Mumbaikars from all walks of life congregated in the citys main thoroughfares to celebrate Janamashtami, the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna, with traditional fervour and gusto.
Mumbai/Kullu, Sept.4 : Mumbaikars from all walks of life congregated in the city's main thoroughfares to celebrate Janamashtami, the birth anniversary of Lord Krishna, with traditional fervour and gusto.
Groups of exuberant young men vied for making a stable human pyramid and breaking the traditional "Dahi Handi" that was tied at a considerable height.
Hari Dikshit, a participant, said the Dahi Handi ceremony was all about team work.
Tuesday's event was made even more hilarious with bystanders pouring water on teams attempting to reach the earthen pot.
In Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, the festival was observed by the singing of devotional songs in praise of Lord Krishna.
Foreign tourists like Aviva said: "Krishna is the one who is the symbol of highest consciousness, immortality, joy and bliss. The vision of oneness and for that reason we love to come sing kirtan, sing bhajans (devotional songs)...so, it is absolutely delightful to be here to celebrate this."
According to Hindu mythology, Krishna is the eighth incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the Preserver and one of the Hindu celestial trinity, the other two being Lord Brahma, the Creator and Lord Shiva, the Destroyer.
Lord Vishnu is believed to have taken human form to destroy an evil king called Kansa, who ruled some parts of the northern India with Mathura as his capital.
Krishna's imprisoned parents -- Vasudeva and Devaki -- had to smuggle out their newborn at midnight to save him from Kansa.
Vasudev carried his newborn child in a reed basket across a river that was in spate and left him in the care of another couple at Gokul.
Janmashtami is celebrated on two consecutive days, the first is the day when Krishna was actually born, and the second, when he reached Gokul.
ANI