The festival of Govardhan Puja is celebrated on the next day of the festival of Diwali. It signifies the day when Lord Krishna uplifted the Govardhan Parvat to save the people of Vrindavan from torrential rain. Thus, the devotees venerate God Krishna for being the savior and symbolically offer food to him. Govardhan Puja is one of the important festivals for the followers of Vaishnavism. Govardhan Puja is celebrated on the first day of the Vikram Samvat Calendar.
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The festival of Govardhan Puja is celebrated on the next day of Diwali and on the first day of full moon. It commemorates the day when Lord Krishna lifted the Govardhan hill to save the people of Vrindavan from storm and rain.
The festival holds much significance for the people of Vaishnav faith who venerate Lord Vishnu as Krishna is believed to be one of the incarnations of Vishnu.
A significant part of Govardhan Puja is Annakuta, in which the offering is made to the Krishna on behalf of Govardhan parvat.
Devotees prepare a mountain of sweets and other offerings, symbolic to that of a mountain and offer it to Lord Krishna. This ritual has its roots to an incident mentioned in Bhagvata Purana when Krishna lifted Govardhan parvat to save human lives.
Devotees also prepare a miniature mountain symbolic to that of Giriraj Govardhan and adorn it with miniature cows and grass etc. Both the Annakut festival and the Govardhan festival are celebrated on the next day of Diwali by the Hindus. They believe it to be the best day to affirm their devotion to God and to teach their children the religious and cultural values.
Introduction
Govardhan Puja is a Hindu festival celebrated on the next day of Diwali Festival that is on the first lunar day of Karthik month. On this day devotees worship Govardhan mountain and Lord Krishna for saving their lives.
History of Govardhan Puja
As per Hindu mythology it was on this day, that Lord Krishna lifted Govardhan Mountain on his little finger to save the residents of Vrindavan from torrential rain that continued for three days. People offer sweets and other food items to Krishna. The sweets thus offered are placed to resemble a mountain, symbolic of mount Govardhan.
Observance and Rituals of Govardhan Puja
The festival is observed by most of the Hindu community in India and as well as in foreign countries. However, people following Vaishnav tradition observe the festival with much enthusiasm. This is because Vaishnav religion worships Vishnu and Krishna is an incarnation of Vishnu.
Devotees circumambulate Govardhan Mountain in Brij and sing bhajans related to Krishna. There is also a tradition of making a small mountain from cow dung, resembling the Govardhan parvat. The mount is then decorated with cows made of cow dung or mud and grass.
Offerings in form of eatables are made to Lord Krishna to thank him for saving his devotees from the fury of torrential rain. The sweets offered are arranged in the form of a mountain and offering them, the devotees reaffirm their faith in their God.
Conclusion
The festival signifies that the Helps anyone with open hands who accepts his existence and asks for help. Annkut is also a major mart of Govardhan festival in which the food is traditionally arranged in steps for the deity.Devotional hymns related to the life and teachings of Lord Krishna are sung by the devotees in temples. Aarti is performed in the evening and devotees are offered a portion of Annkut as Prasad.
Introduction
Govardhan Puja is celebrated on the following day of Deepawali in the Hindu calendar month of Karthik. On this day the devotees prepare large varieties of vegetarian food to be offered to Lord Krishna. The festival has a special significance for the people of Vaishnav tradition. Vaishnav people worship Vishnu and Krishna is believed to be an incarnation of Vishnu.
When is Govardhan Puja Celebrated?
The festival is celebrated on the first lunar day of Shukla Paksha in the Hindu calendar month of Kartik which is also the fourth day of the Diwali festival and the first day Vikram Samvat calendar.
The Mythological Story
There is a mythological story as to why Govardhan puja is celebrated. The story is related to one of Krishna’s many childhood incidents and is also mentioned in the Bhagavatha Purana. The story states that the people of Gokul worshipped Govardhan Parvat for providing necessary supplements and green cover to them. But, some of the cow herders around Govardhan Parvat worshipped Indra, the God of rain and storm. Krishna didn’t approve of this and suggested that they all should rather worship the mountain as it has more value.
Enraged by the Krishna’s view of him, Indra reflected his anger by bringing a fury of torrential rain and storm on the people of Gokul. Having no place to go, the people turned to Krishna who was highly respected for his conduct and powers.
In order to save the people from storm, Krishna lifted Govardhan Mountain by his little finger and saved the people by letting them sheltered under the mountain. After around 7 to 8 days of continuous rain and storm and seeing that he couldn’t harm the people of Gokul, Indra finally backed off. This day is therefore celebrated as Govardhan Puja.
How is Govardhan Puja Celebrated?
On this day a great offering of food is prepared for the mountain as a mark of gratitude for saving lives of Gokul residents. Lord Krishna thus assumes the form of mountain and consumes the offerings.
Since then the Govardhan Parvat in Braj has become a major pilgrimage site for the devotees. Thousands of devotees circumambulate the mountain on the day of Govardhan Puja, chanting hymns and songs all the way.
Annkut festival is also celebrated in which offerings are made to the God in form of stairs and the devotees consume a portion of the offering as Prasad after the rituals get over. Hindus not only in India but also throughout the world eagerly celebrate Govardhan Puja and Annkut as a part of Diwali festival.
Conclusion
The Govardhan Puja festival denotes the deep faith that the devotees have in their God. They believe to the core that their God is always more than eager to help if called for. They express their love and devotion to their beloved God by offering food and by worshipping.
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