Govardhan Puja 2026गोवर्धन पूजा

When is Govardhan Puja?

Observed on Shukla Pratipada, Kartik month. Dates follow the Panchang for New Delhi and can differ by a day in other places — check the Panchang for your city.

What Govardhan Puja means

Govardhan Puja, on the day after Diwali, turns the festival's gaze from the home to the land that feeds it. Krishna asked the people of Braj to stop worshipping a distant power for rain and to honour what actually sustained them — the hill, the forests, the grass and the cows. The puja is a thanksgiving for nature's bounty and a reminder that the divine protects those who take refuge in it.

It is also called Annakoot, the 'mountain of food'. Temples and homes cook dozens of dishes — traditionally 56 (chhappan bhog) — and heap them before Krishna as a model of the hill. The food is then shared with everyone, so the day becomes a great community meal as much as a puja.

In many regions the same day is Bali Pratipada, when the generous asura king Bali is remembered, and for Gujarati and some Marwari communities it is the first day of the new year.

The story of Govardhan Puja

The Bhagavata Purana tells the story in detail. The cowherds of Vraja were preparing their yearly offering to Indra. Young Krishna questioned it: our cows graze on Govardhan, its streams water our fields, its forests shelter us — why not worship the hill and the cows instead? Persuaded, the villagers offered their food to Govardhan.

Indra, insulted, sent the clouds of dissolution to flood Vraja. Krishna lifted Govardhan with one hand — the left little finger, as it is usually told — and held it like an umbrella for seven days and nights while every person and animal sheltered beneath. Indra's pride broke; he came down, bowed to Krishna and bathed him with the milk of Surabhi, naming him Govinda. Krishna is worshipped on this day as Giridhari, the one who holds the mountain.

Govardhan Puja puja vidhi, step by step

Many families make a small Govardhan of cow dung or clay in the courtyard and worship it with the cows of the house. In cities, a simple puja before a Krishna image with an annakoot of home-cooked dishes keeps the spirit of the day.

What you need

• Cow dung or clean clay to shape the Govardhan hill (or a Krishna image)
• Small figures of cows, cowherds and Krishna, if your family makes them
• Flowers, grass, small branches to decorate the hill
• Roli, akshat, haldi, incense and a ghee diya
• Milk, curd, honey, ghee and sugar for panchamrit
• Annakoot — as many home-cooked dishes as you can offer: kadhi-chawal, puri, mixed vegetables, kheer, sweets
• Fodder, jaggery and a cloth or garland for the cows

When to do the puja

Govardhan Puja is done on Kartik Shukla Pratipada, the day after Diwali — traditionally in the morning (pratahkal), or in the evening in some families. Pratipada timings shift every year. See the Panchang for your city.

Steps

1. Shape the hill. In the courtyard or on a clean board, shape Govardhan in a lying-down human form or as a mound, and decorate it with flowers, grass and small figures of cows and cowherds.
2. Worship the cows. Bathe and decorate the cows of the house (or visit a goshala), apply tilak, garland them and feed them jaggery and fodder.
3. Sankalp and invocation. Sit facing the hill, take sankalp, and invoke Krishna as Giridhari with 'Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya'.
4. Offerings. Offer water, roli, akshat, flowers, panchamrit and a diya to the hill while reciting the Govardhan prayer.
5. Annakoot. Place the dishes before the hill and Krishna as bhog. In temples this is the chhappan bhog.
6. Parikrama. Walk around the hill seven times, sprinkling water or dropping grain, singing bhajans such as 'Govardhan Dhari'.
7. Aarti and sharing. Perform aarti, then share the annakoot prasad with family, neighbours and anyone who comes.

Offerings & food: Annakoot (mountain of foods) — ladoo, mathri, puri, sabzi, kheer, pakoras, curd rice, pulao — 56 varieties

Mantras for Govardhan Puja

Govardhan Puja across India

Grandest at Govardhan Hill (Mathura), ISKCON temples. In Maharashtra: Padwa — Marathi new year. In Gujarat: Bestu Varas (Gujarati new year — day after Diwali)

Braj (Mathura, Vrindavan, Govardhan)

Lakhs of pilgrims walk the 21 km parikrama of Govardhan hill; temples offer chhappan bhog and the annakoot is distributed to all.

Gujarat

Bestu Varas — the Gujarati new year. Temples, especially of the Pushti Marg and Swaminarayan traditions, hold grand annakoot darshans.

Maharashtra

Bali Pratipada or Diwali Padwa: King Bali is remembered, wives perform aarti for their husbands, and it is one of the three and a half most auspicious days of the year.

Karnataka

Bali Padyami — homes draw images of Bali, and cattle are decorated and worshipped.

Rajasthan and Haryana

Govardhan is shaped from cow dung in courtyards and worshipped by the women of the house; the cattle are decorated with colours.

Prayers to recite

Do’s and don’ts

Temples to visit for Govardhan Puja

Banke Bihari TempleVrindavan, Uttar PradeshISKCON VrindavanVrindavan, Uttar Pradesh

Frequently asked questions