Dahi Handi

 

Dahi Handi

Utlotsavam (also called Dahi Handi festival in North India)  is one of the festive events and a team sport during the Hindu festival Gokulashtami, which is also known as Krishna Janmashtami and celebrates the birth of Krishna.

Also called	Utlotsavam, Sikhyotsavam
Observed by	Hindus
Type	Religious
Celebrations	1 day
Observances	Fasting, praying, making a human pyramid and breaking an earthen pot filled with curd tied at a convenient/difficult height
Date	Shravan, Krishna Paksha, Navami
Related to	Lord Krishna

Dahi Handi festival is celebrated every August/September, the day after Krishna Janmashtami. It involves communities hanging an earthen pot filled with dahi (yogurt) or other milk-based delicacy, at a convenient or difficult to reach height. Young men and boys form teams, make a human pyramid and attempt to reach or break the pot. As they do so, girls surround them, sing with music, and cheer them on. It is a public spectacle, and well organized historic tradition of Hindus, with media attendance, prize money and commercial sponsorships. The event is based on the legend of the Krishna stealing butter and other milk products as a baby (he is also called Makhan chor, which means "butter thief" or "the one who steals butter"), the community hiding the products by hanging them high out of his reach, but he finding creative ways to reach what he wanted.

Legend

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. 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. In the Hindu tradition, Krishna is also referred to as Makkan chor (butter thief).

Significance and description

In Maharastra, Janmashtami is celebrated as Dahi Handi (dahi: curd, handi: earthen pot) It is organized roughly every August. 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. 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. Sometimes the prize money is added to the pot instead.

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. Traditionally, spectators threw water on the participants to deter them and people chant in Marathi "Ala re ala, Govinda ala" (govindas have arrived). The pyramid formation is often accompanied by crowds, music and dancing.

In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana this festival is celebrated as Utlotsavam (In Telugu Utti: a fibrous network sling to hang pots and Utsavam: Festival). At the famous Tirupati Venkateswara Temple, this ancient sport is celebrated with great fervor on navami (the day after krishna janmastami). The processional deities of Sri Krishna Swamy and 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. 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.

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 ₹1 lakh (US$1,400)–₹12 lakh (US$17,000) depending on the organizers and its sponsors. Each year, the prizes and scale of the celebrations increase due to the participation of political parties and commercialisation.

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. 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. Actors from Bollywood, Marathi actors and singers take part in this event. Some mandals even incorporated social messages like female foeticide or about the environment into their act; the Shiv Sena and MNS focus on Marathi culture. In some years, Castellers from Catalonia also take part in the competition.

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 43.79 feet (13.35 m) at the Dahi Handi event held in Thane; the previous record was held by Spain since 1981. 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.

Issues

The presence of these mass celebrations and mandals cause traffic congestion and problems like excessive littering. It also causes the issue of sound pollution, with the Supreme Court of India's prescribed guidelines being 55–65 decibels. 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". It recommended safety guidelines like reducing the height of the pot, preventing children from participating and using safety gear.

In 2012, over 225 govindas were injured with one casualty; this was higher than the previous year's 205. The government of Maharashtra banned children below 12 years from participating in 2014. 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. 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. Several parties have defied the ban.

Gopalkala recipe and its significance in Janamashtami

It is that time of the year, when the exuberance of Krishna Janmashatmi could be felt everywhere! As preparations for Lord Krishna’s birth anniversary are in full swing, devotees leave no stone unturned to seek the blessing of the almighty Shri Krishna! It is interesting to see how every part of the country celebrates Janmashtami, right from rituals to customs to the foods offered; the uniqueness varies from one region to another.
Here’s a unique recipe from Maharashtra, which has been a quintessential part of Janamashtami. Gopalkala is a famous Maharashtrian recipe, which is prepared at every household as a famous Prasad recipe. It is the same delicacy that is filled inside the famous Dahi Handi. The tradition of breaking the Dahi Handi happens to be an inseparable part of this festival. So, if you too want to make this authentic delicacy and add it to Lord Krishan’s special bhog then just follow us through these easy steps to nail this amazing delight.

 

How is Gopalkala made?
Lord Krishna’s love for Makhan (hand-churned butter) is known to the world and this dish is a delicious amalgamation of puffed rice , flattened rice , milk, yogurt ,cucumber, fruits and few basic spices and to make it more delicious hand churned fresh cream is also added. It is basically, a melange of the foods Lord Krishna loved, mixed together and offered to the deity as a Prasad.

How to make Gopalkala at home
Ingredients:-
1 cup curd
1 cup Poha
1/2 cup puffed rice
1 handful fresh Coriander
3 tbsp fresh Coconut, Grated
1/2 cup Milk
1 cup Cucumber
3 tbsp chana daal
3 tablespoon sugar
Salt as per taste
3 tsp Butter
1 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
pinch Asafoetida
2 Green chili
2 tsp Ginger
3 handful Pomegranate seeds

To make this delicious Prasad recipe, begin with washing and soaking the poha for 3-4 minutes. Then drain the water and keep it aside.

In the meantime, microwave the puffed rice for 30 seconds or dry roast for a minute in a pan.

Then wash, peel and chop the cucumber. Then take a large bowl and add 1cup curd along with ½ cup milk, whisk nicely till the mixture is smooth.

Next, add in the cucumbers, finely chopped ginger, green chilli powder, cumin seeds roasted and butter 2 tablespoon. You can add more butter to make the dish more creamy.

Next, add in the soaked 3 tablespoon chana dal, 3 tablespoon grated or desiccated coconut, handful fresh coriander leaves chopped. Lastly mix the murmura and poha.

Prepare a nice tempering:
Take a pan, heat some ghee, add in roasted cumin seeds, chopped green chilies, ginger and asafoetida along with a dash of salt. Let the tempering splutter and pour it over the curd mixture, garnish with pomegranate seeds and offer to the deity! We are sure all your prayers would be answered by the mighty!

Note:- You can add more fresh fruits to this dish to make it more enticing.