Holi - The Legend

One popular legend surrounding Holi talks about Lord Krishna, an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, pulling a prank on his beloved consort, Radha. Jealous of Radha’s fair complexion, Krishna, who was dark skinned, smeared her body with coloured powder in a playful attempt to make her resemble him. Soon, this exchange between Radha and Krishna reached the jealous ears of gopis (female cattle herders). They partook in this playful exchange by smearing each other with colours. As time progressed, this episode between Radha, Krishna and the gopis is said to have snowballed into a festival celebrated by all Hindu communities - Holi. When covered a multitude of colours, the true colour of one’s skin is neither visible, nor relevant. The legend highlights this uniformity created through colour, hinting at the advocacy of racial equality.

But the primary reason for celebrating Holi is linked to an ancient story from Indian mythology, that most children have grown up listening to as a bedtime lore. According to the lore, there once was an Asura (demigod figure with superhuman abilities) king named Hiranyakashyap. He had a son named Prahlada, a staunch devotee of Lord Vishnu. Hiranyakashyap’s brother Hiranyaksha had been slain by Vishnu, because of which Hiranyakashyap loathed Vishnu. In one of the many attempts to kill Prahlad, Hiranyakashyap sought the help of his sister, Holika. Holika had been granted a boon by Lord Brahma, of being immune to fire. In the guise of conducting a ritual to please Lord Vishnu, Holika convinced Prahlad to sit on a bonfire and pray with her. Being unaware of her true intention, Prahlad dutifully agreed. Soon, Holika and Prahlad were engulfed in flames.But to both Holika and Hiranyakashyap’s shock, the fire did not even touch Prahlad and started burning Holika instead. Prahlad’s devotion to Vishnu protected him from the fire, Holika, with her sinister intention, was burnt to ashes.