Dauji Huranga 2027: Date and the Grand Finale of the Braj Holi

Dauji Huranga 2027: event details

Dauji Huranga 2027: the date

Dauji Huranga in 2027 is on Tuesday, 23 March, at the Shri Dauji Maharaj temple in Baldeo, about 22 km from Mathura, exactly one day after the main Rangwali Holi on 22 March. Held on Chaitra Krishna Dwitiya, it is the boisterous grand finale of the whole Braj Holi, the last of the great events and starts around noon. It is a wild, joyful, chaotic celebration of folk devotion at the temple of Dauji, Krishna's elder brother Balarama. To be at Baldeo for the Huranga, at the close of the Braj Holi, with a Braj guide who knows the temple and the safe places, a mathura vrindavan tour with Experience My India can plan it.

From the ground (Gurudutt): The Dauji Huranga is how Braj says goodbye to Holi and what a goodbye it is; the women of Baldeo tear the men's kurtas, twist them into whips, soak them in the tesu-flower colour and drive the men round the courtyard of Dauji Maharaj, everyone soaked and roaring and singing. It is wild and chaotic, but it is pure Braj joy and old, old devotion. Wear clothes you do not mind losing, my friend and come stand with me for the last great day of the Braj Holi. Radhe Radhe, Jai Dauji Maharaj.

What is Dauji Huranga?

Dauji Huranga or simply Huranga, is the famous Holi of the Dauji temple at Baldeo, the grand finale of the Braj Holi:

• The last great Holi of Braj. The Huranga is held the day after the main Holi, on Chaitra Krishna Dwitiya, at the Dauji temple and is the boisterous final major event of the whole Braj Holi season; after weeks of the region's Holis, Braj ends the festival here with the wildest joy of all.

• The play of the Huranga. In the temple courtyard, the men and the Brijwasi women play a vigorous, joyful Holi: the men shower the women with colour and the women, in reply, tear the men's shirts, soak the torn cloth in colour and use it to drench and drive the men round the courtyard, in a roaring, chaotic play, full of folk songs and laughter.

• Old, devotional folk joy. For all its wildness, the Huranga is an ancient, devotional folk tradition, held to re-enact the Holi play of Dauji, Balarama and the Brijwasi gopis; it is energetic and chaotic, but it is pure Braj devotion and delight and an unforgettable close to the Holi.

Who is Dauji and the Baldeo temple

The Huranga is held at the temple of Dauji and it helps to know who he is:

• Dauji, Balarama, Krishna's elder brother. Dauji or Dau Bhaiya, is Balarama, the elder brother of Krishna, revered across Braj as the strong, loving elder of the divine family; Baldeo, his town, takes its name from him and he is worshipped there as Dauji Maharaj.

• The Shri Dauji Maharaj temple. The Shri Dauji Maharaj temple at Baldeo, about 22 km from Mathura, is the great temple of Balarama in Braj, dear to devotees all year and the home of the famous Huranga at Holi; its courtyard is the stage of the wild festival.

• Baldeo, in the wider Braj. Baldeo lies to the south-east of Mathura, near the Gokul side of Braj; it is easily added to a Braj Holi journey, at the close of the festival, as the grand finale after the Holis of Barsana, Nandgaon, Gokul and Vrindavan.

Dauji's brother Krishna is honoured as the king at the dwarkadhish temple of Mathura and their infancy at gokul nearby.

Kapda Faad Holi and the colour soaking

The heart of the Dauji Huranga is the Kapda Faad Holi and the drenching of colour:

• Kapda Faad Holi. The most famous part of the Huranga is the Kapda Faad Holi, the cloth-tearing Holi, in which the Brijwasi women playfully tear the shirts and kurtas of the men in the courtyard; it is done in joyful play, the women's spirited reply to the men's colour.

• The colour soaking. The women twist the torn strips of cloth, soak them in colour, in saffron, indigo and natural tesu, the flame-of-the-forest flower and turmeric dyes and use the soaked cloth to drench and drive the men round the roaring courtyard; the whole crowd is soaked in the bright natural colours.

• Energetic, chaotic, joyful. The result is an energetic, chaotic display of traditional devotion, folk songs and joyful retaliation by the Brijwasi women; it is loud, wild and drenching, the most boisterous of all the Braj Holis and a spectacle of old folk joy at the close of the festival.

The whole Braj Holi 2027 calendar

The Dauji Huranga is the grand finale of the whole Braj Holi, which runs for over a week across many towns. Here is the full Braj Holi 2027 calendar, with our guide to each event:

• laddu holi barsana 2027: 15 March, the sweet Holi at Barsana that opens the festival, when laddus are showered at the Radha Rani temple.

• lathmar holi barsana 2027: 16 March, the famous stick Holi at Barsana, when the men of Nandgaon come to Radha's town and the women drive them off with lath.

• lathmar holi nandgaon 2027: 17 March, the return of the stick Holi at Nandgaon, Krishna's town.

• chhadi mar holi gokul 2027: 19 March, the gentle cane Holi at Gokul, the town of baby Krishna.

• phoolon wali holi vrindavan 2027: 20 March, the flower Holi at the Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan, the most beautiful of all.

• holika dahan 2027: 21 March, the sacred bonfire on the eve of the main Holi.

Then comes the great Rangwali Holi, the main day of colour, on 22 March 2027, across Braj and all India; and the day after, on 23 March, the Dauji Huranga at Baldeo brings the whole Braj Holi to its wild, joyful close.

How to experience Dauji Huranga safely

The Dauji Huranga is joyful but wild and chaotic, so plan for it with care:

• Wear clothes you do not mind losing. In the Kapda Faad Holi the men's shirts are torn and everyone is drenched in colour, so wear old clothes you do not mind being torn and stained and men especially should not wear anything they wish to keep; carry a change of clothes for after.

• Watch from a safe spot. The temple courtyard, where the tearing and the colour soaking are thickest, gets very crowded, wild and slippery underfoot; watch from a safe spot, an edge or a place your guide knows, rather than the heart of the crush, especially with family, children or elders.

• Go with a local and protect your things. Go with a Braj local who knows the temple, the safe places and the timing; keep phones, money and valuables sealed and safe or better, left behind, for the drenching and the crowd; go early and be ready for a loud, wet, chaotic and joyful few hours.

How to reach Baldeo and plan your trip

Baldeo lies south-east of Mathura and a Holi trip takes planning:

• Reaching Baldeo. Baldeo, with the Dauji temple, is about 22 km from Mathura and about 30 km from Vrindavan, to the south-east near the Gokul side; at Holi the roads are busy, so plan transport and arrival carefully and start early. Most travellers go by car with a Braj guide.

• Where to base. Base yourself in Vrindavan or Mathura and make a day trip to Baldeo for the Dauji Huranga on the 23rd, at the close of the Braj Holi; book stays very early, for Holi is the busiest season in Braj.

• The whole Braj Holi. The Dauji Huranga on the 23rd crowns a Braj Holi that runs from the Laddu Holi on the 15th; allow at least four or five days to see the whole festival, from Barsana and Nandgaon to Gokul, Vrindavan and the finale at Baldeo.

See our distance from mathura to gokul guide for reaching the Baldeo and Gokul side and our how to commute in vrindavan guide for getting around Braj.

Best tips for Dauji Huranga

• Note the date: Dauji Huranga at Baldeo is on 23 March 2027, the day after the main Holi, the grand finale of the Braj Holi; it starts around noon.

• Wear old clothes you do not mind torn and coloured; in the Kapda Faad Holi, men's shirts are torn, so leave anything you value behind and carry a change of clothes.

• Book your stay in Vrindavan or Mathura very early; Holi is the busiest season in Braj and rooms fill months ahead.

• Go with a Braj local who knows the Dauji temple, the safe places to watch and the road; the courtyard is wild, so watch from a safe spot with family.

• Keep phones and valuables sealed and safe or leave them behind, for the drenching and the crowd; be ready for a loud, wet, joyful few hours.

We host guests for the whole Braj Holi, from the Laddu and Lathmar Holis to the flower Holi, the Holika Dahan and the Dauji Huranga finale, every year, with a comfortable vehicle, the safe places to watch and a Braj-born host who welcomes you as family. A shared day tour starts from around ₹1,499 per person, with darshan free and we arrange bespoke Holi trips too. The braj 84 kos yatra covers the whole of Braj, our mathura vrindavan tour the twin cities and our vrindavan tour package Vrindavan in a day; the banke bihari temple and the braj yamuna ghats and leela sites are dear year-round. Message me on WhatsApp at +91-7302265809 to plan your Holi and book early, as Holi fills fast.

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