Dahi Handi means a clay vessel full of curd. Dahi Handi is a Hindu festival in which young boys and men form a human pyramid of different layers to break the clay vessel (handi) full of curd (Dahi) hung at a particular height and tied with a rope at both ends. Dahi Handi is also known as Gopalkala and Govinda Festival.
The festival of Dahi Handi is inspired by the childhood events of Lord Krishna, when he used to steal curd from the vessels hung in the houses in Vrindavan with the help of his friends, who formed human pyramids. The people who participate in making the human pyramids are called Govinda, which is another name for Lord Krishna. This festival has been celebrated for thousands of years. In general, only males participate in this festival, but nowadays, females also participate by forming their Govinda teams to break Dahi Handi.
The height of Dahi Handi could be anything from 10 to 50 feet or even more. A few guys make a circle to form a human pyramid by putting their hands on each other’s shoulders and leaning inwards. The base layer has a maximum number of people. The number goes on decreasing as the height of the human pyramid increases. Other guys climb on these guys’ shoulders and form another layer similarly. In this way, the height of the pyramid increases. The uppermost layer consists of one person only who breaks the Dahi Handi with the coconut placed on the Handi or with another object. Several people generally surround Govindas so they can catch them if they fall from a height.
This festival is celebrated with great zeal all over Maharashtra, India. Many competitions are held on this day to break the Dahi Handi. The Govinda team, which breaks it first, could win a few thousand rupees to a million or more cash prize. The higher the height of the Dahi Handi is, the higher the prize. Most of the Dahi Handis are meant for pleasure only. A group from a particular area takes initiative and arranges the event, and the boys break Dahi Handi after enjoying it for the entire day with music and food.
The festival of Dahi Handi is used as a platform by politicians to attract voters and activists for the political parties. This, in turn, has boosted this festival. A few years back, the prize for the Dahi Handi competition was hardly in the thousands, but it has now increased to a million or even more. Professional teams practice breaking Dahi Handis throughout the year and try to break as many as possible on this day to earn more money.
Dahi Handi festival is also depicted extensively in many Hindi, Marathi, and other regional language films. Some of these are Khuddar, Moraya, Hello Brother, etc. Many songs have been written on this topic that are very popular in India.
It is not only a festival but also a sport that encourages teamwork among people. This sport is risky if proper precautions are not taken. As it requires forming many layers of human beings to form a pyramid, which could be as high as 50 feet or more, if somebody falls from that height and has a head injury, it can result in death. Every year, some people die and/or get seriously injured during this festival because of a head concussion. Many receive bone fractures because of falling from heights. Therefore, wearing a helmet is necessary for Govindas, who attempt to break the Dahi Handi.