Gokulashtami is the eighth night of the dark half of Shravan, when Krishna was born at midnight. The day after is Gopalkala, and in Mumbai, Thane and Pune it belongs to Dahi Handi: clay pots of curd, milk and butter are strung high across the streets, and troupes of young men and women called Govinda pathaks travel the city in trucks, building human pyramids to break them.
The story
The boy Krishna and his friends in Gokul stole butter that the women hung from the rafters out of reach, climbing on each other's shoulders to get at it. The pyramid is that game.
Gopalkala is also a dish: beaten rice, curd, cucumber, puffed grain and pickle mixed together, as Krishna is said to have mixed the lunches of all the cowherd boys and shared it out, whatever house each had come from.
गोविंदा आला रे आला, जरा मटकी सांभाळ ब्रिजबाला
Govinda has come, he has come: look to your pot, girl of Braj
Sung by the troupes on their way
How it is kept
- The midnight birthA fast through the day, the birth at midnight with a cradle and bhajans.
- Govinda pathaksTroupes practise for weeks. Pyramids rise to eight and nine tiers, and a small child climbs to the top to break the pot.
- WaterPeople on the balconies drench the climbers to make it harder.
- GopalkalaThe mixed dish is prepared and handed out.
- PrizesOrganisers hang purses with the pot; the courts have set limits on height and on the age of climbers.
Why this date
Gokulashtami is the Ashtami of the dark half of Shravan by the Marathi calendar, on the day it covers midnight. Dahi Handi is held on the day after.
Gokulashtami and Dahi Handi in other years
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Friday | |
| 2027 | Tuesday | |
| 2028 | Sunday | |
| 2029 | Friday | |
| 2030 | Tuesday | |
| 2031 | Saturday |
More Marathi festivals
17 AugustNarali Purnima and Raksha Bandhanनारळी पौर्णिमा · रक्षाबंधन
3 SeptemberGanesh Chaturthiगणेश चतुर्थी
18 JulyGuru Purnimaगुरुपौर्णिमा
7 OctoberDurga Ashtamiदुर्गाष्टमी
14 JulyAshadhi Ekadashiआषाढी एकादशी
8 OctoberKhande Navamiखंडेनवमी
Where to see Gokulashtami and Dahi Handi
In Maharashtra
- Dadar and Lalbaug, MumbaiMaharashtraThe mill district's lanes, with the oldest troupes and handis.
- ThaneMaharashtraThe highest pots and the largest prizes.
- ISKCON, JuhuMaharashtraThe midnight celebration, for those who want the birth without the climb.
Across India
- MathuraUttar PradeshThe birthplace, where the infant is bathed at midnight.
- DwarkaGujaratThe city Krishna founded and ruled, on the Arabian Sea.
- UdupiKarnatakaVittal Pindi, with pots broken along the car street.