42 mins ago
Maharashtra Village Marks Dahi Handi With Well Jump Tradition
Dahi Handi is a festival game in which people try to break a pot.
In most places, people build human pyramids to reach it.
In Kurdus, the pot hangs above a large village well instead.
Three people help launch a fourth person toward the pot.
The jumper lands in the water inside the well.
Villagers say the activity has had no injuries so far, and they prepare the well before the festival.
The tradition began in 1992 with a few farming families.
More than 100 people of different ages can try the jump each year.
Videos on social media have brought visitors from nearby villages and other places.
Kurdus village in Raigad’s Alibaug taluka celebrates Dahi Handi by suspending the pot over a large well.
The tradition began in 1992 among farming families and replaced human pyramids with a jumping contest.
Each attempt involves three people launching a fourth participant toward the handi, which hangs 15 to 20 feet above the well wall.
The 40-foot-deep, roughly 40-foot-wide well was built by villagers through voluntary labour in 1954.
More than 100 participants take turns each year, with Harsh Pingle winning this year after Akash Pingle’s eight-year streak.
- Who
- Residents and visitors of Kurdus, including participants of different ages, take part; Harsh Pingle won this year.
- What
- Kurdus celebrates Dahi Handi by having participants jump from the well’s edge toward a suspended clay pot instead of forming human pyramids.
- Where
- Kurdus village in Alibaug taluka, Raigad district, Maharashtra, at a large village well.
- When
- The tradition has been held annually since 1992; the celebration usually runs from around noon until 3 or 4 p.m.
- Why
- The activity began as a fun contest among farming families and has continued as a distinctive village tradition.
Key facts
- Tradition began
- 1992
- Well construction
- Built in 1954 through villagers’ voluntary labour
- Well dimensions
- About 40 feet deep and 40 feet wide
- Handi height
- Around 15 to 20 feet above the well wall
- Participants per attempt
- Four: three launch one jumper
- Annual participation
- More than 100 people across age groups
- This year’s winner
- Harsh Pingle
- Previous winning streak
- Akash Pingle had won for eight consecutive years
Quotes
Dhanaji Pingle
Kurdus resident explaining the well’s role and safety precautions
“The well is 40 feet deep, and safety precautions are taken into consideration – the jump is usually very precise, so that the Govinda doesn’t crash into the walls, and the well is also sufficiently wide, around 40 feet.”
indianexpress.com
“This distinctive Dahi Handi tradition has been organised in Kurdus since 1992. Instead of forming human pyramids, the practice here involves breaking a Dahi Handi suspended in the centre over a large well.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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