Govardhan Puja / Annakut 2028

Govardhan Puja takes place during the Diwali season. It recalls how Krishna lifted Govardhan Hill to shelter the people and cattle of Vraja from a storm.

One day Krishna saw Nanda and the cowherds preparing for worship. He asked, “Who are these preparations for? Why do we hold this worship?”

Nanda explained that they worshipped Indra, who brought rain. Rain grew their crops and the grass their cows ate. Their lives depended on it. Vraja had honoured Indra this way for years.

Krishna asked them to consider their everyday lives. They tended cows that grazed around Govardhan. The hill and the surrounding land supported them. He suggested using the supplies they had gathered to honour the cows, the brahmins and Govardhan instead.

Nanda and the villagers agreed. They cooked different dishes, fed people and gave grass to the cows. They decorated the cattle and walked around Govardhan. Food was offered before the hill. The story tells that Krishna took the vast form of Govardhan and accepted their offerings.

Indra heard that his worship had been set aside. He felt insulted and angrily sent clouds to drench Vraja.

Wind blew, lightning flashed and hail fell. So much rain poured down that high and low ground could no longer be told apart. The cows shivered and tried to cover their calves with their bodies. The villagers brought their animals to Krishna and asked him to save them from Indra’s storm.

Krishna understood who had sent the rain. He lifted Govardhan with one hand and called everyone beneath it with their children, elders and cattle. They worried that such a great hill might fall, but Krishna reassured them and invited them into the shelter.

The hill where their cows grazed each day was now a roof for the whole community. Outside, the storm continued. Beneath it, the people and cattle were safe. Krishna held Govardhan up for seven days.

Indra saw that the people were unharmed despite the storm. Realising Krishna’s power, he called back the clouds. The rain stopped and the water receded. Krishna told everyone to come out. When the people and animals were clear, he put the hill back in its place. The villagers embraced him with joy.

Later Indra came to Krishna and bowed, asking forgiveness. He admitted that anger at losing his worship had driven him to punish Vraja. Krishna explained that he had stopped the worship to free Indra from pride in his position and power. He told him to return to his place and carry out his duties.

Surabhi the cow also came to honour Krishna for protecting the cattle. She bathed him with her milk. Indra anointed him with water from the heavenly Ganga, carried in Airavata’s trunk. Krishna, who had sheltered the cattle and the people of Vraja, was honoured on that occasion as Govinda.

Govardhan Puja honours Krishna's protection of Vraja, gratitude for nature and Annakut food offerings.

Devotees recall Krishna’s shelter of Vraja. In some places they make a small Govardhan from cow dung and worship it. Temples arrange many dishes as an Annakut offering. Many devotees in Vraja also walk around Govardhan Hill.

Important in Braj, Gujarat and Rajasthan; Gujarat's Annakut often coincides with Bestu Varas, but dates may differ by temple tradition.