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{/googleAds} The Sri Krishna Leela began its annual 'yatra' with a procession of Ganesha through the main streets of Agra, inviting all to witness the musical dance-drama on the Leela ground at the Balkeshwar Gaushala campus. Next day King Kans of Mathura walked in royal splendour through the streets of the city.

Like the Ram Lila, Krishna Leela is held every year for 15 days peaking with the death of King Kans, at a ground that resembles a Roman theatre. One of the chief organisers, Pt. Mahesh Sharma, said: 'the tradition of Krishna Leela in Agra started more than a century ago, when a group of banias split from the original Ram Lila committee and started parallel celebrations. The strong bania community of Agra was then divided into Rawat Pada area and Belanganj area groups. The Belanganj banias started the Sri Krishna Leela on the same lines as the Ram Lila.' The tradition has continued but there have been ups and downs depending on the support of the people, Sharma added. But now, renewed interest and support from other communities have helped its revival in a big way.

Among the chief promoters in past years were Ram Babu Agarwal, Raj Narain,Nanak Ram Bhardwaj, Mani Lal Shah, Panna Lal, Vishambhar Nath Bhagat, Ashok Goyal, Ajay Agarwal, Manish, Pankaj and Vinod Agarwal. While Ram Lilas are held in several parts of the city, there is only one Krishna Leela in Agra.

Earlier, the leelas were performed all over the ground, but now only the stage is used for live programmes. 'Long back, the ground was divided between Gokul and Mathura. The actors used to walk all over the field and perform. But now the professional mandlis from Mathura or Vrindavan prefer to restrict movement to the stage.'

Sri Krishna Leelas often referred to as Raas Leelas, are a unique music-cum-theatrical tradition of the Braj area. The Ras Leelas are regularly held in Vrindavan and Mathura. In recent years hundreds of mandlis have mushroomed. 'These groups of performers keep moving all over India giving programmes, the highlights being Holi and Mayur dances, which combine elements of folk and classical Kathak forms,' according to Acharya Madhukar Chaturvedi, a pakhawaj maestro. Neither the popularity nor the number of patrons has diminished over the years of this traditional medium which has taken international dimensions in recent years, says Jagannath Poddar, convener of Friends of Vrindavan. However there have been many distortions and compromises with the contents, perhaps a reflection of changing times, he adds.

The tradition of Sri Krishna Leelas climaxing with a Maha-Raas in which Krishna himself  takes many forms and dances with the gopis, in total bliss and perfect harmony with the nature on the full moon night, is at least a century old. In the bare crude form these leelas have  been going on for a very long time to entertain pilgrims in Braj area.

What we now have is a presentation which integrates in a harmonious blend the essential elements of theatre, music, folk dances and now the classical input of Kathak, in a style that meets the divine aspirations and the worldly concerns of the viewers, says culture critic Mahesh Dhakar.

In Agra the Sri Krishna Leela at the Balkeshwar maidan began a century ago as a rival to the Ram Leela. Now here else would you find Krishna leelas being performed on such a grand scale, in a style that is similar to Ram Leela. We have an open theatre with stairs for the audience. The actors move around the ground and perform direct and live while interacting with the audience, says Mahesh Chandra Sharma, who almost single-handedly has been nurturing this dying tradition. Sharma said, it was necessary to conserve and promote these art forms for posterity and the young generation should particularly be involved in it. In parts of Braj Mandal, an ecological-cultural entity, 100 kilometres around Mathura, Ras Leelas continue to fascinate people. Now of course more and more performances are being given on stages, supported by electronic gadgetry and advanced props. The level of music and singing has improved vastly as pre-recorded music is played, said Jyoti Khandelwal, director Jyoti Kathak Kendra. Deriving sustenance from Sri Krishna's early life, till his stay in Mathura after killing the demon Kansa, the art form is seen as a lyrical expression of the Braj culture dominated by the Sri Krishna-Radha legend. The popular  Leelas  these days are Phoolon ki Holi, Makhan Chori, Narsi Charitra, Narsi ka Bhaat, Nanibai ka Mayera, Shri Krishna Janm and many more.

In the whole of Braj Mandal there are around 50 Mandalis, each with a troupe of 35 to 40 young and old artistes. The brands that are highly popular are Fateh Krishna, Ram Swaroop, Har Govind, Chaturbhuj, says Jagannath Poddar. However with the popularity of Kathas, the Raas mandal is are now part of a new tradition of  Bhagwat Katha recitals which go on round the year not only in India but also abroad. In recent years the costumes have changed from the gaudy and pompous to more elegant and eye catching, musical scores have become popular with filmi influence. The Ras Leelas continue to remain a male bastion, as females are not permitted to join the mandalis. Young boys have to act as gopis and Radha, Poddar explains. Vrindavan continues to remain the main centre of this tradition.

For the millions of Krishna Bhakts all over the name itself evokes play fulness and the romantic flavour of relationships with the gopis and Radhey Rani who is in the centre of fun and frolic and  target of Sri Krishna's divine attention and love. It is still widely believed that Sri Krishna and Radha never leave Vrindavan and the Braj Mandal where he grazed the cattle and roamed around in the 12 dense forests, starting from Kot van near Kosi the Braj area extended till Bateshwar in Agra district.

The Braj Ras Leelas are now a cottage industry in Mathura and Vrindavan. The artistes are all booked and have no time, if you want them for a performance you have to wait. Geetanjali of Mathura took the medium to new heights. If anything is selling in foreign countries from north India, it is the Ras Leelas, even in the former communist countries, says culture critic Mahesh Dhakar.