Dahi Handi Ceremony: Janmashtami

Dahi Handi is also known as Gopal kala which is the most popular ceremony celebrated on the second day during the festival of Krishna Janmashtami. The term Gopal Kala hails from a special dish made out of creamy yogurt, beaten rice and sweet jaggery. The Dahi Handi is then offered to Lord Krishna on this holy day.

This ceremony is mostly celebrated in the Northern Indian states like Maharashtra and Gujarat. But today, Dahi Handi has become a major ceremony in almost every state in India. The birthday of Lord Krishna is also referred to as Dahi Handi in cities like Mumbai and Pune. The ceremony Dahi Handi is one of those rituals in which youngsters look forward to in celebrating this festival. This ceremony is observed by the Hindu community with great zeal and enthusiasm.

In Hindi, the term Dahi means yogurt/curd and Handi refers to as a pot. Therefore, Dahi Handi means a clay pot filled with curd or buttermilk which has to be broken during this ceremony as a part of the holy ritual. The clay pot is also be filled with milk, butter, butter milk, fruit juices and other sweet recipes. The clay pot is suspended on a height of 20 feet where a group of young boys forms a human pyramid by climbing on each other to reach the clay pot. The topmost person on the human pyramid reaches the pot to break it by hitting it with a blunt object like a coconut. The reason why a coconut is used to break the clay pot is because it is a symbol of purity. It is customary that people standing around throw loads on water on these boys to stop them grab the pot.

When the clay pot is broken its content spills over the entire group which then symbolises their victory through the form of unity. In some regions in Karnataka, the Dahi Handi is moved with ropes tied to the pot. With the help of two people, they move the ropes to lift the pot up and then again pull it down. This is done until the person breaks the clay pot or is tired in doing the act. It is also noted in some states on the festival of Janmashtami you will find youngsters who are commonly known as govindas who travel in trucks trying to break as many dahi handis they come across.

These youngsters travel around in trucks and try to break as many handis as possible during the day. Like these there are many groups which compete with each other during the day. Today, this ceremony of competing in breaking the handis has gained a political flavor where political parties and rich community groups offer heavy amounts as prizes to the groups which win the Dahi Handi competition.

This ceremony is performed on the festival of Janmashtami as it is supposed to throw away all negativities and bad-omens. In South India, the women folk draw foot prints using kumkum powder mixed with water from the door step to the inner puja room where the idol of baby Krishna is placed. The puja room is decorated beautifully using chawki, swings and flowers.