Spring arrives, and leaves in a hurry
The lunar month of Phalgun, which runs through late February and March, is the most playful month of the Hindu year. Songs called phag are sung in the evenings, drums called chang are played in the squares, and teasing, flirtation and colour are allowed as at no other time.
Phalgun ends with Holi: on the full moon. The next day the month of Chaitra begins, bringing Gangaur, the goddess and the new year of the old calendar.
- Weather
- Warm days climbing into the low thirties; mild, pleasant nights
- Rain
- Dry; a rare short storm with hail
- Crowds
- Thinning; Holi week has a rush of its own
- Festivals
- Holi on the Phalgun full moon, then Gangaur's eighteen days
- Best for
- Festival lovers, photographers, couples and anyone who wants tigers
- Pack
- Light cotton, a sun hat, swimwear and old clothes for Holi
- The first half: still very comfortable, with warm days, mild nights and the clear light of late winter, and fewer people than in February.
- The second half: hot by midday, especially in the desert and on the plains around Agra, though mornings and evenings remain beautiful.
- Holi in 2027: it falls late, on 22 March, so the colour comes just as the heat is building.
- The harvest: the wheat harvest begins, the mustard is cut, and the fields turn from green to gold to bare earth.
- The palash: in the Aravallis and around Ranthambore, the trees drop their leaves and the flame of the forest flowers a brilliant orange on bare branches.
- Blossom and scent: mango trees blossom in the orchards of Mewar, and the scent of neem flowers drifts along the lake roads of Udaipur.
How March warms up across the state
Where it heats first: the Thar and the plains
- The first half of March: perfect for the desert, and a night in a dune camp is still lovely, with warm evenings and mild nights.
- After mid-month: we plan desert sightseeing for the early morning and the evening, and keep the middle of the day for a long lunch and a swim.
Jaipur and the east
Days: in Jaipur they reach the low thirties by the end of the month.
- Mornings and evenings: they stay lovely.
- The rhythm that works all month: a fort at opening time, lunch and a rest, then the bazaars after four.
Where it stays kind longest: Mewar and the hills
Mewar: Udaipur, Kumbhalgarh and the forested hills stay pleasant longer, with breezes off the lakes in the evening.
- Mount Abu: Mount Abu is warm by day and mild at night, a short and lovely season between the cold and the summer crowds.
- Ending in late March: we often finish the journey in Mewar.
Rain and haze
Dry: March has very little rain.
- The odd storm: very occasionally a western disturbance brings a short storm with hail, which farmers dread because the wheat is nearly ready.
- Haze: towards the end of the month a light haze begins to soften the distant views, a first sign of summer.
Holi, the festival of colours
The story we tell our children is of Prahlad, a boy who loved Vishnu, and his aunt Holika, who could not be harmed by fire. She took Prahlad into a blaze to kill him, but the fire burned her and spared him.
What it celebrates: the end of winter and the victory of devotion over cruelty.
Holika Dahan: on the eve of Holi every neighbourhood lights a bonfire. Women circle it with water, thread and grain, families roast fresh wheat and gram in the flames, and the ash is taken home as a blessing.
- Falls on
- The full moon of Phalgun, late February or March
- Holika fire 2027
- Evening of 21 March
- Colour 2027
- 22 March
- Eve
- Holika Dahan, the bonfire
- Day of colour
- Dhulandi
- Dhulandi: the next morning, friends, neighbours and complete strangers smear each other with gulal, coloured powder, and drench each other with water, with music, dancing and a great deal of laughter.
- By early afternoon: the streets fall quiet and everybody goes home to scrub.
- In the evening: families visit each other in clean white clothes with plates of sweets.
- Dates: in 2027 the bonfires are lit on the evening of 21 March and colour is played on 22 March. We confirm the exact timings each year, because local calendars sometimes differ by a day.
- Udaipur: the royal family lights the Holika fire in the courtyard of the City Palace with ceremony and music, one of the most beautiful Holi evenings in India.
- Jaipur: colour is thrown from every lane of the walled city.
- Pushkar: Pushkar is famous, and very lively, for its Holi in the main bazaar.
- Shekhawati: the men dance gindad in the squares at night for weeks beforehand, a stick dance to the beat of the chang.
- Braj: an hour beyond Bharatpur, in Krishna's country, Barsana and Nandgaon play the famous lathmar Holi, in which the women playfully beat the men with sticks, about a week before the main day.
- Read more: our Holi in Rajasthan page goes deeper, and our Holi journey is built around the best of it.
How we play Holi with our guests
For most guests: a celebration inside a palace hotel or a family courtyard, with natural colours, music, thandai and homemade sweets, among people who know you and will stop when you ask.
Palace hotels: many hold their own Holi on the lawn.
Afterwards: when the streets have calmed, we walk out to see the town covered in colour.
- For full street Holi: we go with a local guide, in a small group, and leave before the afternoon, when the drinking starts.
- Consent matters: Holi gives people licence to tease, but no one has the right to touch you if you do not want it.
- Women without family: be especially careful in crowded streets, and always be with a guide you trust.
- To stay out of it: remain at your hotel until the early afternoon, because colour will find anyone on the street.
- Wear old clothes: ones you are happy to throw away. White looks wonderful in photographs and never comes clean.
- Oil first: rub coconut oil into your hair and skin before you go out. The colour washes off far more easily.
- Protect your eyes: with sunglasses, and keep your mouth closed when the powder flies.
- Protect your phone: put it and your camera in a plastic bag or a waterproof case.
- Say no to bhang: the cannabis drink sold at Holi, unless you know exactly what it does to you. It is much stronger than people expect.
- Respect: do not throw colour at anyone who is not playing, at older people who have not invited it, or at anyone near a temple or a mosque.
- No long drives: many drivers have the day off, and the roads are not safe until evening.
After Holi, Gangaur and the other days of spring
Gangaur begins
The great women's festival: it begins the day after Holi and lasts about eighteen days.
- What happens: women and girls worship Gauri, the goddess Parvati, for a happy marriage, carrying water and flowers through the lanes in the early morning and singing songs their grandmothers taught them.
- The finale: processions on the third day of the bright half of Chaitra, which falls on 9 April in 2027, so this year the great finale belongs to April.
- Read more: about Gangaur, and our Rajasthan in April guide.
Sheetala Ashtami, the cold-food day
When: about a week after Holi. Many Rajasthani families keep it, also calling it Basoda.
- Nothing is cooked: the food is prepared the evening before and eaten cold, in honour of Sheetala Mata, the goddess who protects children from disease.
- The fair: near Jaipur, a large fair gathers at her temple at Chaksu.
- If you stay with a family: you may be offered the cold puris and curd of Basoda for breakfast.
The Khatu Shyam fair
When: in the bright half of Phalgun, in the days before Holi.
- The pilgrimage: enormous crowds walk to the temple of Khatu Shyam ji in Sikar district, many carrying flags and singing.
- On the roads: the roads of Shekhawati fill with walkers. It is beautiful to witness, and we plan drives around it.
Shivratri and Eid
Maha Shivratri: in some years it falls in early March rather than February, with all-night worship at the Shiva temples.
- Eid al-Fitr: in 2026 and 2027, at the end of Ramadan, it also falls in March, filling the dargah at Ajmer with families in new clothes and the lanes with sweet vermicelli.
- Dates: we confirm these each year.
Where to go in March
Udaipur for a royal Holi
The royal fire: the Holika fire in the City Palace courtyard is a rare and gracious evening, and the lake city is still pleasant in March.
- Where to stay: Shiv Niwas Palace or Fateh Prakash Palace, inside the palace complex, a short walk from it.
- The story: our journal piece on Holi in Udaipur.
Ranthambore in flame-of-the-forest season
The month for a first visit: if you can come to Ranthambore only once, March is the month we would suggest.
- Why: the forest has opened up, the palash is in flower and the tigers are drawn to the shrinking water.
- Where to stay: Aman-i-Khas, SUJAN Sher Bagh or The Oberoi Vanyavilas.
Jaipur for Holi and the start of Gangaur
Holi: in a family courtyard in the walled city.
- Gangaur's first mornings: women carry flowers and water through the lanes.
- Value: rates are slightly lower than in winter, and the palace gardens are still green.
Shekhawati for the chang and gindad
Nights of dance: for weeks before Holi, the squares of Mandawa, Nawalgarh and the other painted towns fill at night with men dancing to the chang.
- Not staged: it is one of the great folk traditions of Rajasthan, and it is not put on for anybody.
- Where to stay: Castle Mandawa, and walk out after dinner to listen.
Bundi and Chittorgarh before the heat
The last comfortable weeks: for the forts of Hadoti and Mewar, with the winter crowds gone.
- Small-town Holi: in Bundi it is exuberant and very local, and we plan it carefully.
- Chittorgarh: Chittorgarh is best in the first hours after opening.
Mount Abu between the seasons
- A short, pleasant season: warm days, mild evenings, a dry, open forest and very few visitors.
- Good for: birding, walking and a calm morning at the Dilwara temples.
The flame of the forest and the opening jungle
Spring leaf-fall: the dry deciduous forest of eastern Rajasthan sheds its leaves.
The dhok trees: they make up most of Ranthambore, turn bronze and fall bare, so suddenly you can see deep into the forest between thin trunks and across dry grass.
Water shrinks: it draws back to the lakes and larger pools, and the animals follow it.
- The turning point: for a naturalist, the cover is thinning, the weather is still kind, and the tigers are easier to find each week.
- The palash: Butea monosperma flowers in brilliant orange across the leafless hills. Its flowers were once boiled to make the natural colours of Holi.
- At the water: sambar and spotted deer gather at the edge, crocodiles bask on the banks, and the resident birds begin to breed.
- Bharatpur: the last winter visitors linger into March at Bharatpur, while the storks and herons are busy at their nests.
- Jawai: in Jawai, the migrants leave and the wheat is harvested, and as the vegetation thins the leopards can be easier to see.
- Kumbhalgarh: at Kumbhalgarh, the flame-of-the-forest trees flower across the sanctuary.
- Read more: our tiger and leopard safaris page explains how we plan drives, and our journal piece on the tigers of Ranthambore tells their story.
What we eat at Holi
Gujiya: the sweet of Holi, a crescent of pastry filled with mawa, sweetened milk solids, with nuts and coconut, fried and sometimes dipped in syrup. Every family makes trays to share.
Thandai: a cooling drink of milk blended with almonds, fennel, rose petals, poppy seeds, pepper and cardamom.
- Kanji vada: the great Rajasthani Holi dish, lentil dumplings soaked for days in a tangy fermented water flavoured with mustard seed, served cold.
- An acquired taste: kanji vada is very refreshing after a morning of colour.
- Dahi bade: lentil dumplings in thick spiced yoghurt, on every table too.
- Raw mangoes: as the month warms up, the first ones fill the markets.
- Aam ka panna: a sharp, cooling drink of roasted raw mango with roasted cumin and black salt, which we drink until the monsoon.
- Read more: our Rajasthani food guide, and our food lover's journey, built around the kitchens of the state.
Crowds, rates and booking in March
High season tapers: after Holi many palace hotels begin to soften their rates.
The exception: Holi week, when Indian families travel to Udaipur, Pushkar and Jaipur for the festival and the best rooms fill.
- Season
- Shoulder, tapering through the month
- After Holi
- Softer rates at many palace hotels
- Book for Holi
- Four to six months ahead
- Easter 2027
- 28 March
- When to book for Holi: four to six months ahead, and earlier for a palace-complex room in Udaipur on the night of the royal fire.
- Ranthambore: busy in March because naturalists know it is a fine month, so lodges and safari permits still need planning.
- Easter: it falls on 28 March in 2027 and brings a few European families.
- The quiet season starts: in the second half of March, you will find monuments calmer and staff with more time for conversation.
What to pack for March
Light cotton and linen: with long sleeves and long trousers or skirts for sun and temples.
A light jumper or shawl: for early safaris and the first half of the month.
- Sun protection: a wide-brimmed hat, sunglasses and high-factor sunscreen. The sun is much stronger by the end of the month.
- An old white kurta or T-shirt: for Holi. Many hotels give guests one.
- For Holi morning: a waterproof pouch for your phone, and coconut oil for your hair.
- Swimwear: by the last week of March, the pool becomes the centre of the afternoon.
- More: see our packing list.
A Holi week: Jaipur, tigers, Bundi and Udaipur
- Either direction: in a year when Holi falls early in March, this route can run either way.
- Longer versions: our Holi in Rajasthan journey has them.
Days one and two, Jaipur
First full morning: Amber Fort at opening time.
- Late afternoon: the walled city, and an evening with chang drummers if the Holi season has begun.
- Day two: the City Palace and Jantar Mantar early, then a long lunch.
- Dusk: the bazaars, when the gulal sellers pile their colours in pyramids.
Days three and four, Ranthambore
The drive: about three and a half hours to Ranthambore.
- Game drives: four over two days, mornings and afternoons, among palash flowers and shrinking lakes.
- Between drives: long lunches and a rest at the lodge.
- One afternoon: climb to the old fort.
Day five, Bundi
The drive: a last morning drive, then about three hours to Bundi.
- Late afternoon: walk up to the palace and the Chitrashala.
- Where to stay: a heritage haveli in the old town.
- Next morning: Raniji ki Baori, the queen's stepwell, is best in the morning light.
Day six, to Udaipur and the Holika fire
First light: the stepwell.
- The drive: about four and a half hours to Udaipur via Chittorgarh.
- Evening: the royal Holika Dahan at the City Palace, with the fire, music and the court in white.
Day seven, Holi by the lake
Morning: colour at your palace hotel, with thandai, gujiya and music.
- Afternoon: scrub up and rest.
- Sunset: a boat on Pichola, when the whole city seems tinted pink.
- Onward: fly out the next day.
What we tell our cousins about March
Check the Holi date first: it moves by up to three weeks from year to year, and it changes the whole shape of a March journey.
Sightsee the evening before: monuments are often quiet until the afternoon on Holi.
- Meet the heat in the right order: in the second half of March, put the desert first and Mewar last.
- Rest at midday: keep the middle of the day for lunch and rest from mid-March onwards. Mornings and evenings are still lovely.
- Ask us about Gangaur: if your journey runs on past Holi, you will see the women of Rajasthan carrying the goddess through the lanes.
Who March suits best
Who will love it: festival lovers, photographers, families with older children, couples and anyone who wants tigers.
Fewer people: travellers who want good weather with fewer people than in February, especially in the first half of the month.
- If you dislike crowds and noise: avoid the days around Holi or spend them inside a palace hotel.
- If you feel the heat badly: choose the first half of the month, or look back to Rajasthan in February.
- For Gangaur's finale and empty palaces: if you don't mind real heat, read Rajasthan in April.
- Every month compared: our best time to visit Rajasthan guide.