Janmastami Special: Know all about Dahi Handi
In India, Shravan or the month of August marks the beginning of festivities. We can see that the people around are busy gearing up for the celebrations with full enthusiasm. There is freshness in the air. Krishna Janmashtami (birth of Lord Krishna) or Gokulashtami is celebrated in the month of August every year. According to the Hindu mythology, Lord Krishna is considered to be the eight incarnation of Lord Vishnu.
A day after Krishna Janmashtami, the festival of Dahi Handi or Utlotsavam is celebrated in Mumbai and Goa with much pomp and show. In Maharashtra, the festival of Dahi Handi is also known as Gopalakala.
The Story behind Celebrating Dahi Handi
Lord Krishna was a notorious kid in his childhood; he was fond of butter and curd. While growing up, Lord Krishna’s fondness increased for butter and curd, he along with his friends started stealing it from his neighbourhood. The female members of the neighbourhood started hanging up the butter and curd in a handi (earthen pot) from their ceilings so as to save them from the eyes of little Lord Krishna. But to their astonishment he along with his friends formed a human pyramid to reach the hanging handis full of butter and curd and succeeded.
Thus, the popular festival of Dahi Handi came into existence. The festival of Dahi Handi is a way of celebrating the childhood of Lord Krishna by his followers.
Dahi Handi Celebrations
Every year, a day after Krishna Janmashtami celebrations, earthen pots with butter, curd and money are hung up high on the top, human pyramid is made by the professionals known as govindas or govinda pathak to break the hung pot. This activity recreates the childhood of Lord Krishna.
Women are present in the crowd; they try to distract the govindas from breaking the handi by throwing water on them. Also, music is played with the crowd chanting ‘"Ala re ala, Govinda ala". The group of govindas practice for the event for several weeks. Also, they take care of the necessary safety measures while performing the act.
With the passage of time, the event has become more commercialized. Sometimes the prize money is between INR 1lakh to INR 12 lakhs, depending on the sponsors. Also, the local political parties have become very active during this festival by sponsoring various mandals and offering the prize money.
Issues Related to Dahi Handi Festival
There are various issues related to the Dahi Handi festival, some of them are stated below:
- There is severe traffic congestion on the road which creates nuisances for the common man. It is not advisable to travel during the Dahi Handi festival.
- There is lot of sound pollution because of the loud music. Though the government has put certain restrictions to curb the noise pollution but this is often overlooked by the organizers.
- There is a risk to the life of the participants. Every year, there are some casualties happening during the festival. So, the Government has put a ban on the participation of children below the age of 12 years in this festival. Also, the Supreme Court of India has ruled that the height of the human pyramid should not be more than 20 feet.
So, this year, let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope for the grand success of the famous Dahi Handi festival with more peace and happiness!
