Nag Nathaiya or Nag Nathaiya Leela is a

Hindu festival Across the globe, Hindus celebrate a diverse number of festivals and celebrations, typically marking events from ancient India and often coinciding with seasonal changes. These celebrations take place either on a fixed annual date on the solar ...

held in

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

, India, commemorating the conquest of the god

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

over the ''naga'' (serepnt)

Kaliya Kaliya (IAST: Kāliya, Devanagari: कालिय), in Hindu traditions, was a venomous Nāga living in the Yamunā river, in Vṛndāvana. The water of the Yamunā for four leagues all around him boiled and bubbled with poison. No bird or ...

. The tale is reenacted annually the

Tulsi Ghat Tulsi Ghat is one of the ghats in Varanasi. It is named after poet Tulsidas who lived there while he wrote the Ramcharitmanas and Hanuman Chalisa. Earlier, Tulsi Ghat was known as Lolark Ghat. It was in the year 1941 that Tulsi Ghat was made p ...

on the fourth tithi of Kartik's light fortnight,

Paksha Paksha (also known as ''pakṣa''; sa, पक्ष, Nepal Bhasa: ''thwa'' and ''gа̄''; ) refers to a fortnight or a lunar phase in a month of the Hindu lunar calendar. Literally meaning "side", a paksha is the period either side of the Fu ...

; which is usually sometime between November and December.

Background

Krishna Standing on Kadamba tree at Nag Nathaiya festival

This festival was started by Tulsi in the 16th century at Tulsi Ghat. The legend of Nag Nathaiya festival is associated with Krishna's victory on the serpent (naga) Kaliya. One day while playing with his friends in

Gokula Gokula Singh (also known as Veer Gokula, or Gokal or Gokul Singh Jat; died on 1 January 1670 AD) was a Jat zamindar of Tilpat, belonging to Haga(Agre/Agha) gotra, in what is now the state of Haryana, India. The second of four sons born to Madu, ...

, the child Krishna lost the ball in the

Yamuna The Yamuna (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), also spelt Jumna, is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in List of major rivers of India, India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a ...

river. Krishna dived into the river to fetch it. There he was confronted by the poisonous serpent, Kaliya. The snake ensnared Krishna in his coils. After a long battle, Kaliya surrendered to Krishna and promised not to hurt the villagers. The snake lifted Krishna on its head and took him to the surface. On the other hand, Krishna's friends became worried as he was missing for a long time and gathered the villagers. Krishna not only defeated the snake but also purified the water and the air of the poison that was spread by the naga. It is described as one of ''

lila Lila or LILA may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Lila'' (album), debut album by American country music singer Lila McCann * ''Lila'' (movie), a 1968 sexploitation film * The Meaning of Lila, a comic strip written by John Forgetta and L. A. ...

''s (Divine play) of Krishna.

festivities

Kashi Naresh Anant Narayan Singh on the ocassaion of Nag Nathaiya festival in Varanasi

At Tulsi ghat, a large branch of

Kadamba tree ''Neolamarckia cadamba'', with English common names burflower-tree, laran, and Leichhardt pine, and called kadam or cadamba locally, is an evergreen, tropical tree native to South and Southeast Asia. The genus name honours French naturalist Jean- ...

is planted at the edge of the river

Ganga The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

. A young boy acting as Krishna - who is believed to be the embodied form (svarup) of Krishna - jumps from the tree branch into the river, where an effigy of Kaliya lies. The boy Krishna climbs onto Kaliya's head and strikes a flute playing pose. Propelled by human assistants, the serpent effigy along with the boy Krishna on its head make a circular sweep in the water, parading in front of thousands of spectators, who watch the display from the river bank or from boats floating on the river waters. The festival is attended by

Kashi Naresh Maharaja Vibhuti Narayan Singh (5 November 1927 – 25 December 2000) was the king of Benares, a city considered holy, located in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. He was the last Bhumihar king of the Kingdom of Kashi. Childhood Vibhuti Naraya ...

(the titular king of Varanasi) every year who views the Leela from royal boat. Later he gives awards to the actors performing in Leela.

References

{{commons category, Nag Nathaiya

External links

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