Total lunar eclipse on Holi: UP temples shut for hours
On Tuesday, major temples across Uttar Pradesh shut their doors for a once-in-a-century moment—a total lunar eclipse landing right on Holi.
The eclipse ran from 3:20pm to 6:47pm IST, and traditional rules meant a nine-hour Sutak Kaal that began about nine hours before the eclipse (around 6:20-6:23am IST), prompting many temples to suspend or restrict darshan and rituals, though some sites remained open or adjusted schedules.
Ram, Vishwanath, Krishna temples closed early
Big names like Ayodhya's Ram Temple, Varanasi's Kashi Vishwanath, and Mathura's Krishna Janmabhoomi all closed early—some before dawn—and only reopened in the evening after special rituals.
A few exceptions stood out: Mathura's Dwarkadhish temple stayed open as per its unique tradition of keeping child-form Krishna company during eclipses.
Holi celebrations, temple visits affected
If you were hoping for Holi celebrations or temple visits, timing was everything.
Rituals like Holika Dahan could only happen outside the eclipse window, and most temples followed strict closure schedules because of this rare overlap.