Thousands of devotees in Barpeta Satrawelcomed spring in a rainbow of colours Thursday, celebrating the annualfestival of Holi even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he would stay awayfrom festivities due to the coronavirus outbreak.

This year, the Doul festival in BarpetaSatra will be celebrated for four days from March 8 to March 11.

"We will play Holi showering'Phakuguri' which is made naturally by the local youths of our town. We haveimmense faith in God. And we believe God (Kaliya Thakur) will save us fromevery disaster. So we will keep our tradition intact and play Holienthusiastically. I also urge people not to use China-made piskaris and color",Basistha Sarma, the Burha Xatriya of Barpeta Satra said.

The ancient Hindu festival ofHoli, which heralds the end of winter and the victory of good over evil, willbe marked with a national public holiday in India on Tuesday, when revellerspour onto the streets.

India is the world's second-most populous nation afterChina, where the virus first emerged late last year.