Raas Festival

Raas leela, is a popular Hindu autumnal festival in Assam along with some parts in Manipur where the various events involving the Lord Krishna are presented in the form of performing art. The festival of socio cultural significance falls on the full moon day of October-November. On this day, the Lord Krishna had his most glittering moments with the sporting women in Gokul beside the river Yamuna. With his mesmerizing tune of flute, the ever youthful boy herd boy in Vrindabon forced the local women to dance and play with Him under the moonlight. Precisely, that’s Raas Leela.

Devotees throng in thousands at the festival venues to catch a glimpse of the clay figures of the Lord and His associates in Gokul guarding the cows apart from his daring and miraculous moments of fights with the demons. People in lower Assam districts call the festival Rass Puja while in upper Assam the festival is called Raas Lila where the characters of the Lord, his associates cow herd boys along with the local women in Gokul are staged by the people much to the delight of the audience and tourists. The striking events that dominate in the plays are the defeat of the King Kongsa at the hands of the Lord, Krishna’s fight with the Kali Naag, the great poisonous snake at a lake, the elimination of the female demon who tried to kill the infant Krishna by feeding poisonous breast milk at the instance of the King. The delightful part of the play is the moment of the Lord Krishna’s fun and frolic with the Gokul women. The best place to visit during this annual festival is Majuli, the largest river island where the event strike huge attraction. The abode of the Vashnavites celebrate the festival for at least a week involving the people of all castes, creeds and religions. The entire river island keeps throbbing with the tourists footfall who take much delight in the plays organized by the vaishnavite monasteries which pull huge crowd.

The island authority makes special arrangement for comfortable food and lodging of the foreign and domestic tourists who are impressed with the Vashnavite culture and tradition. A huge section of the local residents also come forward to welcome the seasonal guests providing them with accommodation during the festival.
Folk dances, puppets, masks, songs and dances are the best possible means for the monasteries to stage various charming interpretations of the life of the Lord Krishna.
Nalbari and Raas puja are synonymous to each other. The lower Assam town breaks into a sea of humanity during the week long annual festival where the idols of the Lord Krishna, his associates, the playful women in Gokul pull huge crowd. Cultural functions are another part of the festival which gives the foreign and domestic tourists extra pleasure.