34. Kali Deh Temple

Kaliya ghat or Kalideh is the place on the banks of river Yamuna where Lord Krishna during his childhood pastimes in Vrindavan subdued a poisonous serpent Kaliya Nag. Earlier Yamuna used to flow near to this place but during the course of time the river has drifted away. It’s said that once Krishna was playing with his Sakhas on the bank of river Yamuna. Suddenly their ball went inside the river. Fearing of Kaliya Nag, due to whom the water of Yamuna was also turned poisonous, no one was ready to go inside the river and bring the ball back. Knowing this Krishna decided to relieve the people of Vrindavan and river Yamuna of this poisonous serpent and thus jumped from the nearby Kadamba tree into the river. Kaliya nag, who was sleeping, got angry at Krishna for disturbing his sleep. In a fit of anger he started releasing poison from his mouth. Krishna immediately jumped and mounted over one of the hoods of Kaliya who was having thousands of hoods. There was a long fight between both of them and at last Kaliya fell down restlessly. Krishna came out of the river Yamuna dancing on the hoods of Kaliya Nag. Then Krishna instructed Kaliya to leave the river Yamuna and move to sea and also told him that Garud, (fearing whom Kaliya was hiding in the deep waters of Yamuna) will not harm him after seeing the foot impressions of Lord Krishna formed due to dancing on his hoods.

The old Kadamba tree from where Lord Krishna jumped into the river Yamuna is still present at this Ghat. There is also a small shrine commemorating the incident of Kaliya Nag from Krishna’s Pastime. This shrine has the deities of Lord Krishna and Balram along with Kaliya Nag. The Ghat is built in red sandstone and is adorned with the stone images of Krishna and Kaliya Nag depicting that very pastime.