Thousands of Indian widows have broken with tradition and flocked to Holi, the spring festival of colours in the holy city of Vrindavan.

Tradition forbids widows and abandoned women from attending festivals of any kind in India. Many live in poverty and isolation.

Space to play or pause, M to mute, left and right arrows to seek, up and down arrows for volume. Listen Duration: 3 minutes 39 seconds 3 m 39 s India's widows come out to play for Holi ( By Murali Krishnan ) Download 1.7 MB

"It is beautiful, truly beautiful. I am happy that we have been given importance finally. It is great," said Krishna Basi, a widow who has lived in an ashram - a spiritual hermitage - for more than eight years.

She celebrated Holi with her friends, showering them with flower petals and water colours.

Sushma, another widow, was also overjoyed to be a part of Holi.

"This is unbelievable to see so many women dance and play like this. I will not leave Vrindavan... but this is amazing. I hope it gets bigger next year with God’s blessings," she said.

The city of Vrindavan has long been a destination for widows and abandoned women.

The central pilgrimage town, believed to be the birthplace of the Hindu god Krishna, has more than 4,000 temples.

Breaking with tradition: Vrindavan's widows drenched in colour for Holi. ( ABC News: Murali Krishnan )

But it is also home to nearly 20,000 widows. A majority of them are deserted by relatives and society and come to spend the last days of their life depending on charity.

They are barred from wearing any form of colour, and must wear only white saris and keep their heads shaven.

India has more than 40 million widows - almost 10 per cent of the country's female population.

In recent years some non-governmental organisations and other charities have come forward to provide support.

Vinita Verma, who campaigns for better social conditions for India's widows, says marking Holi is a big step forward.

"They spent their lives in widowhood, only wearing white. Today you will see all of them wearing coloured clothes also," she said.

"They are breaking that tradition and this is very important for them. They feel confident and happy and part of society."