A festival that sees devotees preparing and offering a large variety of edibles to Lord Krishna as a mark of gratitude, Govardhan Puja, for Vaishnavas is the day when Lord Krishna lifted the Govardhan Hill to provide the villagers of Vrindavan shelter from the deluge.
The incident represents how God protects devotees who take refuge in him. On this day, devotees offer a mountain of food -- metaphorically representing the Govardhan hill, to the Lord as a ritualistic commemoration of renewing their faith in taking refuge in the Blue God. This year, Govardhan Puja falls on Monday, October 28.
Generally falling a day after Diwali, it is also known as the Annakut or Annakoot festival. While, the first three days of Diwali are days of prayer to sanctify wealth and invite greater wealth into the devotee’s life, the annakut day is a day of offering gratitude for Krishna beneficence and benevolence.
Govardhan Puja 2019 Date and Time:
Govardhan Puja Muhurat: 3:26pm to 5:40pm
Pratipada Tithi Starts at: 09:08 am on October 28
Pratipada Tithi Ends at: 06:13am on October 29
According to scriptures, on this day people of Vrindavan would offer grand and lavish meals to please the King of Gods Indra so that they were blessed with timely rainfall and a good harvest. Krishna found the practice too hard on the farmers and asked them to stop and instead feed their own families with that food. On not finding his customary offerings, Indra sent a thunderstorm that lasted for days.
The farmers ran to Krishna for help, who lifted the entire Govardhan hill on his little finger and gathered everyone under it for protection and shelter. He stood in that manner for seven days until Lord Indra had to bow to his might and stop the deluge.
As per belief, on Annakut, a vast array of vegetarian food is traditionally arranged in tiers in front of the deities. Usually, sweets are placed closest to the deities and subsequent tiers have an array of lentils, vegetables, pulses, fried savoury foods. A mound of cooked grains, symbolic of Mount Govardhan, is placed in the center as well.
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