Holi and Pushpadolotsav

On March 20th, I decided to visit BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Yonkers, NY because they were celebrating Holi. When I called this Gujurati mandir on March 18th, they said that they don’t play with colors on Holi. Instead, they have a “Satsang,” which is a sort of an assembly where everyone gets together from 4pm till 6:30pm. They listen/read scriptures and reflect upon its meaning and try to apply it in their own lives. After that, they have “aarti” and “mahaprasad” (dinner). The expected amount of people in attendance was 200 people.

On March 20th, I didn’t know what to expect at all. From the outside, it seemed like a regular 3 story building. In the front, there were large white doors. I was hesitant to open the door since I have no idea what the interior is like. Since I was wearing Indian clothes, I felt that it was easy for me to blend with the crowd. So, with that thought, I opened the door, and I entered a room. The first thing I notice is the next room in front of me. It looks like an auditorium which can fit over 300 people and realized that that was the temple area itself.

I was looking around in the first room and I noticed that everything was separated by gender. In the room that I was standing in, there was a shelf titled “Ladies Shoes” and a stairway for the Ladies to go downstairs. On the other side of the room, there was a shelf and a stairway dedicated to the “Gentlemen” only. I didn’t expect that there would be gender distinctions at the temple. So, I took off my shoes and placed it in the cubby and stepped into the temple area.   It was 3:50pm and there weren’t a lot of people there at the time. A woman who looked like she was 25 years old came up to me and asked if I was someone new. I replied ‘yes’ and I told her that I have an ethnography project for my Hinduism class. She introduced herself as Kruti and offered to help me to understand the procedures of this day. I felt so relieved!

The picture shows the gods in the “sinhasan,” the actual temple area. In the picture, it is not covered. However, when I got there, the sinhasan was entirely covered becaue the “pujari” (priest) was offering food to the gods.  In this picture, there are 4 sets of gods. From the left, the first set is Shri Shivaji, Shri Parvatiji, and their son, Shri Ganeshji. The second set shows Shri Krishnaji with his flute and Shri Radhaji.  In this picture, you can see that there are tubes tucked in Shri Krishna’s shawl. Those tubes are called “pichkari” and yellow colored water are filled in these tubes. The yellow comes from a flower known as “kesudo” and the color itself is known as “rang.” The third set of gods are Purna Purushottam and Shri Bhagwan Swaminarayan (the god whom this temple is name after.)  The last set of gods are Shri Ramji, Shri Sitaji, and Shri Hanumanji.  It seems like these are the gods whom the Gujurati community pray to each week.

Kruti told me that they don’t usually play with colors because in America, the tradition is not accepted as much. So, people just apply “kumkum” (red powder) on other people’s faces. However, this didn’t happen today.  Holi is a special holiday in India because it celebrates the arrival of Spring. In the Bhagavad Gita, 10th teaching, vs. 31, Krishna commemorates Spring as the best of all seasons. Holi comes from the Sanskrit word “Holaaka,” which means roasted grain. So, Holi is the offering of the newly harvested grain to the gods. In addition, the day after spring, or Holi, is considered Fuldol or Pushpadolotsav. “Pushpa” means flower and this represents the festival of flowers and colors. On this day, the devotees place the “murti” (the divine image of God) on a “hindolo,” or a swing, made of flowers, and then, they swing him. They also offer special food items known as “fagwaa,” which includes popcorn, dates, and roasted chickpeas.

After Kruti gave me a history about the festival of Holi and Fuldol, the Satsang started. In the auditorium, there was a 2 feet high wooden blocks that were lined up in the middle, which represented the dividing line between the men and the women. We were all seated and facing the stage. There were four men seated on the stage with instruments and microphones in front of them.  I was seated right behind the wooden blocks. The four men were leading the song session where the glorify and praise Shri Bhagwan Swaminarayan, the festival of Holi and Fuldol, etc. I wondered why it was only men on stage, and Kruti told me that women are not allowed on stage during the assemblies. After the song session, we were shown videos of people in India celebrating Holi in the city of Sarangpur. Every year, there is a mega Holi event led by His Divine Holiness Pramukh Swami Maharaj, the highest spiritual leader in the Gujurat community. 100,000 devotees attended this event in Sarangpur. Videos were shown from this event. The men were all in the front, while the ladies stayed in the back. I noticed that once again, there was a gender distinction. Only the men were allowed to get showered in the yellow colored water. The ladies are not hit with the colored water at all.

During the sabha, everyone sang songs and were clapping with the beat. It was evident how everyone was showing bhakti and veneration to their gods. The instruments used during this session were the “tabla” (small drum) and a “kartal” (a handheld tambourine). After this, we took part in “aarti,” which is a form of puja in which light wicks of fire are soaked in ghee and these lamps are offered to the gods. The silver plate is decorated with paint and with this plate, we move it in a circle back and forth, and then we pass it on to the next person. Kruti asked me to do it as well. I felt awkward doing it but it was a great experience. After the aarti, we all were invited to the “mahaprasad,” or dinner. It was a light dinner of rice, nan, and vegetarian food. We even had “fagwaa” with popcorn, dates, and roasted chickpeas. Once again, there was separation between the men and women during dinner.

Overall, I would like to say I had a great experience there. I learned so much in this one day. As an Indian myself, I have seen Hindu festivals from a distance in my own village in India. Since I’m a Christian, I’m not allowed to take part in it. However, this opportunity at the mandir made it possible for me to understand and take part in the festival of Holi and Fuldol.