UP Village Skips Holika Dahan: 5000-Year Tradition Linked to Mahabharata

• Barsai village in Saharanpur district does not perform Holika Dahan, a tradition linked to the Mahabharata period.
• Villagers go to neighboring areas for Holika Dahan due to a unique belief associated with a 5000-year-old west-facing Shiva temple.
• The temple, believed to be built by Kauravas, has a self-manifested Shiva lingam; Bhima's mace rotation made it west-facing.
• Local belief states that Holika Dahan fire would scorch Lord Shiva's feet, hence the 5000-year-old tradition of not performing it.
• Lord Krishna is said to have visited Barsai during the Mahabharata war, considering it as sacred as Braj Dham.