The story
It is said that Lord Krishna was the eighth son born to Devaki and Vasudeva, who were forcibly imprisoned by Devaki’s cruel brother Kansa, following a prophecy that foretold his death at the hands of their offspring. Kansa was inevitably informed of the birth of a child to the couple in prison and he marched down and ruthlessly killed the infant in one go. Thus Kansa killed seven of his nephews. Finally, on the eighth day in the month of Shravan (Monsoon, in the Hindu Calendar), Lord Krishna, was born – He who would vanquish Kansa and restore balance to the world once again. The palace guards fell into a deep slumber and the chains that bound Devaki and Vasudeva broke.  The prison gates opened all  by themselves and thus, Lord Krishna came into the world. Vasudeva wanted to save his son and so he quickly wrapped him in a blanket, gently placed him in a basket and set off on foot, to his cousin’s village, battling a harsh storm outside. As he walked, the rivers gave way and the giant cobras spread their hoods to shelter them from the rain. On reaching Vrindavan, Vasudeva quickly exchanged babies, switching Krishna for his cousin Nand’s newborn and taking her with him. Thus began Lord Krishna’s tryst with Vrindavan where he grew up to be a shepherd boy, who loved dairy so much, he’d steal into other people’s homes for it. The villagers would keep their pots of curd and cream tied high up the ceiling, so Krishna wouldn’t reach it. But he found a way around it too! He would gather some of his other shepherd friends and together they’d form a human pyramid to allow Krishna to clamber up and break open the earthen pots so that they may all eat.

The ritual
Each year, some regions across India recreate this part of Lord Krishna’s life to commemorate Krishna Janamasthami. This celebration is very pompous and warrants a visit to Mumbai, where youngsters practice for days to be able to crack the dahi handi. An earthen pot filled with yogurt is tied high up. All the boys in the neighbourhood make a human pyramid, not unlike the one Lord Krishna is said to have made, and gather under the handi (earthen pot). They then maintain balance, as one of them climbs up and breaks the pot. To make this task a tad harder, the non-participants and the womenfolk throw water at the participants. Such is the craze for this event in Maharashtra that there are cash prizes announced for the winners of a successful dahi handi, these prizes go upto INR 1 lac even! Ala Re Ala, Govinda Ala (Lord Krishna has come!) is a Marathi cheer rendition to help the boys climb up and break the handi.
Dahi Handi on Janmashtami isn’t a mere ritual or a celebration it is an emotion for many across the country. But the Dahi Handi holds special importance in Mumbai – definitely not to be missed!

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