Govardhan Puja 2024: Why Govardhan Puja Is Celebrated?

Each and every festival in India is celebrated with utmost zeal and devotion. One such festival is Diwali. This is a big festival for the people of the Hindu religion. Diwali, in total, is considered a five-day festival of which one day is dedicated to Gowardhan Puja. This day is also known as Annakoot Puja and it marks the defeat of Lord Indra by Lord Krishna. 

On this auspicious day, people worship Lord Krishna as well as Gowardhan Parvat (Mountain). The day of Shukla Paksha Pratipada (the first day of the rising moon phase) of Kartik month, as per the Hindu calendar, is celebrated as Gowardhan Puja. Accepting Lord Vishnu as your adoration and worshipping him with full devotion, you can get wealth as well as fame and glory.  

Let us have a look at the legend, significance, and important rituals about Gowardhan Puja.

When is Gowardhan Puja 2024?

Gowardhan Puja is celebrated on the day following Diwali, the festival of light. It is the fourth day of the 5-day grand festival that begins with the Govatsa Dwadashi Puja. Important dates and Muhurtas for Gowardhan Puja are as follows.

Gowardhan PujaDate & Time
Govardhan Puja Saturday, November 2, 2024
Govardhan Puja Pratahkala Muhurat06:11 AM to 08:33 AM
Pratipada Tithi Begins06:16 PM on Nov 01, 2024
Pratipada Tithi Ends08:21 PM on Nov 02, 2024

Significance of Gowardhan Puja

This festival is of great importance as per Hinduism. Devotees worship Lord Shri Krishna, Gowardhan Parvat, and Cow on this day. Gowardhan Puja is a festival devoted to Lord Krishna along with a gesture to express admiration and respect for Mother Nature. It is believed that by worshipping Gowardhan Parvat and cows, Lord Krishna’s favourite, on this day, devotees get the blessings of Lord Krishna.

According to Hindu mythology, Lord Krishna lifted the Gowardhan Mountain on his little finger (Kanishka) on this day to save the people of Vrindavan from the wrath of Lord Indra (in form of rain). As a result, people started worshipping Mount Gowardhan with great zest, and Lord Krishna was given the names Gowardhandhari (one who lifts Mount Gowardhan), Giridhara, and Giridhari (one who lifts the mountain).

The Story of Gowardhan Puja

According to Vishnu Purana, Lord Krishna once asked his mother, Yashodaji, why everyone worships and prays to Lord Indra. Mother Yashoda explained to him that people worship Lord Indra so that they can get enough rain for sowing, feeding cows, and harvesting grain from the fields. 

The boy Kanha (Krishna) was not satisfied with the reply of his mother Yashoda and said that instead of worshipping Lord Indra they should worship Gowardhan Parvat (Mountain) so that the villagers could get enough rain. Lord Krishna put an end to the villagers’ tradition of tendering huge quantities of food to Lord Indra and directed them to use it to feed their families.

Lord Indra is believed to be very aggressive by nature. When Lord Indra saw that people had stopped worshipping him, the king of heaven became furious and decided to take revenge on the people in the form of heavy rains. It created an atmosphere of fear and concern among all the villagers. Seeing the villagers suffering, child Krishna immediately took the villagers to the Gowardhan hill, where he lifted the mountain on his little finger. The villagers took shelter under the shade of Gowardhan Parvat (Mountain) along with their cattle. 

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Lord Krishna carried the mountain for a full seven days and the villagers were not harmed despite the exceptionally heavy rains. Lord Indra soon realised that the little boy was none other than the incarnation of Lord Vishnu. He immediately surrendered to the Lord and apologised for his blunder. In this way, Lord Krishna broke the ego of Lord Indra and proved that he is the centre of power for all. Shri Krishna Gowardhan Puja is a small gesture of his devotees to thank the Lord. 

Gowardhan Puja Vidhi

The following rituals are performed by the devotees for Gowardhan Puja.

  • Devotees need to wake up early in the morning and get ready by wearing clean clothes post-bath.
  • Light diyas and incense sticks in the temple of your home.
  • Many people involve themselves in the process of making their own idol for Gowardhan Puja.
  • One can make a symbol of Gowardhan Parvat from cow dung and then offer prayers by placing flowers, incense sticks, diyas, etc. near it.
  • Chappan Bhog is prepared on this day and offered as Prasad to the idol or symbol of Mount Gowardhan.
  • Devotees sing devotional songs, mantras and circumambulate the idol of Gowardhan.
  • In the end, Gowardhan aarti has to be performed and prasad to be served to all other devotees present.

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Annakut Puja and Chappan Bhog

On the occasion of Annakoot Puja, a large number of pilgrims travel to worship Mount Gowardhan, which is located in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh. Elders who are unable to climb the mountain prepare Chappan Bhog Prasad for Lord Krishna. Chappan Bhog is basically 56 different food items that are made from delicacies, sweets, or salted.

Offering prasad of Chappan Bhog is a sign of respect to Mother Nature, for the devotees. It is the way to receive divine blessings from Lord Krishna. After the rituals of worship are over, a group of people serve Chhappan Bhog Prasad to other devotees present and sing Gowardhan Puja Bhajan (devotional songs).

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Gowardhan Puja Mantra

To make your worship complete and successful, chant the Gowardhan Mantra given below in front of the idol of Gowardhan Ji.

Shri Giriraj Dharan Prabhu Teri Sharan

(श्री गिरिराज धरण प्रभु तेरी शरण)

Gowardhan Puja Greetings!

Remembering the greatness of Lord Krishna and seeking his blessing, we wish all the devotees a happy and prosperous Gowardhan Puja 2024.

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