‘Govardhan Puja’ is a famous festival of Hindus. It is widely celebrated in the northern part of India. The festival is celebrated on the first lunar day of Shukla Paksha in the Hindu calendar month of Kartik which is also the fourth day of the Diwali festival. It is also known as Annakut pooja as well as Govardhan pooja. The Govardhan Puja muhurat or Pratipada Tithi begins from 02:56 PM on 13th November and ends on 02:36 PM 14th November or auspicious timing for is as follows:
Govardhan Puja Morning Muhurat
Morning Muhurat: 06:43 AM to 08:52 AM
Duration: 2 hours 9 minutes
Govardhan Puja Evening Muhurat
Evening Muhurat: 02:56 PM to 04:59 PM
Duration: 2 hours 35 minutes
The word ‘go’ here means senses and ‘vardhan’ means increase. It is said that people who worship Govardhan Mountain have an increased devotion and belief in Lord Krishna. On this occasion, every year people celebrate this day with lots of enthusiasm. Elders as well as children take shower early and more than 56 different items are made this day to impress Goddess Annapurna.
There is a mythological story as to why Govardhan puja is celebrated. The story is related to one of Krishna’s many childhood incidents and is also mentioned in the Bhagavatha Purana. The story states that the people of Gokul worshipped Govardhan Parvat for providing necessary supplements and green cover to them. But, some of the cow herders around Govardhan Parvat worshipped Indra, the God of rain and storm. Lord Krishna asked people to worship the mountain which provides them food as well as for their pets. People started following him and started praying Govardhan and when Lord Indra saw this act, he got very angry and as a result, he started raining and this was continued up to 7 days.
In between, Lord Krishna raised the Govardhan parvat on his finger and gave shelter to the people. As a result, Indra understood his fault and came on earth and asked Lord Krishna to forgive him. After 7 days when Krishna dropped the Govardhan parvat on the earth, people wished to celebrate this occasion. From that day, people celebrate this day as Annakut, also because their food-giving mountain was saved. It symbolizes the importance of nature in our lives.
Vishwakarma day is also celebrated a day after Diwali, the same day as Govardhan Puja. Vishwakarma is a Hindu God who is believed to be the one behind constructing the holy city of Dwarka where Lord Krishna ruled. The God is also known to be the creator of many weapons for the Gods.
The Govardhan Puja festival denotes the deep faith that the devotees have in their God. They believe to the core that their God is always more than eager to help if called for. They express their love and devotion to their beloved God by offering food and by worshipping.