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Govardhan Puja 2024: Govardhan Puja, also known as Annakoot or Bali Pratipada, is an important Hindu festival celebrated on the next day of Diwali. The business communities in Maharashtra and Gujarat celebrate this day as New Year. According to Skanda Purana, on this day one should perform aarti, beautify themselves with clothes and jewelery and do stories, donations etc. Both men and women should apply sesame oil and take bath. On this day Govardhan Parvat is worshiped and cows are decorated.
The prayers offered at the time of Govardhan Puja are as follows-
Govardhandharadhar gokultraanakaraka.
Raised by the arms of Visnu bestow on me crores of cows
which Lakshmi is situated in the form of a cow of the guardians of the worlds.
May he who carries ghee for the sake of sacrifice dispel my sins
Let my cows be in front and let my cows be behind me.
Let the cows be in my heart and I shall live among the cows
Annakoot and Chiraiya Gaur are also celebrated on this day. In Uttar Pradesh, Chiraiya Gaur is a festival of family love, prosperity and long life of the husband, which is celebrated by married women with great love. The secret of the celebration of Annakoot is that in ancient times people used to worship Lord Indra and prepare various types of dishes and sweets to offer him. Now this tradition is celebrated as the worship of Govardhan. There is also a tradition of celebrating Annakoot on the day of Pratipada.
According to Sanat Kumar Samhita –
On the white side of Kartik, one should celebrate Annakuta May Lord Vishnu be pleased with the Govardhana festival.
In ancient times, people used to worship Lord Indra and prepare various types of dishes and sweets to offer him. Lord Indra was happy to accept these offerings and did welfare to the people. However, now Govardhan is worshiped instead of Indra, but the ancient tradition of Annakoot continues even today. This is the secret of Annakoot festival.
According to Chapter 27 of Vrat Chandrika Utsav, once a Maharishi named Balkhilya told other sages that on Kartik Shukla Pratipada one should worship Govardhan by doing Annakoot so that Lord Vishnu is pleased. The sages asked who is Govardhan and what is the result of his worship? Balkhilya told that once Shri Krishna was grazing cows with his friends and reached the valley of Govardhan Mountain. There the cowherds collected wood after the meal and started building a pavilion. Shri Krishna asked which deity’s festival is it? The cowherds told that today there is a big festival in Vraj and dishes are being prepared in every house. Krishna asked whether this was the festival of some visible deity who could not come himself and receive the offering. The cowherds replied that this is Indroj Yagya, the person who performs it with devotion, there is no excessive rain or drought in his country and the people live happily.
Shri Krishna said that Govardhan Mountain is worshiped by the people of Mathura and Gokul and it is also our benefactor. Therefore I consider it more appropriate to worship Govardhan. All the cowherds supported Krishna’s words. With the inspiration of Mother Yashoda, Nanda held a gathering of cowherds and asked Krishna what would be the benefit of worshiping Govardhan. Krishna said that all work is done according to karma. We are Gops and our livelihood is related to Govardhan Mountain, hence its worship is necessary. Hearing the words of Krishna, all the cowherds left the worship of Indra and started worshiping Govardhan. Shri Krishna entered the mountain in his divine form and ate all the things offered by the people of Braj.
When the people of Vraj were worshiping Govardhan, Narad ji reached there and told all the news to Indra. Indra became angry and started raining heavily. The people of Braj became distraught and asked for help from Krishna. Krishna placed Govardhan Mountain on his little finger and placed all the Braj residents under the mountain. Indra asked for forgiveness from Krishna and thus Govardhan Puja was propagated.
Nowadays, the festival of Annakoot is celebrated with great pomp in Govardhan in Brajmandal. In the temple of Annapurna in Kashi, mountains of sweets and rice are made and fifty-six types of dishes are offered. However, now neither Indra nor Govardhan is worshipped, only Govardhan of sweets is made and its shape is copied.
