Fuldolotsav - Maninagardham Fuldolotsav - Delhi

The festival of Fuldolotsav is celebrated on the day after Holi. All over India, the days are celebrated by spraying coloured water and sprinkling powdered paint over one another. Holi is therefore sometimes referred to as the Festival of Colours. The colour is representative of the beautiful spring blossoms that would be emerging on the trees at this time of year. The Fuldolotsav festival is sometimes referred to as the Festival of Flowers.

Both festivals have the same theme; destruction of evil and triumph of good. For disciples of the Swaminarayan religion, this evil also refers to our own internal evils that obstruct us from our devotion unto the Lord.

This year, the celebrations held in the presence of Acharya Swamiji Maharaj took place in Maninagardham. During the early afternoon of Wednesday 8 March 2023, the sants and disciples gathered in the vast grounds of the Mandir and played devotional, kirtans, and devotional dancing.

Acharya Swamiji Maharaj sprinkled coloured water and powder over Shree Ghanshyam Maharaj – Supreme Lord Shree Swaminarayan in the main Mandir, and then went to the grounds where He bathed Shree Harikrishna Maharaj with panchamrut and then with coloured water and auspicious gulal powder. This consecrated paint was then sprayed over the sants and disciples. This is symbolic of how we should replace our own worldly inclinations with the divinity of the Lord's colour.

The traditional prasad for this day, fagwaa; popcorn, roasted chickpeas, dates and sultanas, was distributed to everyone present.