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WATCH: Is The Dahi Handi India's Most Dangerous Festival?

WATCH: Is The Dahi Handi India's Most Dangerous Festival?

The Dahi Handi, a popular Marathi ritual during the festival of Gokulashtami (that marks Lord Krishna's birthday) certainly makes for an incredible sight. To commemorate the god's love for butter, throngs of men dressed in bright colours form a human pyramid to break an earthen pot filled with buttermilk that hangs several feet off the ground. Sometimes, this can go up to 40 feet.

While it makes for a colourful watch, (a selfie taken from the top of a pyramid this year broke the Internet) it certainly isn't the safest festival. Many attempts are undertaken, and involve several govindas toppling over each other, and crashing to the ground, before the pot can be successfully broken. It makes one wonder if the first aid stations provided around are actually equipped to render adequate services.

Already with the onset of the festival, several injuries and one death have already been reported, and in the past, several rules have been passed in an attempt to render the festival safer.

With this video, filmmakers An Indian Voice highlight the beauty and the dangers of this intriguing ritual.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.