From the archive record
Janmashtami celebrations in Maharashtra are superb with the event of Dahi Handi. The cities of Mumbai and Pune wear a festive look on the day of Lord Krishna's birthday. Like many other parts of the country, the celebrations in Maharashtra were markedly upbeat. Various temples in the state are filled with the devotees who chant special Krishna hymns in Sanskrit. They invoke Lord Vishnu for his blessings and ask for forgiveness. Janmaashtami, popularly known in Mumbai and Pune as Dahi Handi is celebrated with enormous zeal and enthusiasm. The handi is a clay pot filled with buttermilk that was positioned at a convenient height prior to the event; the topmost person on the human pyramid tries to break the handi by hitting it with a blunt object, and when that happens, the buttermilk is spill