Human towers climb through a spray of thrown water to crack a pot of curd
Dahi Handi is the day after Janmashtami in Maharashtra, when teams called govinda pathaks build human pyramids to break a clay pot of curd hung high above the street. It replays a story of the child Krishna, the butter thief. Next date: 26 August 2027 (expected). The biggest handis are in Mumbai and Thane, from about midday, in the middle of the monsoon.
Countdown26 August 2027
When26 August 2027
The day follows Janmashtami; the Maharashtra holiday list, issued around December of the previous year, carries Gopalkala.
The legend
🧈
In legend, little Krishna and his cowherd friends would sneak butter and curd from the neighbours' homes in Gokul.
🏺
The women hung their pots higher, but Krishna, nicknamed Makhan Chor, the butter thief, always found a way to reach them.
🤸
The boys climbed onto each other's shoulders in a human pyramid and broke the pot.
🎉
The morning after Janmashtami, Maharashtra replays the prank: clay pots of curd hang over the streets and teams build pyramids to reach them.
Meaning
Tirupati
In Andhra and Telangana it is Utlotsavam: at the Venkateswara temple young men climb a tall, slippery greased post for the prize.
Dwarka
In Dwarka, where Krishna is said to have ruled, the pot holds freshly churned butter instead: Makhan Handi.
Customs
Water on the climbers
Onlookers drench the pyramid with water as if to stop it and chant in Marathi: "Ala re ala, Govinda ala", the govindas have arrived.
Tier by tier
The sturdiest and most numerous stand at the base, the middle keeps the balance, the lightest climb highest. Each team gets three attempts at the pot.
Govinda pathaks
Teams train for weeks, and on the day they tour the city to break as many pots as they can. Women field their own teams too.
Music and prizes
Every pyramid is ringed by music and dancing, and the organising mandals offer prizes to whoever breaks their handi.
What people eat
Gopalkala
a mix of poha, puffed grain, curd, buttermilk, pickle and fruit
Words of the festival
दहीहंडी
dahi handi
"pot of curd": both the pot itself and the whole festival
गोविंदा पथक
govinda pathak
a team that builds the pyramid; Govinda is one of Krishna's names
गोपाळकाला
Gopalkala
the festival's other name: gopal is cowherd, kala is a mix
माखन चोर
Makhan Chor
"butter thief", the fond nickname of child Krishna
True or myth
A human pyramid never rises above nine tiers.
❌ Myth. On 16 August 2025 in Thane a team reached a tenth tier for the first time: 14.73 metres, a Guinness record.
Human-tower builders from Catalonia have joined Dahi Handi in Mumbai.
✅ True. In some years castellers, Catalonia's human-tower builders, take part in the competition.
Gopalkala is both a festival and a dish.
✅ True. The name covers the day and a dish of poha, curd and fruit, which Krishna and the cowherds are said to have shared by the Yamuna.
On Gopalkala, the day after Janmashtami, govinda teams build human pyramids, sometimes nine or ten tiers high, to break curd pots hung above the streets of Mumbai and Thane.
In legend, the child Krishna and his cowherd friends in Gokul would sneak butter and curd from the neighbours' homes. The women hung their pots higher and higher, and Krishna, nicknamed Makhan Chor, the butter thief, always found a way up: the boys climbed onto each other's shoulders and broke the pot. On the morning after Janmashtami, the festival of Krishna's birth, Maharashtra replays the prank.
The words explain the day. Dahi handi means a pot of curd, and stands for both the pot and the festival. Govinda, one of Krishna's names, is what the climbers are called, and a govinda pathak is a team. The festival's other name, Gopalkala, joins gopal, cowherd, and kala, a mix: it is also a dish of poha, puffed grain, curd, buttermilk, pickle and fruit, which Krishna and the cowherds are said to have shared by the Yamuna. In the Hindu calendar the day is the ninth of the dark fortnight of Shravan, so it falls in August or early September.
How a pyramid is built
A handi is a contest with rules everyone in the crowd understands.
Weeks of training
Teams practise for weeks. Local organising committees, the mandals, hang the pots and offer prize money to whoever breaks them; on the day, teams tour the city to break as many as they can. Women field their own teams too.
Tier by tier
The sturdiest and most numerous stand at the base, the middle tiers keep the balance, and the lightest climb highest. Each team gets three attempts at the pot.
Water and the chant
Onlookers drench the pyramid with water as if to stop it, and chant in Marathi: 'Ala re ala, Govinda ala', the govindas have arrived. Music and dancing ring every pyramid.
The pot breaks
The climber at the top smashes the pot, and the curd spills over the team below.
Nine tiers, then ten
Pyramids usually stay below nine tiers. The first nine-tier pyramid in India was built in Thane in 2008, by a mandal from Mazgaon, the Mumbai neighbourhood known for keeping the old Dahi Handi customs. In 2012 Jai Jawan Govinda Pathak from Jogeshwari set a Guinness World Record in Thane with nine tiers, 13.35 metres. On 16 August 2025, also in Thane, Kokan Nagar Govinda Pathak reached a tenth tier for the first time: 14.73 metres, a new Guinness record.
Prize money, sponsors and political parties have grown the event since the 2000s, and in some years castellers, the human-tower builders of Catalonia, have joined in. Since 2023 there has also been a professional league, the Pro Govinda League, with mattresses to cushion falls; its 2025 season was held indoors at the Dome in Worli. The street handis remain the heart of the day. Where to watch them: Dahi Handi in Mumbai.
Mumbai, Thane and beyond
The pyramids belong to Maharashtra, but the custom of breaking a pot for Krishna travels.
Mumbai and Thane
Thousands of spectators and hundreds of teams; the largest handis, including the record pyramids, are in Thane and across Mumbai from about midday.
Pune
With Mumbai and Thane, one of the three places in Maharashtra where thousands gather for the handis. Pune.
Dwarka
In the town where Krishna is said to have ruled, the pot holds freshly churned butter instead: Makhan Handi.
Tirupati
In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana the day is Utlotsavam. At the Venkateswara temple young men climb a tall greased post for the prize. Tirumala Tirupati.
A dangerous sport: rules and how to watch
Pyramids do collapse. Injuries among govindas are reported every year, and a medical study has described the risk of serious injury as considerable. In August 2014 the Bombay High Court directed the state to raise the minimum age of govindas from 12 to 18, to keep the handi no higher than 20 feet and to make organisers provide helmets, safety belts and cushioning. In 2017 the Supreme Court sent the case back to the High Court, so the 2014 limits are not necessarily the rules in force today. For spectators the advice is simple: stand well back from the base, keep children close, expect to be soaked and keep your phone in a waterproof bag. Crowds are dense; the UK Foreign Office advises care with possessions in crowds and following the local authorities. Emergency number: 112.
FAQ
What is Dahi Handi?
A Maharashtra celebration on the day after Janmashtami, when teams build human pyramids to break a clay pot of curd hung high above the street, replaying the child Krishna's butter thefts.
When is Dahi Handi?
On the day after Janmashtami, usually in August or early September. Next date: 26 August 2027 (expected).
Why is Dahi Handi celebrated?
It recalls the legend of the child Krishna and his cowherd friends climbing on each other's shoulders to steal butter and curd from pots the neighbours hung out of reach.
What is Gopalkala?
The festival's other name, and also a dish of poha, puffed grain, curd, buttermilk, pickle and fruit that Krishna and the cowherds are said to have shared.
What is the highest Dahi Handi pyramid?
Ten tiers, 14.73 metres, built in Thane on 16 August 2025 and recognised as a Guinness record. Most pyramids stay below nine tiers.
Where is the biggest Dahi Handi?
In Thane and Mumbai. Thane has hosted the record pyramids, and organisers in both cities offer the largest prizes.
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