The Auspicious Festival of Govardhan Puja

Goverdhan Puja is a very important Hindu festival which is celebrated on the fourth day of Diwali every year. It is commonly known by various names such as Annakut or Annakoot. In this festival the devotees religiously prepare and offer a large variety of vegetarian food to Lord Shri Krishna as a mark of gratitude.

This day is also associated with an incident of the Bhagavata Puran wherein Bhagwan Shri Krishna lifted the Govardhan Hill to provide the villagers of Vrindavan shelter from torrential rains. Metaphorically, the devotees offer a mountain of food to the Lord. It is believed that God will protect and take care of all his devotees who take singular refuge in him. This festival holds a lot of importance for Hindus especially the Vaishnavas. This festival falls on the first lunar day of Shukla Paksha (bright fortnight) in the Hindu calendar month of Kartik, which is the fourth day of Deepawali (Diwali), the Hindu festival of lights, and also the first day of the Vikram Samvat calendar. The festival of Govardhan is falling on November 8, this year. This day is also the first day of the New Year in the Vikram Samvat calendar. Since this day is celebrated just after Diwali, the rituals of Annakut are closely linked with that of the festival of Diwali. The initial three days of Diwali are those that indicate wealth and invite greater wealth in the life of the devotee. Followed by that, the Annakut day is a day of offering gratitude for Krishna beneficence. Most of the religious texts treat Govardhan Puja and Annakut as synonyms but it is not so. Govardhan Puja is one segment of the day-long Annakut festival. There are numerous festivals associated with Govardhan Puja. As per one of the rituals, an idol of Lord Krishna is made from cow dung. The structure is then decorated using lamps and diyas, the seenkh (a material which is same as the broom's chaff), candles. The Lord is then fed by the bhaktas or worshipers and the ladies observe fasts. In all Swaminarayan mandirs, sadhus and devotees then sing 'Thaal' - kirtans or devotional hymns. The songs and kirtans are a description of food items along with a prayer to the Deities to accept the food. These kirtans are conducted for about an hour, and is followed by a grand arti. In many mandirs, Artis are performed several times in the day as long as the Annakut offerings remain before the Deities. Once the day comes to its end, the devotees take portions of the Annakut as prasad, sanctified food that has been offered to God and is received as his mercy. On this auspicious, few of the craftsmen pay reverence to their tools and machinery also.

By: Anuja Arora

Content: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Govardhan_Puja