Festival guide
Govardhan Puja & Annakut
The day after Diwali, Braj honours Govardhan Hill with Annakut food offerings and parikrama, while lamps light up the ghats around Deepotsav.
- When
- Kartika Shukla Pratipada, the day after Diwali — usually October or November
- Main places
- Govardhan, Mathura, Yamuna Ghats
- Dates
- Change every year — confirm before travelling
Significance
What Govardhan Puja & Annakut celebrates
According to the Bhagavata Purana, Krishna persuaded the people of Braj to worship Govardhan Hill, which sustained their cattle and land, instead of offering their annual sacrifice to Indra. When Indra sent torrential rain in anger, Krishna lifted the hill on one finger and sheltered the whole community beneath it for seven days.
Govardhan Puja recalls this episode as a lesson in humility, gratitude for nature and trust in divine protection. The hill itself is revered by devotees as a form of Krishna, and walking around it is considered a deeply meritorious act.
The festival falls in the Diwali season, when lamps are lit on homes, temples and along the Yamuna ghats, making it a particularly atmospheric time to visit Braj.
Dates follow the Hindu lunisolar calendar and change every year; confirm the date of Diwali and Govardhan Puja with a current panchang and local announcements.
Traditions
How Braj celebrates
Annakut
Literally a “mountain of food”, Annakut is a vast offering of many dishes arranged before the deity, recalling the feast the people of Braj offered to Govardhan, later shared as prasad.
Govardhan parikrama
Pilgrims walk the circuit around Govardhan Hill, a route traditionally described as about 21 km (approximate), stopping at shrines and sacred ponds along the way.
Cow worship
Cows, central to Krishna’s life as a cowherd, are bathed, decorated and honoured on this day in many households and gaushalas.
Deepotsav lamps
Around Diwali, oil lamps are lit along the Yamuna ghats and at temples, and some places hold organised Deepotsav celebrations.
Govardhan figures
In many homes, a small representation of Govardhan Hill is made from cow dung or clay and worshipped with offerings.
Where to go
Places to experience Govardhan Puja & Annakut
- Location
Govardhan
The town at the foot of the hill is the centre of the festival, with temples around the parikrama route offering Annakut and large numbers of pilgrims walking the circuit.
- Location
Mathura and Vrindavan temples
Many temples prepare elaborate Annakut offerings, and devotees visit for darshan and prasad.
- Location
Yamuna ghats
During the Diwali season the ghats of Mathura and Vrindavan are lit with lamps, and evening aarti draws visitors to the riverbank.
Visitor planning
Planning your visit
Govardhan sees heavy footfall over the festival period, and vehicle access around the parikrama route may be restricted. Booking accommodation in Govardhan, Mathura or Vrindavan ahead of the Diwali season is advisable.
Because the festival follows Diwali, many people across India are travelling at the same time; reserve train and road travel early. See the travel guide for general transport options.
General transport, accommodation and etiquette advice is in the Travel Guide.
Tips for visitors
- If you plan to walk the parikrama, wear comfortable, broken-in footwear or follow local custom and walk barefoot only if you are used to it.
- Start the parikrama early in the day or in the cooler evening hours, and carry water.
- Many pilgrims walk the route at night during the festival; stay with your group and keep to well-used stretches.
- Take care around lamps and fireworks during Deepotsav, and keep clothing and belongings away from open flames.
- Accept prasad respectfully with the right hand, and avoid wasting food offered at temples.
Sources
- Bhagavata Purana, Canto 10, chapters 24–25 (Govardhan Puja and the lifting of the hill)
- Local temple traditions of Govardhan and Braj
- Temple and district administration announcements (for dates and arrangements)
Other festivals
Further reading
Plan your Govardhan Puja & Annakut visit
Build a suggested itinerary around the festival and send it with an enquiry for travel help.