Kaliyadalan Ekadashi

Kaliyadalan Ekadashi falls on the 11th day of the dark fortnight in Pausha month (December-January). It refers to the subduing of Kaliya, the multi-headed serpent, by young Lord Krishna. Observing this fast helps overcome the toxic influences of time and negative energies.

The Bhagavata Purana tells the famous story of how the venomous serpent Kaliya had taken up residence in the Yamuna River near Vrindavan, poisoning its waters and making them unsafe for the residents. The young Lord Krishna, only a boy, leapt into the river and danced upon the heads of the multi-headed serpent, subduing it and banishing it to the ocean. This Kaliyadalan Ekadashi commemorates that divine victory. Devotees believe that fasting on this day protects them from the 'Kaliya' within -- the venom of anger, greed, hatred, and other negative tendencies that poison the soul.

In Odisha, Kaliyadalan Ekadashi is observed with prayers for the removal of negative energies and obstacles. Devotees take ritual baths, offer flowers and tulsi to Lord Vishnu, and recite the Bhagavata Purana's account of Krishna's triumph over Kaliya. The fast is kept without grains, and the devotee breaks it on Dwadashi after a special puja. In some parts of Odisha, the story of Krishna and Kaliya is dramatised in folk performances as part of the celebration.