Diwali, one of the most important festivals of Hindus is not just a festival, but a series of festivals. There are five days in rows that are celebrated, commencing from Dhanteras that marks and ends with Bhai dooj. Govardhan Puja is the fourth day of the celebration.
Also, known as ‘Padwa,’ ‘Varshapratipada’ or ‘Annakuta,’ Govardhan Puja is majorly celebrated in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.
Govardhan Puja Date 2023
In this year 2023, Govardhan Puja will fall on 13th November. The day will be a Monday.
Govardhan Puja Muhurat 2023
The Govardhan Puja payal sayankal muhurat will be from 06:52 AM to 09:05 AM.
Total muhurat duration: 02 Hours 13 Mins.
Pratipada Tithi Begins – 14:56 on Nov 13, 2023
Pratipada Tithi Ends – 14:36 on Nov 14, 2023
Also Check: Month Wise Sankatahara Chaturthi Dates in 2023
The History Behind Govardhan Puja
The story of Govardhan Puja is found in the Hindu epic “Vishnu Puran.” Earlier, the people of Gokul used to worship Lord Indra because he was the one who used to provide rain. They believed that worshipping Indra will help him to get abundant of rain.
It was Lord Krishna who explained to them that people got rain because of Mount Govardhan. Lord Indra had nothing to do with the mountain. Govardhan was a small mountain located in the town. He explained that people should worship mountains instead of Lord Indra. Agreeing with this, people started worshipping mountains.
The anger of not being worshipped made Lord Indra furious. He attacked the people f Gokul with heavy rains. When people prayed to Lord Krishna to save them, he came to their rescue and worshipped the mountain first. After that, he lifted the mountain on his little finger just like an umbrella and provided shelter to the city this way. After this event, people started calling Lord Krishna Girdhari or Govardhandhari.
Govardhan Puja vidhi
While doing Govardhan Puja, make sure to do the Puja at Govardhan Puja time in 2021. Performing Puja in the definite muhurta manifolds the result of your efforts. In different regions of the country, Govardhan Puja is celebrated in different patterns. In most of the Indian states, people celebrate this festival with too much enthusiasm and zeal. Let us have a look:
- Annakoot: Govardhan is also known as Annakoot. It merely means the mountain of food. In most of the places ‘Chappan bhog’, a set of 56 dishes or 108 dishes is prepared and offered to Lord Krishna.
This way of celebrating the festival is quite popular in Mathura and Nathdwara. The idols of the deities in the temple are given a bath with milk. The idols are decorated with shiny, silky clothes and dazzling gems like diamonds, rubies, and pearls. The deities are worshipped after this and Bhog is offered to them. As per tradition, the Bhog is served in the form of a mountain.
- Gudi Padwa: Gudi padwa holds a significant place in Hinduism. On this day, wives put Tilak on the forehead of the husbands. As per customs, they also put a garland of flowers and pray for them for their long life. In return, husbands give gifts to their wives and promise them their love, care, and affection throughout life. It is a mandatory custom to invite the newlywed daughters with their husbands to the house and present them with gifts and sweets.
- Padwa: Govardhan Puja is the day following ‘Amavasya.’ On this fourth day of the Diwali celebrations, the King of Patal Lok, the nether land, King Bali is known to visit earth. On this day, he rules the Bhoo lok. Lord Vishnu himself gave him this boon. That is why; the day is popularly known as ‘Bali Padyami’ or Padwa. Padwa is majorly celebrated in Maharashtra and Gujrat.
- Cow dung hillocks: There is an altogether different way of celebrating the festival in Haryana. The ritual includes making cow dung hillocks that symbolize Mount Gowardhan. These hillocks are decorated with flowers and worship them.
The same ritual is observed in other states like Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.
- Vishwakarma day: In many parts of the country, the day after Diwali 2023 is celebrated as Vishwakarma day. People worship their tools on this day, and the day is marked as a holiday.
Rituals of Govardhan Puja
Preparing the cow dung hillocks is the most important ritual of Govardhan Puja. People adorn these hillocks beautifully with flowers and decorate with kumkum and akshat. The ritual also includes performing ‘parikrama’ of these hillocks.
The idea of preparing and worshipping hillocks refers to praying to Lord Krishna and asking Him to remove hardships from life. People also decorate their cows and bulls on this day and decorate them with flowers and kumkum. They garland them and worship them because they are believed to be dear to Lord Krishna.
The preparation of Annakoot is another integral part of the rituals performed on this day. The Annakoot Prasad is prepared in many temples as well and distributed among family and friends.
Like every other festival, Govardhan Puja also makes the culture and tradition of the country rich. It is just one other method to relive our glorious past and pass the memories to the coming generations.