Nag Nathaiya at Tulsi Ghat on 13 November: Krishna's leap into the Ganga at 4:40 pm

The enactment recreates the Kaliya episode from Krishna's childhood on the riverbank. For about 30 minutes Tulsi Ghat stands in for Gokul and the Ganga for the Yamuna: a boy playing Krishna climbs a kadamb branch fixed at the ghat, leaps into the river and reappears standing on the hood of the serpent Kaliya, flute in hand. The tradition is linked to Goswami Tulsidas and is described as roughly five centuries old. It is the best-known day of a Krishna leela cycle that runs for 22 days at the ghat.

When and where: Tulsi Ghat. According to the organising committee, the leela begins at 3 pm and the leap from the kadamb branch takes place at exactly 4:40 pm. The kadamb tree used this year stands 20 feet high and the Kaliya figure is 22 feet long. People watch from the ghat steps, from neighbouring ghats and from boats on the Ganga.

Good to know: the main act lasts only a few minutes and the ghat fills up well before it, so visitors who want a clear view should reach early in the afternoon. Friday is also the first day of Chhath, so allow extra time to reach the ghats on foot. The boatmen's community has a traditional role in the leela, and the river in front of the ghat stays crowded with boats.

Details are from the Shri Krishna Leela Samiti's programme, as reported by Amar Ujala and Live Aaryaavart on 12 and 13 November.