Amazing Holi Festival Traditions in Bikaner

Holi, the celebration of love and colours, is one of the most significant festivals of India. Every year millions of people across India take part in this outstanding ritual welcoming spring season and celebrating the eternal love of Lord Krishna and Radha.

Though a large number of Indians celebrate Holi, each region has their own beliefs and traditions associated with it. It is the reason Holi is known by different names in different states of India. North and western Indians call it Holi, Assamese call it Phakuwa or Phagwah, while Bengalis and Odiyas call the festival Dol Jatra and Basanto Utsav.

However, among all these places Bikaneri Holi has special significance because the descendants of Rajputs make unique and innovative arrangements celebrating the festival of colours. Here is a brief account of the amazing Holi festival traditions in Bikaner.

Throwing Water at Each Other

The Harsh and Vyas community of Bikaner immerse each other with water instead of using colours during Holi. It is a more environment-friendly approach of celebrating the festival as revellers do not use any toxic chemical colours, which can have an adverse effect on the skin.



This ritual is known as Dolchi Holi and has been celebrated in the same way for about 300 years in Bikaner. Tourists not only from India, but other countries of the world come to be a part of this Holi tradition. It is the reason most of the luxury hotels in Bikaner remained booked to full capacity during the festival. Many resorts for Holi in Bikaner make special arrangement for Dolchi Holi. A uniquely designed vase called ‘dolchi’ made of camel skin is available for reserving water for celebrations. Hotels and resorts procure them in enormous numbers for tourists.

Related Topic: Usta Art: Cultural Heritage of Bikaner

Holika Dahan in Bikaner

Holika Dahan is a spectacular ritual where merrymakers create a bonfire accumulating twigs and branches from trees and lighting it. It signifies the end of all evil intentions of human beings and the victory of good deeds overs evil. Revellers also sing traditional songs and dance around the fire making the event more extravagant. In some resorts or hotels in Bikaner, management arranges traditional drinks and foods to be eaten after the bonfire.

Wearing Colourful Attire for Holi

Another significant aspect of Holi in Bikaner is wearing traditional Rajasthani attires for celebration. Some parts of Bikaner call Holi as ‘Braj Festival’ and perform ‘Raslila’ during these days. It is a traditional dance drama where different stories of Lord Krishna and Radha’s eternal love get enacted on a stage. Performers wear vibrant Rajasthani attire while executing Raslila.Visitors from different districts in Rajasthan come to Bikaner to watch these programmes. Some Bikaner hotels have individual boutique shops within their premises where guests and patrons can buy these fantastic traditional dresses.

So, these were few amazing Holi traditions practised in Bikaner making the festival a royal and grand affair. Tourists from all over the world come to this town to witness the incredible celebration. You can experience this regal and vibrant festival of colours at Narendra Bhawan, a heritage hotel in Bikaner.