Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
In this temple one can see a very ancient Deity of Lord Kaliya-mardana, which is said to be five thousand years old. This small Deity of Lord Krishna can be seen subduing the poisonous serpent Kaliya Naga, and the naga-patnis, the wives of Kaliya, can be seen offering prayers to the Lord while begging Him to forgive their sinful husband. The Sanskrit word ‘mardana’ means ‘defeated’, or ‘subdued’ as well as ‘crushed, bruised, pained, or tormented’, which perfectly describes the physical condition of the Kaliya Naga after Lord Krishna had stamped on his hoods while forcing him to leave the sacred waters of the Yamuna River.
