A Great Love Story Of Holika And Eloji

Holi, the festival of colors, is one of the most celebrated festivals in India. With Holi comes the tale of why Holi is celebrated. Holi is a festival celebrated as a victory of righteousness over sin but there’s more to that.

Holika Dahan; Image souce: The Statesman

Also known by the name of Simhika, Holika was a demoness, sister of the demon king Hiranyakashyap and an aunt to Prahlad. Hiranyakashyap had just one wish, he wanted to be immortal and would do anything to achieve that. For that, he performed great penance and was received a boon by Lord Brahma who was impressed by his dedication. Because of that boon, Hiranyakashyap felt that he was invincible and had conquered the world. He considered himself as a god but was refused to be worshipped by his own son - Prahlad who was a great devotee of Lord Vishnu.

Hiranyakashyap made several attempts to kill Prahlad but all went in vain. Then, Hiranyakashyap went to his sister Holika for help. As mentioned in Vishnu Purana, Holika had a boon (a garment) that made her immune to fire. A pyre was set up and Holika wrapping that garment around her sat in the pyre with Prahlad in her lap. When the pyre started burning, Prahlad chanted the name of Lord Vishnu. As the fire increased, the garment which Holika was using to protect her flew and covered Prahlad. Holika was burned in that fire whereas Prahlad came out of the fire unharmed. But there’s more to the story. According to the folk tales of Himachal Pradesh, there’s a hurtful love story behind Holika Dahan.

Holika was deeply in love with Eloji who was the God of the Village. Eloji is worshipped by men for sexual powers whereas women worship Eloji to be blessed with a male child. Eloji is considered to be the most suitable man for every bride. Holika and Eloji were madly in love with each other. Their marriage was fixed on the night of Phalgun Purnima and both of them could not be happier about it. But, there was something else stored for them.

Hiranyakashyap was trying extremely hard to kill his own son Prahlad because he was refusing to give up Vaishanavism. Since Holika had a boon that made her invulnerable to fire, Hiranyakashyap asked Holika to help him kill Prahlad. Even after requesting again and again, Holika was still not ready for it so Hiranyakashyap took a different route. He threatened to punish Eloji for it and would not let them marry.

Left with no other choice, Holika obeyed her brother’s orders and sat in the burning pyre wearing the garment with Prahlad. As the fire increased, Holika removed the garment from her and threw it on Prahlad. Hence, Prahlad was saved and Holika was burned in the fire.

It was the same day when Eloji and Holika were supposed to get married to each other. Eloji had no idea about the ongoing situation. When Eloji reached her palace, his eyes fell on the place where Holika got burned down. A heartbroken Eloji sat there searching for his Holika but all he could find there were her ashes. According to this legend, all his living days Eloji kept searching for his love – Holika.

Holika was nothing but a helpless lover who sacrificed her life to save her love. Even though they couldn’t be with each other in their lifetime, their love story became immortal.

Holika and Prahlad; Image source: wikipedia