Krishna · Govardhan
Govardhan Puja · Annakut
The hill Krishna lifted, and a mountain of food in gratitude.
Tithi: Kartik Shukla Pratipada
In the simplest words
The day after Diwali we build a little mountain of food, because young Krishna lifted Govardhan hill like an umbrella to shelter his whole village.
The story & purpose
When Indra's rains lashed Vraja, the boy Krishna lifted Govardhan on his little finger and sheltered every villager and cow for seven days. The teaching is that gratitude belongs to the land that feeds us. The annakut heaps the year's food before him.
The rest of the story
Homes rebuild the hill in miniature: a mound of cow-dung ringed with food, walked around in parikrama.
What is done
Govardhan murti
The hill shaped from cow dung or drawn, and circled in parikrama.
Annakut bhog
Dozens of dishes, in temples hundreds, offered together.
Gau puja
The cow honoured as Vraja's wealth.
Best timings
Puja in the morning or pradosh of Pratipada.
Exact muhurat varies by city and tradition; for the precise hour, consult a local panchang for your location.
Worth knowing
Govardhan parikrama at Vraja runs about 21 km, walked barefoot by many.
Annakut, 'the mountain of food', can run to chhappan bhog (56 dishes) or even 108, offered in one great heap.
Nathdwara's Shrinathji haveli lays the year's grandest annakut, tiers of food rising before the deity like the hill itself.
Mantras of this festival
Note: Some 2026 listings keep 9 November where Pratipada touches that evening.