Maharashtra Seeks UNESCO World Heritage Status for Dahi Handi

Dahi Handi is a happy festival in Maharashtra, India, that happens after Krishna Janmashtami, when people celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna.

During the festival, young people called Govindas make tall human pyramids to break a pot that hangs high up and is filled with curd, butter, and milk.

A minister named Ashish Shelar said the government wants Dahi Handi to be protected by UNESCO, an organisation that takes care of special traditions around the world.

He also said Govindas will travel to Spain, because people there also build human towers, which they call castells.

Spanish teams sometimes come to Mumbai and Thane to join the Dahi Handi festival.

The minister asked everyone in the festival to follow safety and traffic rules so no one gets hurt.

He reminded people that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis helped the Govindas when there was a court case about the festival.

Shelar also said that people who want to put restrictions on festivals like Ganeshotsav, Nag Panchami, and Dahi Handi might be linked to urban Naxalism.

He said safety and the environment are important, but banning traditional festivals is not acceptable.

The government promised to protect Maharashtra's traditional and Hindu festivals.