Janmashtami The Ritual Of Dahi Handi

This ritual is followed in the cities of Mumbai, Pune, Dwarka, Vrinavan and Mathura. In Mumbai & Pune this ritual is also called dahi handi and is celebrated with a lot of zeal & vigor. Handi means a claypot and dahi means buttermilk. so, a claypot is filled with buttermilk and tied high up. Young boys form a human pyramid. The boy on top of the pyramid is supposed to break the handi with a coconut, as coconut is considered a pure object.In Mumbai & Pune, groups of young boys called Govinda Pathaks, roam around the their localities with a view to break these handis that are tied up at various places. Prizes in cash and kind are also offered by local communities to those who break these handis.