Lathmar Holi Nandgaon 2027: Date, Timings and How to Plan

Nandgaon Lathmar Holi 2027: event details

Lathmar Holi Nandgaon 2027: the date

Lathmar Holi at Nandgaon in 2027 is on Wednesday, 17 March, the day after the Lathmar Holi at Barsana on 16 March. It is held in the afternoon and evening, after the morning prayers at the Nand Bhavan temple and it is free, a public spiritual festival, at Nandgaon in Mathura district. Nandgaon is Krishna's town and on this day the play of Barsana is returned here, in the same joyful stick Holi. It falls in Braj's great forty-day Holi season, so a Holi journey to Braj is best understood as a festival across several towns and days, not one afternoon. To be at Nandgaon for the Lathmar Holi, with a Braj guide who knows the safe places to watch, a mathura vrindavan tour with Experience My India can plan it.

From the ground (Gurudutt): If Barsana on the 16th is Radha's day, Nandgaon on the 17th is Kanhaiya's; now our Barsana men go to Nandgaon and the women of Nandgaon give it back to them with their lath. It is just as wild and joyful and a little less crowded than Barsana, which some of my guests love. It is my own land and I host guests for both days every year, so I know the day and the safe places to watch. Come on the 17th of March and see the play return to Krishna's town. Radhe Radhe.

What is Nandgaon Lathmar Holi?

Nandgaon Lathmar Holi is the second day of the famous stick Holi, the return of the play at Krishna's town:

• The return of the play. On 16 March, the men of Nandgaon, Krishna's town, go to Barsana, Radha's town and the women of Barsana drive them off with sticks. On 17 March, the play is returned: the men of Barsana go to Nandgaon and the women of Nandgaon, as the gopis, playfully drive them off with lath, long sticks, while the men shield themselves and sing and taunt in return.

• The same joyful spirit. It is the same joyful stick Holi as Barsana, full of colour, song and playful battle, held in the afternoon and evening after the morning prayers; it re-enacts the playful love and banter of Radha and Krishna, now on Krishna's own ground.

• A little quieter than Barsana. The Nandgaon Lathmar Holi, on the second day, is often a little less crowded than the great Barsana day, which some travellers prefer; but it is no less joyful and to see both days is to see the whole of the famous festival.

For the Barsana day, see our lathmar holi barsana 2027 guide and for the twin towns and their bond, our barsana vs nandgaon guide.

Nandgaon, the town of Krishna

Nandgaon is the hill town of Krishna, where the Lathmar Holi returns:

• Krishna's town. Nandgaon, in the west of Braj near Barsana, is the town of Krishna, the village of his foster father Nanda Baba and foster mother Yashoda, who moved here from Gokul; it is where the boy Krishna grew up, tended the cows and played.

• The Nand Bhavan temple. The Nand Bhavan temple, also called the Nandrai temple, crowns the hill of Nandgaon, on the site of Nanda Baba's home; the morning prayers and darshan there begin the day of the Lathmar Holi, before the play in the afternoon and evening.

• The hill and the ponds. Nandgaon sits on its own hill, with sacred ponds such as Pavan Sarovar nearby and looks across to Radha's Barsana; it is a beautiful, peaceful town, steeped in the childhood of Krishna, that comes alive with joy for the Holi.

Barsana and Nandgaon: the two days of Lathmar Holi

The Lathmar Holi is really two days, shared between the twin towns of Radha and Krishna. In 2027:

• Day one, Barsana, 16 March. The men of Nandgaon come to Barsana, Radha's town and the women of Barsana drive them off with sticks at the Radha Rani temple; the great, most famous day.

• Day two, Nandgaon, 17 March. The men of Barsana go to Nandgaon, Krishna's town and the women of Nandgaon return the play with their sticks; a little quieter, no less joyful.

• See both for the whole festival. The two days together, at the twin towns only about 8 to 9 km apart, hold the whole of the famous Lathmar Holi; many travellers see Barsana on the 16th and Nandgaon on the 17th, for the full play of Radha and Krishna's love.

Barsana's Radha Rani temple is honoured in the radha rani aarti lyrics and its darshan at the radha rani temple barsana.

The Braj Holi 2027 calendar

The Nandgaon and Barsana Lathmar Holi are the most famous of many Holi celebrations across Braj, which run for weeks. The main events of the 2027 Braj Holi journey:

• Laddu Holi at Barsana, 15 March. The sweet Holi at Radha's town, when laddus are showered at the Radha Rani temple.

• Lathmar Holi at Barsana, 16 March. The famous stick Holi, when the men of Nandgaon come to Barsana.

• Lathmar Holi at Nandgaon, 17 March. The return of the play at Krishna's town, when the men of Barsana go to Nandgaon.

• Phoolon ki Holi at Vrindavan. The beautiful flower Holi, above all at the Banke Bihari temple, where the priests shower the crowd with flower petals; a gentler, exquisite Holi.

• Holika Dahan and the main Holi. Holika Dahan on 21 March and the great Rangwali Holi, the main day of colour, on 22 March 2027, across Braj and all India; and the Dauji Huranga at nearby Baldeo just after, around 23 March.

The flower Holi is at the banke bihari temple and the temple Holi at the dwarkadhish temple of Mathura and the temples of gokul.

How to experience Nandgaon Lathmar Holi safely

Lathmar Holi is joyful but very crowded and intense, so plan for it with care:

• Watch from a safe vantage point. Where the sticks and the play are thickest, in the streets and courtyards below the Nand Bhavan temple, it gets very intense and crowded; watch from a safe vantage point, a rooftop or an edge, rather than the heart of the crush, especially with family, children or elders.

• Go with a local. The crowds, the road closures and the timings are best handled with a Braj local who knows the day, the safe spots and the way in and out; it is not a festival to arrive at cold and a guide makes it safe and truly seen.

• Protect yourself and your things. Wear old clothes you do not mind colouring, protect your eyes and skin, keep phones and valuables in a sealed bag and be ready for colour, water and crowds; go early, as the town fills fast.

How to reach Nandgaon and plan your trip

Nandgaon lies in the west of Braj, near Barsana and a Holi trip takes planning:

• Reaching Nandgaon. Nandgaon is about 45 to 50 km from Vrindavan and Mathura, about an hour and a half by road and only about 8 to 9 km from Barsana; at Holi the roads are very busy and often closed near the town, so plan transport and arrival carefully and start early.

• Where to base. Most travellers base themselves in Vrindavan or Mathura and make day trips to Barsana on the 16th and Nandgaon on the 17th and to Vrindavan for the flower Holi; book stays very early, for Holi is the busiest season in Braj.

• See both days. As Barsana and Nandgaon are so close, many travellers see the Lathmar Holi on both days, at Barsana on the 16th and Nandgaon on the 17th; allow at least three or four days for the whole Braj Holi.

See our how to commute in vrindavan guide for reaching Nandgaon and our mathura vrindavan tour itinerary for planning your days.

Best tips for Nandgaon Lathmar Holi

• Note the dates: Lathmar Holi at Barsana on 16 March and at Nandgaon on 17 March 2027; see both days if you can, as the twin towns are only 8 to 9 km apart.

• The Nandgaon Lathmar Holi is in the afternoon and evening, after the morning prayers; it is free, a public festival, so plan your day around it.

• 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 safe places to watch and the road closures; it makes the difference between chaos and joy.

• Wear old clothes, protect your eyes, skin and hair, keep valuables in a sealed bag and watch from a safe vantage point, especially with family.

We host guests for the Barsana and Nandgaon Lathmar Holi and the whole Braj Holi every year and can plan and guide your 2027 trip, 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 prem mandir vrindavan 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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