Joining hands for festivities

Hindu devotees took a vow before they formed a human pyramid to reach and break a dahi-handi, or an earthen pot containing yogurt, suspended high above the ground during the Janmashtami festival in Mumbai on Monday.

The festival celebrates the birth of Lord Krishna, one of the most popular gods in Hinduism.

The practice of breaking the pot is linked to stories of how the child-god Krishna and his friends used to form human pyramids to break pots hung from the ceilings of neighbourhood houses in order to steal curd and butter.

Janmashtami is a particularly large festival in northern India, especially in the city of Mathura, where Krishna is believed to have been born, and in the town of Vrindavan, where he is believed to have spent his childhood.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 05, 2018, with the headline Joining hands for festivities. Subscribe