Govardhan Puja
The parv of Kartik Shukla Pratipada, the day after Diwali, when the boy Krishna turned Braj's worship of Indra toward Govardhan hill. Homes shape a Govardhan of gobar in the courtyard, offer him Annakut — a mountain of the kitchen's best — and worship the cows. It commemorates the seven days Krishna held the hill on his little finger to shelter Braj from Indra's rain, and it is a day of gratitude to what actually sustains us: the land, the cattle, the food. It is also called Annakut.
Next date: 2026-11-10
vidhi
Bathe in the morning, clean the courtyard or doorway, and shape a Govardhan there from fresh gobar — a reclining Giriraj, with small figures of cows, trees and Krishna around him; where gobar is not possible, set up a picture of Krishna lifting the hill.,Decorate the Govardhan with flowers, akshat and khil-batashe, and take the sankalp for the puja while pratipada is running in the daytime.,Offer roli, akshat, chandan, flowers, dhoop and a ghee lamp, and pour water at his feet from a kalash.,Prepare the Annakut — a mixed sabzi of the season's vegetables, kadhi-chawal, puri and sweets, as far as your kitchen allows — and offer the whole of it with a tulsi leaf on the bhog before anyone tastes anything.,Recite the Govardhan mantra, tell or listen to the katha of the lifted hill, and do the aarti.,Do parikrama of the Govardhan — four or seven rounds, pouring a thin stream of water from a lota as you walk.,Bathe or sprinkle the cows, apply a roli tilak, garland them, and feed them green fodder and gur before you eat yourself.,Share the Annakut prasad through the family and neighbourhood in the evening.katha
Each year the people of Braj offered a great sacrifice to Indra, lord of rain. The boy Krishna asked his father Nanda why. The rain comes in its own season, he argued; what actually sustains us — grass for the cows, water, shelter — is Govardhan hill. Worship what feeds you. Persuaded, the Brajvasis carried the whole offering to the hill instead — the Annakut, a mountain of food — and Krishna himself, taking a second form, accepted it as the spirit of Govardhan. Indra's pride was stung. He sent the samvartaka clouds, kept for the dissolution of worlds, and rain fell on Braj for seven days without pause. Krishna lifted Govardhan on the little finger of his left hand, and beneath it the whole of Braj stood sheltered with its cows for those seven days. Humbled, Indra came down, asked forgiveness, and bathed Krishna in abhishek — from which came the name Govinda. Since then, on the morning after Diwali's Amavasya, homes have made a Govardhan of gobar and offered him their own Annakut.mantra
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Fresh gobar for shaping the Govardhan, or a picture of Krishna lifting the hill,Roli, akshat, haldi, chandan and fresh flowers,Khil, batashe and gur for decoration and bhog,Ghee lamp, dhoop and camphor for the aarti,A kalash or lota of water for the parikrama,Annakut bhog — mixed seasonal sabzi, kadhi-chawal, puri and sweets, as capacity allows,Tulsi leaves for the Krishna bhog,Green fodder and gur for the cowsUpcoming dates
- 2026-11-10