The Hindus in the city celebrated Holi with religious fervor on Wednesday. The celebrations at Balmic Madir, Nila Gumband, started with prayers followed by the traditional extravaganza. The festivities included lighting up small lamps and painting each other with colours. Prasad was distributed after the concluding prayer. Various temples in the city were decorated for the occasion. Holi is most commonly believed to have originated from the Hindu legend of Holika, the sister of the demon king Hiranyakashyap. Beyond the haze of color and bhang-induced highs, the meaning of the festival comes from a number of stories in Hindu mythology and is believed to have been celebrated in some form for thousands of years.
