19'' Kaliya Krishna | Madhuchista Vidhana (Lost-Wax) | Panchaloha Bronze from Swamimalai

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Escaping his eternal foe Garuda, Kaliya, in his semi-divine half-human half-serpent form, sought refuge around the waters of Vrindavan, resting in the river Yamuna, spewing vats of venom, and polluting the environment which allowed nothing to thrive (except one solitary Kadamba tree). It was only when the gopi Radha chanced upon Kaliya while serving the sage Durvasa that the people understood the terror poised by this fearsome Naga. Krishna, angered because of Radha’s plight, dived into the river, and stomped on the tail of Kaliya, warning him not to disturb the settlement.

The next day however, when Krishna was playing a ball game with Radha and their friends (explaining the ball in our sculptural Krishna’s hand here) the ball fell into the river, prompting Krishna to go into the river to retrieve it. This time, Kaliya ensnared Krishna and began constricting him into submission. Krishna used his supernatural powers to expand and release himself from Kaliya’s hold and began jumping upon his several heads to get all the poison out of the serpent. Next, Krishna, assuming the entire weight of the universe, started dancing on Kaliya – which is seen here in the ‘ananda tandava’ that Bala Krishna is seen performing on Kaliya’s hood – and in the end, it was only on the insistence of Kaliya’s wives that Krishna spared the serpent, but not before banishing him upon the promise that Garuda will not threaten him.