Holi is a popular and important Hindu festival celebrated in the month of March as a festival of Colors and Love in spring season which people celebrate as a celebration of the eternal and divine love of Lord Radha and Krishna. Additionally, this day also symbolizes for the victory of good over evil, as it is also celebrated for the victory of Lord Vishnu’s incarnation Narasimha Narayan over Hiranyakaship. Holi originated primarily in the Indian subcontinent, but now it has spread to other regions of Asia and parts of the Western world through the Non Resident Indian.
While celebrating Holi, some people make a special milky drink in which sugar and dry fruits along with hemp are mixed in the milk. People drink this drink with joy and dance in the devotion of God.
We celebrate the Holi festival at Jugal Kishor & Prannath Ji Temple in Panna which is only 45 km far from Khajuraho because this temple is the center of faith for the devotees of entire Bundelkhand. Here, on the festival of colors, Holi, the famous Lord Prannath Ji Temple is visible and it seems as if Lord Krishna was born here.
Jugal Kishor temple is a temple where people celebrate the festival of Holi for five days which is also known as Rangpanchami and Lord Krishna changes his form and appears to his devotees in the form of Radha and Radha ji also changes her form and becomes Lord Krishna. In this unique and ancient tradition this form of Lord Krishna is known as Sakhi Darshan and to see this supernatural Sakhi Darshan form of God devotees come here from 5 am in the morning and gathered to play Holi of Gulal with them.
The saying behind this tradition is that when Lord Krishna used to go to Mathura and Vrindavan with Gulal to play Holi, then Radha ji used to transform him into Radha and herself took the form of Lord Krishna, after which both of them used to play Holi together. Even today, when women engrossed in the devotion of Krishna sing such Holi songs on the beats of Dholak, blow gulal and dance, the joy in Prannath Ji temple is no less than in Vrindavan.
This tradition has been going on in Prannath Ji temple for more than 350 years, which continues even today and on this auspicious occasion, all the devotees are offered the Gulal, due to which the women and devotees coming here apply Gulal to each other and sing Phag and Holi songs with full devotion.