people to Nandgaon or Barsana for the festival.
Holi celebrations in Sriji temple in Mathura
To prevent drowning, the administration had also barricaded four ponds in Barsana and one in Nandgaon.
According to officials, 12 temporary mini-hospitals, equipped with 13 ambulances, for Barsana and 4 ambulances for Nandgaon were kept on standby.
