Temples gear up for Holi festivities

Temples across the city saw large crowds of people on Thursday on the occasion of Holika Dahan, celebrated on the day before Holi. The temples will have colourful celebrations on Friday as well.

The Sola Bhagwat Vidhyapith temple celebrated Holika Dahan by lighting a huge ceremonial fire with 20,000- 25,000 cow dung cakes. Vijay Parsana, a member of the temple committee, said they had decided to use only cow dung cakes as it was good for the environment.

The cow dung cakes were collected from different cities in Gujarat and gaushalas across states, including Mathura, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Punjab.

Dwarkadhish Temple has started its preparations for Holika Dahan several days in advance. Dhuleti will be celebrated at the temple in the presence of the religious representatives and a large number of devotees on Friday.

The ISKCON temple in the city will have Gaur Purnima celebrations on Holi. Festivities will start with Mangal aarti at 4:30 am, followed by other prayers and rituals. Similar celebrations will also be held at Hare Krishna temple in Bhadaj.

The Kalupur Swaminarayan temple, too, has organised various events to mark the occasion.