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 — teaching that gratitude belongs to the land that feeds us. The annakut heaps the year's food before him.
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 — in temples, hundreds — of dishes 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.