Kashi’s ‘Krishna’ tames ferocious ‘King Cobra’, dances on his hood

VARANASI: Scores of locals as well as foreign tourists gathered on the banks of the Ganga at Tulsi Ghat on Saturday afternoon to watch Nag Nathaiya, the spectre of Lord Krishna taming the ferocious King Cobra, Kaliya Naag, in the waters of the Ganga. The festival is celebrated annually on the fourth day of Kartik month’s Shukla Paksha (bright fortnight).
Mythologically it is believed that Kaliya, a serpent in the Yamuna, troubled the natives of Mathura.Lord Krishna tamed the evil snake by dancing on its hood and rescued the natives from its terror.
A young lad dressed as Lord Krishna performed the act of subduing Kalia. The boy, regarded as the ‘swaroop’ (embodiment) of Krishna, jumped into the river from a branch of Kadamb tree planted at the edge of the Ganga, where an effigy of Kaliya was lying in the waters. He climbed on the effigy's hood. With the assistance of the people around, the serpent, along with the boy sitting on its head, made a circular sweep in the water, and paraded in front of the spectators at the river bank and on boats.
The devotees offered prayers to the boy dressed as Krishna. The mahant of Sankat Mochan Temple, Prof Vishwambhar Nath Mishra and many others attended the event.