Krishna Janmashtami 2023 Live Updates: Janmashtami celebrations enthral every corner of India, radiating grandeur

Hindu devotees help a man jump as he tries to reach the dahi-handi, curd-pot, suspended in the air above a water well during celebrations of Janmashtami.

Krishna Janmashtami and Dahi Handi 2023 Live: Krishna Janmashtami is an auspicious Hindu festival that falls on the eighth day of the Krishna Paksha in the month of Shravana of Bhadrapad. Hindu devotees mark Lord Krishna's birth anniversary over two consecutive days annually. This year, it is being marked on September 6 and September 7 (today, Thursday). Celebrities and politicians are marking the festival with much pomp. 

As per Vedic chronology, this year marks Lord Krishna's 5250th birth anniversary. According to Panchang, the Janmashtami celebrations began last night (September 6) at 11:57 pm and will end at 12:42 am on September 7. Today, Lord Krishna's devotees will also celebrate Dahi Handi festivities.

Dahi Handi - also known as Gopalakala or Utlotsavam - is one of the popular cultural activities celebrated on Krishna Janmashtami. Dahi refers to curd, and Handi refers to an earthen pot filled with milk products. One of the biggest festivals marked in Maharashtra, Dahi Handi commemorates one of Lord Krishna's favourite activities of stealing makhan (butter), dahi and other milk products from earthen pots (matka). This is why he is often referred to as Makhan Chor.

As per Hindu mythology, when Lord Krishna was young, he used to steal dahi, butter and other milk products from other houses in his neighbourhood. He formed a group of friends who used to help him steal milk products from earthen pots hanging from the ceiling. They did so by forming a human pyramid to help Krishna reach the earthen pots to have his fill of milk products.

Dahi Handi celebrations enact the same during the festivities. In Maharashtra and other parts of the country, Dahi Handi competitions are held where people fill an earthen pot with milk, curd, butter or other milk products. Then, a group of people form human pyramids to reach the matka and break it with a stick. The group that reaches the pot first and breaks it wins the competition.