Krishna Janmashtami 2016 : Watch live streaming of Dahi Handi from Mumbai, Mathura, Dwarka, Vrindavan
Dahi Handi is a famous sportive event organized in the cities of Maharashtra and Goa. Dahi Handi is celebrated on the next day of Krishna Janmashtami. Krishna Janmashtami is also famous as Gokulashtami. Dahi translates to the curd and Handi translates to earthen pot used to process and keep the milk products. Dahi Handi celebration is also known as Gopalakala in Maharashtra.
Dahi Handi celebration commemorates the way of living of Lord Krishna. In His childhood, young Krishna was very fond of the curd and the butter. While growing up the fondness of curd and the butter increased and young Krishna became notorious for stealing it.
When Krishna and His troop started eyeing neighborhood homes to quench their thirst for milk products, female folks in the entire neighborhood became cautious and started hanging milk products from the ceiling like a chandelier. The idea was to take advantage of short height of young Krishna and His troop and keep Dahi Handis out of reach of small hands.
To defeat the idea of female cowherds, Krishna devised the idea of forming human pyramid. Human pyramid was used as the ladder to climb up and reach the Handi. Since then it has become part of Indian folklore. Every year during Janmashtami this event from the life of Lord Krishna is played by the young troop of boys.
To make the task challenging Handi is kept at several floors high at the open ground or at the street crossing. Dahi Handi could be up to several floors high in the sky. Women folks who represent female cowherds from the tale of Lord Krishna thwart any attempts to create human pyramid by throwing the water or some slippery liquid on the pyramid formation.
Dahi Handi Celebration In Mumbai | Dahi Handi In Mumbai 206
In Mumbai Dahi Handi is getting emerged as a competitive sport. Hundreds of team participates every year in the event. Famous celebrities are invited to promote the event. In recent years the prize money has reached to one crore which is equivalent to 10 million of Indian Rupees.
With time the whole event has its own slogan “Govinda Aala Re!“
Celebration of Janmashtami, birth of the famous Lord Krishna includes a number of ceremonies like, Raslila, Jhankis (tableaux) etc. Dahi Handi is a popular ceremony, celebrated with lot of enthusiasm and glee. Dahi Handi is an enactment of Lord Krishna’s efforts to steal butter from Matka (earthen pot) suspended from the ceiling.
The Celebrations
Dahi Handi generally takes place on the second day of Janmashtami. An earthen pot containing a mixture of milk, dry fruits, ghee is hung around 20-30 feet high in the air with the help of a rope. Silver coins are hung along with the rope,which are later distributed as prize to the winners. Enthusiastic young men, form a human pyramid by standing one on top of the other, trying to break the pot. Onlookers throw water on the young men in order to prevent them from breaking the pot. Breaking of the pot is followed by prize distribution. Devotees believe that the broken pieces of earthen pot will keep away mice and negative powers from their homes.
Dahi Handi is celebrated with fervor, especially in the twin cities of Mathura – Vrindavan, Dwarka and Mumbai. Young men in Mumbai yell ‘Ala re ala, Govinda ala’ during the ceremony.
Dahi Handi Celebration in Mathura | Dahi Handi in Mathura
Krishna Janmashtami also known as Gokulashtami marks the birthday celebration of Lord Krishna. Lakhs of devotees have arrived in Mathura, considered to be the birthplace of Krishna, on the occasion of Janmashtami. Mathura is gearing up for yet another colourful celebration of Krishna Janmashtami. According to the Hindu calendar, Janmashtami is celebrated on the eighth day of the dark fortnight in Bhadrapad month or on ashtami of Krishnapaksha. This year Janmashtami falls on Thursday, August 25. The Janmashtami is celebrated across India with great enthusiasm. Special arrangements have been made for devotees in Mathura. Mathura has historical and religious importance in Hinduism. ALSO READ: Krishna Janmashtami 2016: Date, Muhurat, Puja Vidhi, Mantras, Fasting, Auspicious timings
According to Hindu religion, Mathura is one of the sites that grant moksha or salvation to the pilgrims visiting it. On the birthday occasion of Lord Krishna, religious plays called Ras Leela will be shown. The main theme of the play is about Krishna’s love for Radha, however it also showcases dramatic enactment of events from Krishna’s life. In Mathura, all temples are being decorated ahead of the Krishna Janmashtami. Workers from Mathura, Banaras and Rajasthan are working day and night to make temples as beautiful as they can. The Kamal Kunj Bangla is especially decorated ahead of the Janmashtami. A Kamal Kunj Bangla is being built with 20 kilogram silver. The wall of the structure is being pained with the colourful images depicting life events of Lord Krishna.
On Krishna Janmashtami, devotees also celebrate Dahi Handi festival which celebrates God’s playful side wherein they used to break the pot of curd which was kept at the height. Children dress up as Lord Krishna gestures ahead of Janmashtami celebrations. Krishna Janmashtami festival is followed by the festival Nandotsav, which is the occasion when Nanda Baba distributed gifts to the community in honour of the birth. The saints and priests will begin puja (prayers) from 6:00 pm onwards on August 24. A lot of events related to Janmashtami will be held entire night and in the wee hours of the August 25, a specialpuja will be held to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna on Janmashtami.
Janmashtami celebration in Mathura
According to the Hindu calendar, Janmashtami is celebrated on the eight day of Bhadrapad month. This year Janmashtami falls on August 25. Since Krishna was said to be born at the stroke of midnight, devotees stay awake the whole night, offering prayers to him. The most important part of these celebrations is the reading out of Bhagvad Gita, which is done at homes as also in many temples. Rocking cradles with infant Krishna’s idol is also yet another tradition followed across the country.
Dahi Handi Celebration in Vrindavan | Dahi Handi in Vrindavan
The Krishna Balarama Temple is one of the main temples of ISKCON situated in Vrindavan. The main deities of this temple are both Krishna and Balarama who is Krishna’s elder brother. This temple is very strict about cleanliness and maintains high standards of the same. ISKCON is ‘For International Society for Krishna Conscience’ where Janmashtami is celebrated with much pomp and merriment. Wherever you might be, this is one temple that you must visit during Janmashtami to witness the devotion and faith that people have towards Krishna. Preparations begin well in advance and the temple premises are cleaned and decorated for Gokulashtami. The altar and the hall of this temple are lit up vibrantly and adorned with flowers. On the day of Janmashtami, a total of 108 offerings are made to Krishna. These offerings consist of sweets and savouries and are mostly made by devotees with mush devotion. Another important event is the bathing of Krishna’s idol with water that is purified with saffron, tulasi leaves and also cardamom and rose petals. Authorities who work here make sure the make ample arrangements for devotees who come from across cities. You will find many ISKCON temples in India; however the whole vibe of this festival is best felt and experienced in Mathura- the birthplace of Krishna.
If you are planning to head to Mathura to experience how people celebrate Krishna’s birth then let us tell you, you are going to have the time of your life. You do not have to worry about the stay options in Mathura since there are a lot. Do not expect the 3-star accommodations that you find in cities. The hotels and homestays in Mathura are decent enough and are ideal for a couple of days’ stay. And because Janmashtamai is just few days away, make your reservations before they are all booked.
Dahi Handi In Dwarka | Dahi Handi Celebration In Dwarka Live
To watch celebrations from Mathura, Vrindavan, Dwarka, follow the links below:
To watch Krishna Janmashtami celebrations from Mathura, follow this DD1 link. The live broadcast will begin from 11:30 PM. To watch the celebrations from Vrindavan, tune into Sri Sankara TV from 11:30 PM tonight. The live webcast is also available from Dwarka’s Sri Dwarkadhish Jagad Mandir website. http://www.dwarkadhish.org/
To watch the celebrations from Art of Living and ISKCON temples, click on the following links:
The Art of Living ashram will begin the celebrations from 6:30 PM in the evening tomorrow. http://webcast.artofliving.org/ . Meanwhile, the ISKCON temples in Mumbai and Bengaluru will begin the celebration in the midnight. http://www.iskconmumbai.com/live-view/
