Govardhan Puja is celebrated a day after Diwali, that is the fourth day of the 5-day grand Hindu festival. Occasionally there can be a day gap between Diwali celebrations and Govardhan Puja. According to the Hindu calendar it falls on the first lunar day called as ‘Ekam’ of the Shukla Paksha (bright fortnight of moon) in the month of Kartik. It forms an integral part of Diwali celebrations. Govardhan Puja commemorates the victory of Shri Krishna over Indra.
Govardhan Puja is called by different names in different parts of the country. In some places it is known as ‘Bali Pratipada’, ‘Annakut Puja’, ‘Padwa’ or even ‘Gujarati New Year’.
Govardhan Puja is observed with immense fervour all over Bharat. This festival celebrates the victory of good over evil.
According to the Hindu scriptures, on this day Lord Krishna lifted Mount Govardhan on his little finger to save the people of Vrindavan from the wrath of Lord Indra, the God of Rain. From then onwards people began worshipping Mount Govardhan with devotion and Lord Krishna was also given the name of ‘Govardhandhari’ or ‘Girirdhari’.
On the day of Govardhan Puja, people make hillocks from cow dung, which represents Mount Govardhan. These hillocks are then beautifully adorned with flowers and worshipped with kumkum and Akshatra. Devotees then perform ‘Parikrama’ (a ritual of taking rounds) around the hillocks.
They pray devotedly to Govardhan and ask Him to protect them from hardships of life. On this day people also give bath to their bulls and cow and decorate them with garlands and saffron. They then worship the cows and bulls as they were considered dear to Shri Krishna.
The preparation of ‘Annakoot’ is an integral part of the Govardhan Puja. The word ‘Annakoot’ means ‘mountain of food’. Therefore on the auspicious day of Govardhan Puja, devotees 108 or even 56 varied preparations of food to offer as ‘Bhog’ to Shri Krishna. They are then worshipped by traditional means, including Bhog and aarti. The ‘Annakoot’ Prasad is then distributed amongst family members and friends.
