The festival of Govardhan is celebrated on the second day of Diwali. Annakoot and Govardhan are worshiped in this festival which falls on Kartik Shukla Pratipada Tithi. Mainly, it is the worship of nature that was started by Lord Krishna. On this day, Govardhan mountain is worshiped as the base of nature and the cow as the base of society. This cult started in Braj and gradually became popular in India.
The Pratipada Tithi of Govardhan Puja will begin on Saturday, November 1 at 6:16 pm and will end at 8:21 pm on Sunday, November 2. According to Udayatithi, this time the festival of Govardhan and Annakoot will be celebrated on November 2 only.
Auspicious time of Govardhan Puja (Govardhan Shubh Muhurat)
There will be three Muhurats for Govardhan Puja on November 2. In which the first Muhurta will be from 6.34 to 8.46 hours. The second Muhurta will be from 3:23 p.m. to 5:35 p.m. The third Muhurta will be from 5:35 p.m. to 6:01 p.m.
Govardhan Puja Vidhi
On this day, take a bath, wear clean clothes and sit in the place of worship. Then install the Govardhan idol or statue on a small platform. After this, bathe the idol of Govardhan with Panchamrit. Offer clothes to the idol of Govardhan. He then decorates the idol of Govardhan with flowers and lights incense sticks in front of it. After this, offer Bhog in front of the idol and perform Aarti. Then circumambulate the idol and finally distribute Prasad.
Govardhan Puja Katha
The religious belief behind performing Govardhan Puja is that Lord Krishna wanted to break Indra’s pride. For this, he protected the people of Gokul from Indra by lifting the Govardhan mountain with his little finger. It is believed that after this, Lord Krishna himself ordered to worship the Govardhan mountain by making 56 offerings on the day of Kartik Shukla Pratipada. Since then, the tradition of Govardhan Puja continues even today and the festival of Govardhan Puja and Annakoot is celebrated every year.
Importance of Annakut
Annakoot means “food mountain”. During Govardhan Puja, various foods are made in the shape of a mountain and offered to the Lord. This is called Annakoot. This bhog includes kadhi, rice, kheer, puri, vegetables and many other dishes. After offering it to God, it is distributed among all the devotees as Prasad.
