Ajay Kumar at 05:16, 6 September 2023

2023-09-06T05:16:13Z

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{{short description|Event and team sport during the Hindu festival Gokulashtami}}
{{Infobox holiday
| holiday_name = Dahi Handi
| type = Hindus
| longtype = Religious
| image = Dahi Handi.JPG
| caption = ''Govinda''s forming a [[human pyramid]] to reach the ''Dahi Handi'' (earthen pot) in [[Hiranandani Gardens, Mumbai|Hiranandani Gardens]]
| official_name =
| nickname = Utlotsavam, Sikhyotsavam<ref name=utlotsavam2>{{cite news | url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/170817/tirumala-deities-enjoy-utlotsavam-by-devotees-in-tirumala.html| title=Tirumala: Deities enjoy Utlotsavam by devotees in Tirumala | work=The Hindu | date=17 August 2018 | accessdate=6 September 2018}}</ref>
| observedby = [[Hindus]]
| begins =
| ends =
| date = [[Shravan]], [[Krishna Paksha]], [[Navami]]
|date2016= 26 August <ref>[http://www.drikpanchang.com/dashavatara/lord-krishna/events/dahi-handi-date-time.html Dahi Handi date]</ref>
| celebrations = 1 day
| observances = Fasting, praying, making a [[human pyramid]] and breaking an earthen pot filled with [[curd]] tied at a convenient/difficult height
| relatedto = [[Lord Krishna]]
}}
'''Dahi Handi''' (also known as '''Gopal Kala''' or '''Utlotsavam''') <ref>{{cite book|title=The Orissa Historical Research Journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xSduAAAAMAAJ&q=dahi+handi+jatra+gauda|year=2004|publisher=Superintendent of Research and Museum}}</ref><ref name="utlotsavam">{{cite news|date=5 September 2018|title=Fun and frolic mark 'Utlotsavam'|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/fun-and-frolic-mark-utlotsavam/article24867748.ece|accessdate=6 September 2018}}</ref><ref name="utlotsavam1">{{cite news | url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/utlotsavam-revelry-marks-janmashtami-celebrations-in-city/article24858925.ece| title='Utlotsavam' revelry marks Janmashtami celebrations in city | work=The Hindu | date=4 September 2018 | accessdate=6 September 2018}}</ref> is an [[entertainment]] and [[Competition|competitive]] event associated with [[Krishna Janmashtami]], the Hindu festival celebrating the birth of [[Krishna]].<ref name="Roy2005p213">{{cite book|author=Christian Roy|title=Traditional Festivals: A Multicultural Encyclopedia|url=https://archive.org/details/traditionalfesti0000royc |url-access=registration|year=2005|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-57607-089-5|pages=[https://archive.org/details/traditionalfesti0000royc/page/213 213]–215}}</ref><ref name="Melton2011p459">{{cite book|author=Constance A Jones|editor=J. Gordon Melton|title=Religious Celebrations: An Encyclopedia of Holidays, Festivals, Solemn Observances, and Spiritual Commemorations |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lD_2J7W_2hQC&pg=PA459 |year=2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-59884-206-7|page=459}}</ref>

During the event, which takes place during August or September on the day after [[Krishna Janmashtami]]. It involves communities hanging a clay pot filled with yogurt (''dahi''), butter, or another milk-based food at a convenient or tall height. Young men and boys form teams, make a [[human pyramid]], and attempt to reach or break the pot. As they do so, people surround them, sing, play music, and cheer them on. It is a public spectacle, and an old tradition. More recently, Dahi Handi was lavished with media coverage, prize money and commercial sponsorships.<ref name=" Roy2005p213"/><ref name=CNNDMello/><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mid-day.com/news/2008/aug/240808-janmashtami-celebrated.htm|title=Janmashtami celebrated with zeal, enthusiasm|work=Mid Day|date=24 August 2008|accessdate=12 August 2009}}</ref> The event is based on the legend of the god [[Krishna]] along with his friends mischievously stealing butter and other curd from neighbouring homes in Gokul as a child. He is also called ''Makhan chor'' or ''butter thief''. The neighbours would try to avert his mischief by hanging the pots high out of his reach, but Krishna would find creative ways to reach them.<ref name=bryant9>{{cite book|author=Edwin Francis Bryant|title=Krishna: A Sourcebook|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=0z02cZe8PU8C| year=2007| publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-803400-1|pages=9–10, 115–116, 265–267}}</ref><ref name="Hawley2014ix">{{cite book|author=John Stratton Hawley|title=Krishna, The Butter Thief|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=ncb_AwAAQBAJ |year= 2014|publisher= Princeton University Press|isbn= 978-1-4008-5540-7|pages=ix–xi, 3–11, 89, 256, 313–319}}</ref>

==Legend==
[[File:Baby thief Krishna (bazaar art, c.1950's).jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|left|Krishna is celebrated in the Vaishnava tradition in various stages of his life, such as ''Makkan chor'' (butter thief).<ref name=hawley3>{{cite book|author=John Stratton Hawley|title=Krishna, The Butter Thief|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ncb_AwAAQBAJ |year=2014|publisher=Princeton University Press|isbn=978-1-4008-5540-7|pages=3–8}}</ref>]]
The child-god [[Krishna]] and his friends used to form human pyramids to break pots hung from the ceilings of neighbourhood houses, in order to steal curd and butter.<ref name=Hw/> This was in [[Vrindavana]], a village in Uttar Pradesh, India, where Krishna was brought up. According to a legend, though there was an ample supply of milk products, the children were denied the nourishment during the evil king [[Kamsa]]'s rule because the king seized the milk products produced. Krishna with his friends would steal and share the milk products.{{citation needed|date=September 2017}} In the Hindu tradition, Krishna is also referred to as ''Makkan chor'' (butter thief).<ref name=hawley3/>

==Significance and description==
{{further|Krishna Janmashtami}}
[[File:Govindashtami.jpg|thumb|''Govinda pathaks'' forming a human tower to break the Dahi handi]]
In [[Maharastra]], Janmashtami is celebrated as Dahi Handi (''dahi'': curd, ''handi'': earthen pot)<ref name="Melton2011">{{cite book|author=J. Gordon Melton|title=Religious Celebrations: An Encyclopedia of Holidays, Festivals, Solemn Observances, and Spiritual Commemorations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KDU30Ae4S4cC&pg=PA459|date=13 September 2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-59884-205-0|page=459}}</ref> It is organized roughly every August.<ref name=CNNDMello>{{cite news|last1=DMello|first1=Daniel|title=8 incredible facts about Mumbai|url=http://travel.cnn.com/mumbai/life/8-incredible-facts-about-Mumbai-082838|accessdate=23 July 2014|work=CNN|date=4 October 2011|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729030959/http://travel.cnn.com/mumbai/life/8-incredible-facts-about-Mumbai-082838|archivedate=2014-07-29}}</ref> The festival Gokulashtami, known as Krishna Janmashtami in the rest of the country, is the celebration of Krishna's birth and Dahi Handi is part of it.<ref name="Mohapatra2013">{{cite book|author=J Mohapatra|title=Wellness In Indian Festivals & Rituals: Since the Supreme Divine is manifested in all the Gods, worship of any God is quite legitimate.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R0aVAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA139|date=24 December 2013|publisher=Partridge Publishing|isbn=978-1-4828-1689-1|page=139}}</ref> The event involves making a [[human pyramid]] and breaking an earthen pot filled with milk, curd, butter, fruits and water which is hung at a convenient height, thus imitating the actions of child Krishna.<ref name=FPVijapurkar1/> Sometimes the prize money is added to the pot instead.<ref name=JAPMNemade>{{cite journal|author1=P Nemade|author2=R Wade|author3=AR Patwardhan|author4=S Kale|title=Evaluation of nature and extent of injuries during Dahihandi festival|journal=Journal of Postgraduate Medicine|date=4 January 2013|volume=58|issue=4|pages=262–264|doi=10.4103/0022-3859.105445|pmid=23298920|url=http://www.jpgmonline.com/article.asp?issn=0022-3859;year=2012;volume=58;issue=4;spage=262;epage=264;aulast=Nemade|accessdate=25 July 2014|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140728215016/http://www.jpgmonline.com/article.asp?issn=0022-3859%3Byear%3D2012%3Bvolume%3D58%3Bissue%3D4%3Bspage%3D262%3Bepage%3D264%3Baulast%3DNemade|archivedate=2014-07-28|url-status=dead|doi-access=free}}</ref>

The terms ''govinda'' (also another name of Krishna) or ''govinda pathak'' are used to refer to the people who participate in forming this human pyramid. They practise in groups weeks before the actual event. These groups are called ''mandals'' and they go around the local areas, attempting to break as many pots as possible during the event. Pyramid formation needs coordination and focus; the lowest layers consist of the most people, preferably sturdy, while the middle layer players need to pay attention to those below as well as the others standing on their shoulders. The outer layer individuals need to focus on maintaining balance. As lighter people are needed higher up, the topmost layer usually has a single child. Breaking the pot usually ends up with the contents spilling over the participants.<ref name="Melton2011"/> Traditionally, spectators threw water on the participants to deter them and people chant in [[Marathi language|Marathi]] "''Ala re ala, Govinda ala''" (govindas have arrived).<ref name=Hw>{{cite web|title=Ceremony of Dahi Handi|url=http://www.happywink.org/janmashtami/ceremony-dahi-handi.html|publisher=Happywink.org|accessdate=25 July 2014}}</ref> The pyramid formation is often accompanied by crowds, music and dancing.<ref name=CNNDMello/>

In [[Andhra Pradesh]] and [[Telangana]] this festival is celebrated as Utlotsavam (In [[Telugu Language|Telugu]] Utti: a fibrous network sling to hang pots and Utsavam: Festival). At the famous [[Venkateswara Temple, Tirumala|Tirupati Venkateswara Temple]], this ancient sport is celebrated with great fervor on navami (the day after krishna janmastami).<ref name=utlotsavam /> The processional deities of Sri Krishna Swamy and [[Malayappa swami|Sri Malayappa Swamy]] will be taken in a procession around the temple to the place just in-front of temple where Utlotsavam will be performed.<ref name=utlotsavam2 /> The Deities will be watching the sport being played by local youth who will be divided into groups to grab the Utti. Utti with prize money will be tagged to the end of 25 feet long wooden post which is smeared with sticky and other oily substances.<ref name=utlotsavam2 />

==Celebration and economics==
The participants form a pyramid consisting usually below 9-tiers, and are given three attempts to break the earthen pot. Every year thousands of people and hundreds of ''govinda'' teams gather at Mumbai and [[Thane]]'s Dahi Handi events. {{as of|2011}}, the prize money for the events usually range between {{INRConvert|1|l}}–{{INRConvert|12|l}} depending on the organizers and its sponsors.<ref name=TOIBirajdar/> Each year, the prizes and scale of the celebrations increase due to the participation of political parties and commercialisation.<ref name=TOIBirajdar>{{cite news|last1=Birajdar|first1=Laxmi|title=Higher stakes, grander celebrations this 'dahi-handi'|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/pune/Higher-stakes-grander-celebrations-this-dahi-handi/articleshow/9690151.cms|accessdate=29 July 2014|work=The Times of India|date=22 August 2011}}</ref>

Local and state political parties like the [[Nationalist Congress Party]] (NCP), [[Shiv Sena]] and [[Maharashtra Navnirman Sena]] (MNS), are active during this event, with each offering their own prize money. Each party sponsors its own set of ''mandals''.<ref name=DNAShukla/> Their involvement has increased in the 2000s, thereby increasing competition and prize money. Thus, numerous teams compete against each other in successive events for the prizes throughout the city.<ref name=JAPMNemade/> Actors from [[Bollywood]], [[Marathi people|Marathi]] actors and singers take part in this event.<ref name=DNAShukla>{{cite news|author1=Ashutosh Shukla|author2=Geeta Desai|title=Dahi handi stakes grow bigger|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-dahi-handi-stakes-grow-bigger-1880443|accessdate=23 July 2014|work=DNA|date=27 August 2013}}</ref> Some ''mandals'' even incorporated social messages like [[female foeticide in India|female foeticide]] or about the environment into their act; the Shiv Sena and MNS focus on [[Marathi culture]].<ref name=TOIMishra>{{cite news|author1=Ambarish Mishra|author2=Nitin Yeshwantrao|author3=Bella Jaisinghani|title=Nine-tier handi breaks into Guinness Records|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Nine-tier-handi-breaks-into-Guinness-Records/articleshow/15441796.cms?referral=PM|accessdate=23 July 2014|work=Times of India|date=11 August 2012}}</ref> Some years, [[Castellers]] from Catalonia also take part in the competition.<ref name=TOISen>{{cite news|last1=Sen|first1=Debarati S|title=Thane's Dahi Handi gets the Spanish flavour again|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thane/Thanes-Dahi-Handi-gets-the-Spanish-flavour-again/articleshow/40316318.cms|accessdate=16 August 2014|work=The Times of India|date=16 August 2014}}</ref>

[[File:A Dahi Handi, tied up high for Hindu festival Janmashtmi Krishna.jpg|thumb|left|A Dahi Handi, tied up high for the Hindu festival of Janmashtmi Krishna.]]
In 2012, a ''mandal'' called Jai Jawan Govinda Pathak from [[Jogeshwari]], Mumbai, made an entry into the [[Guinness World Record]] by forming a human pyramid of 9-tiers {{convert|43.79|ft}} at the Dahi Handi event held in Thane; the previous record was held by Spain since 1981.<ref name=FPVijapurkar1>{{cite news|last1=Vijapurkar|first1=Mahesh|title=Ban on kids: How Mumbai's dahi handi became a political event|url=http://www.firstpost.com/india/ban-on-kids-how-mumbais-dahi-handi-became-a-political-event-1664261.html|accessdate=16 August 2014|work=Firstpost|date=16 August 2014}}</ref><ref name=TOIMishra/> A lobby pushed for the possibility of making it an official sport in the same year, which critics said that it should remain just a street celebration.<ref name=FVijapurkar>{{cite news|last1=Vijapurkar|first1=Mahesh|title=Dahi handi: From prank to political platform, but a sport?|url=http://www.firstpost.com/blogs/dahi-handi-from-prank-to-political-platform-but-a-sport-413571.html|accessdate=29 July 2014|work=Firstpost|date=10 August 2012}}</ref>

==Issues==
The presence of these mass celebrations and ''mandals'' cause traffic congestion and problems like excessive littering.<ref name=TOIMishra/> It also causes the issue of [[sound pollution]], with the [[Supreme Court of India]]'s prescribed guidelines being 55–65 [[decibel]]s.<ref name=TOIYeshwantrao>{{cite news|last1=Yeshwantrao|first1=Nitin|title=51 dahi handi groups get noise pollution notice|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/thane/51-dahi-handi-groups-get-noise-pollution-notice/articleshow/9713900.cms|accessdate=29 July 2014|work=The Times of India|date=24 August 2011}}</ref>

Participation carries a high risk of mortality. The number of injuries increased due to higher competition since 2000. A report in 2012 from the ''Journal of Postgraduate Medicine'', concluded that "There is a considerable risk of serious, life-threatening injuries inherent to human pyramid formation and descent in the Dahihandi festival".<ref name=JAPMNemade/> It recommended safety guidelines like reducing the height of the pot, preventing children from participating and using safety gear.<ref name=JAPMNemade/>

In 2012, over 225 ''govindas'' were injured with one casualty; this was higher than the previous year's 205.<ref name=TOIMasand>{{cite news|author1=Pratibha Masand|author2=Nitin Yeshwantrao|title=1 dies, 225 hurt in dahi handi revelry|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/1-dies-225-hurt-in-dahi-handi-revelry/articleshow/15442166.cms|accessdate=29 July 2014|work=The Times of India|date=11 August 2012}}</ref> The government of Maharashtra banned children below 12 years from participating in 2014.<ref name=THDeshpande>{{cite news|last1=Deshpande|first1=Vinaya|title=Parents happy with ban on children under 12 taking part in dahi handis|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/parents-happy-with-ban-on-children-under-12-taking-part-in-dahi-handis/article6231360.ece|accessdate=25 July 2014|work=The Hindu|date=21 July 2014}}</ref> The [[Bombay High Court]] later ruled in August that the minimum age should be raised to 18 years and height of the pyramid should be no more than 20 feet due to safety reasons.<ref name=TOISequeira>{{cite news|last1=Sequeira|first1=Rosy|title=Dahi handi participants must be over 18, up to 4-level human pyramid: Bombay HC|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Dahi-handi-participants-must-be-over-18-up-to-4-level-human-pyramid-Bombay-HC/articleshow/40064772.cms|accessdate=12 August 2014|work=The Times of India|date=11 August 2014}}</ref><ref name=IT1>{{cite news|title=Dahi handi participants must be over 18: Bombay HC|url=http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/dahi-handi-participants-must-be-over-18-bombay-high-court/1/376589.html|accessdate=12 August 2014|work=India Today|date=11 August 2014}}</ref> The Supreme Court of India refused to clarify the Bombay High Court thereby upholding it, but various organizations have re-appealed on different legal grounds. They state that olympic sports are dangerous and cause injuries too, but that is not sufficient grounds to ban Olympic participation. Banning a religious tradition, they state, infringes on the religious rights of a particular community.<ref>[http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/dahi-handi-festival-in-mumbai-supreme-court-upholds-20-ft-height-cap-2981765/ Dahi Handi festival in Mumbai: Supreme Court upholds 20-ft height cap], Indian Express (August 18, 2016)</ref> Several parties have defied the ban.<ref>[http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/dahi-handi-thane-mns-workers-sc-order-defied/1/748559.html Dahi Handi: MNS workers defy Supreme Court, string up matki over 40 feet in Thane], Indian Today</ref>

==See also==
*[[Ganesh Chaturthi]]
*[[Holi]]
*[[Raksha Bandhan]]
*[[Diwali]]
*[[Castell]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Dahi Handi}}
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-11398799 Making human pyramids pay in India]
* [http://www.mumbaimirror.com/photos/news/mumbai-celebrates-dahi-handi-festival/mumbaiphotos/22137871.cms Mumbai celebrates Dahi Handi festival]

[[Category:Hindu festivals]]
[[Category:Religious festivals in India]]
[[Category:Indian words and phrases]]
[[Category:Indian folklore]]
[[Category:Sport in Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Human towers]]

Dahi Handi - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 05:16, 6 September 2023