Kaliya

For King of this name see Kaliya Nagavanshi

Kaliya (कालिया) /(कलिया) Kali (काली) Kaliy (कालीय) is Gotra of Jats found in Rajasthan, Punjab and Madhya Pradesh.

Mention by Panini

Kali (कलि) is mentioned by Panini in Ashtadhyayi.

Kaliya In Hindu mythology

Kaliya in Hindu mythology, was the name of a poisonous hydra or Naga living in the Yamuna River. The water of the Yamuna for four leagues all around him boiled and bubbled with poison. No bird or beast could go near, and only one solitary kadamba tree grew on the river bank.

The proper home of Kāliyā was Ramanaka Dwipa, but he had been driven away from there by fear of Garuda, the foe of all serpents. Garuda had been cursed by a yogi dwelling at Brindaban, so that he could not come to Brindaban without meeting his death. Therefore Kāliyā lived at Brindaban, the only place where Garuda could not come.

Once Krishna and herd-boys were playing ball, and while playing Krishna climbed up the Kadamba tree and hung over the river bank, the ball fell into the river and Krishna jumped after it. Kāliyā rose up with his hundred and ten hoods vomiting poison and wrapped himself around Krishna's body. Krishna became so huge that Kāliyā had to release him. So Krishna saved himself from every attack, and when he saw the Brij folk were so much afraid he suddenly sprang into Kāliyā's head and assumed the weight of the whole universe, and danced on the Naga's heads, beating time with his feet. Then Kāliyā began to die. But then the Naga's wives came and prayed to Krishna with joined palms, worshipping Krishna and praying for their husband.

Kāliyā, recognizing the greatness of Krishna, surrendered, promising he would not harass anybody. So Krishna pardoned him and then let him go free to leave the river and go to Ramanaka Dwipa.

History

The history of Krishna and Kāliyā is told in Chapter Sixteen of the Tenth Canto of the Bhagavata Purana.

A king of Kaliramna gotra (clan) in Nagavansh Kshatriyas, known as Kaliya, was the ruler near Mathura, on the banks of Yamuna River. The ancient fort of Kaliramna is in ruins near Mathura. His fort was known as fort of Kalidheh. The famous episode of Mahabharata regarding Lord Krishna’s killing of a black python, Kaliya, is related with some bad ruler from this gotra. With the killing of Kaliya Naga, Krishna brought the end of this clan’s rule in Brij.

In Punjab there were two small states of rulers belonging to this Kaliramna. These were Sinpura and Bhagowal.

From Mathura they went to Kabul-Ghazni with other other Jats - Yadavas. They founded the Kingdom of Garh - Ghazni. During rise of Islam they came back to Bhatner- Sirsa. According to their bards they founded the old village of Patan and Siswad. From Patan Chaudhary Sishu came to Sisai. His brother Sunda founded village Sandwa and Salaywala.

Oothukkadu in Tamilnadu, Tanjore district, is said to have a svayambhu (self-formed) image of this scene.

The episode is remembered as the 'Kalinga Nartana'.

Rajatarangini tells us the lord of Kampana killed the proud and haughty son of Kāliya through some artifice. [p.144]

Distribution in Rajasthan

Villages in Nagaur district

Kalia Jats live in : Ramgarh Nagaur,

Villages in Pali district

Peepaliya Ki Dhani,

Distribution in Haryana

Villages in Jind district

Kaliya Jats live in :

Bhuran,

Distribution in Punjab

Villages in Hoshiarpur district

• Kalian named village is in Hoshiarpur tahsil in Hoshiarpur district in Punjab, India.

Distribution in Madhya Pradesh

Villages in Dewas district

Baijagwada

External links

• Bhagavata Purana, Canto Ten, Chapter 16 The account of Krishna and Kaliya, as told in the Bhagavata Purana. (Full Sanskrit text online, with translation and commentary.)

References

• Sister Nivedita & Ananda K.Coomaraswamy: Myths and Legends of the Hindus and Bhuddhists, Kolkata, 2001 ISBN 81-7505-197-3

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