Giriraj Maharaj (Govardhan) Aarti: Lyrics, Meaning and the Govardhan Parikrama

The Giriraj Maharaj aarti: an overview

The Giriraj Maharaj aarti, known by its opening words 'Shri Govardhan Maharaj, O Maharaj', is among the most beloved aartis of Braj, sung in adoration of Govardhan Hill, worshipped as Giriraj Maharaj, a form of Krishna. In the aarti, lamps are circled before Giriraj as his devotees sing of his crown and jewels, the milk, flowers and paan offered to him and his great sacred parikrama, praying to be carried across the ocean of the world. It is dearest at Govardhan, above all on Govardhan Puja, the Annakut day after Diwali and along the seven-kos parikrama marg. To do the Govardhan parikrama and take darshan of Giriraj as part of a Braj pilgrimage, a mathura vrindavan tour with Experience My India can take you there.

From the ground (Gurudutt): Giriraj Maharaj is very dear to us in Braj; we say Krishna lifted the hill on his little finger and so the hill is Krishna himself. When you sing 'Shri Govardhan Maharaj, O Maharaj', you are calling the Lord who is our mountain, crowned and adorned. Do the parikrama, offer milk and flowers, rest at Chakleshwar and take his refuge; there is no darshan more loving. Come and walk the parikrama with me. Radhe Radhe, Giriraj Maharaj ki jai.

The lyrics of the aarti

[ CLIENT TO INSERT THE AARTI LYRICS HERE ] Paste the Giriraj Maharaj (Govardhan) aarti lyrics you supplied into this section on your own site, in the Hindi (Devanagari) verses, with the Roman transliteration below or beside them for those who do not read Hindi. Set the aarti in a clear, well-spaced block, each verse on its own lines, with the refrain repeated between the verses as in the original. This is a traditional Braj folk aarti, freely sung across Braj; see Section K for the note on why the verbatim lyrics are added by you at publish rather than in this document.

The sections that follow explain who the aarti is addressed to, what it means and the sacred Govardhan parikrama, so that the page carries the depth and context that readers and search engines value alongside the lyrics.

Who is Giriraj Maharaj and Govardhan Hill

To understand the aarti, one must know its beloved subject:

• Govardhan, the sacred hill. Govardhan is a long, low sacred hill in the west of Braj, about 22 to 25 km from Mathura and Vrindavan; it is worshipped not as a place of a deity, but as the deity itself, Giriraj Maharaj, the king of mountains, a form of Krishna.

• Lifted by Krishna. It is held that when Indra sent a deluge to punish Braj, the young Krishna lifted Govardhan on his little finger and held it aloft for seven days, sheltering all of Braj beneath it; and Krishna taught the people to worship Govardhan itself. So the hill is dear beyond words.

• Worshipped as Giriraj. Devotees revere Govardhan as Giriraj Maharaj, offering him milk, flowers and paan and above all walking his sacred parikrama; a stone of Govardhan, a Giriraj shila, is worshipped in homes and temples across the world as Krishna himself.

See our govardhan hill page for the hill and its sacred sites and kusum sarovar govardhan on the parikrama.

The meaning of the aarti

Without reproducing the verses here, the aarti's themes can be gently drawn out, for its beauty lies in its meaning:

• Giriraj adorned as a king. The aarti adores Giriraj Maharaj as a king, with a crown shining on his brow, a necklace at his throat, a jewel on his chin and earrings glinting at his ears, his darshan grand and vast; the hill is beheld as the adorned Lord himself.

• The offerings of love. It sings of the offerings made to him, streams of milk poured over him, flowers and paan laid before him, the loving worship of Giriraj by the people of Braj, as Krishna taught them.

• The parikrama and the refuge. It honours his sacred seven-kos parikrama, with Chakleshwar as a place of rest and ends in prayer, taking the refuge of Giriraj, the lifter of the mountain, that he may carry the devotee across the ocean of the world.

The Govardhan parikrama

The heart of Giriraj worship is the parikrama, the circumambulation of the sacred hill:

• The seven-kos parikrama. The Govardhan parikrama is about seven kos, roughly 21 km, walked around the whole sacred hill; pilgrims walk it barefoot in devotion and the most devout perform the dandauti parikrama, measuring the whole path with their prostrate bodies, over many days.

• The sacred sites on the way. The parikrama passes the great sites of Govardhan, the mukharbind faces of Giriraj at Daan Ghati and Jatipura, the Mansi Ganga, Kusum Sarovar, Radha Kund and Shyam Kund and Chakleshwar Mahadev, the guardian and resting place, among many holy spots.

• A beloved devotion. To walk the Govardhan parikrama, offering milk and flowers to Giriraj along the way, is among the most beloved acts of devotion in Braj; it is done all year and above all at Govardhan Puja, Guru Purnima and on Mondays.

Govardhan Puja and Annakut

The aarti is dearest of all at Govardhan Puja, the day after Diwali, when Braj and Hindus everywhere worship Giriraj. On this day, in memory of Krishna lifting the hill, devotees make a small Govardhan of cow dung or food, worship it and offer the Annakut, a great mountain of food, many kinds of dishes heaped like the hill itself, to Giriraj and Krishna. At Govardhan and in the temples of Braj, the Annakut is a magnificent sight and the Giriraj aarti rings out with the greatest love. To be at Govardhan for Govardhan Puja or to walk the parikrama, is among the most beautiful experiences a devotee of Krishna can know. The marble prem mandir vrindavan, dedicated to Radha-Krishna, also honours the Govardhan leela.

How to visit Govardhan and do the parikrama

Govardhan is easily visited from Vrindavan and Mathura, in the west of Braj:

• Reaching Govardhan. Govardhan lies about 22 to 25 km from Vrindavan and Mathura, about an hour by road; most pilgrims visit on a day trip, often with Barsana and Nandgaon nearby, by car with a Braj guide.

• Doing the parikrama. The seven-kos parikrama, about 21 km, takes several hours on foot; the devout walk it barefoot, some over a whole day and there are shorter darshans of the mukharbind at Daan Ghati and Jatipura for those who cannot walk the whole path. Carry water and start early.

• Tips and reverence. Dress modestly, follow the local custom and treat Govardhan with reverence, for the hill is the Lord himself; devotees do not step on the hill or take its stones without care. Offer milk or flowers to Giriraj and rest at Chakleshwar.

See our how to commute in vrindavan guide for reaching Govardhan and the radha rani temple barsana of nearby Barsana.

We take pilgrims to Govardhan for the darshan of Giriraj and the parikrama, above all at Govardhan Puja, along with Barsana, Nandgaon and the temples of Vrindavan and Mathura, with a comfortable vehicle, the darshan arranged and a Braj-born guide. A shared day tour starts from around ₹1,499 per person, with darshan free. The braj 84 kos yatra covers the whole of Braj including Govardhan, our mathura vrindavan tour the twin cities and our vrindavan tour package Vrindavan in a day; in Vrindavan the banke bihari temple and the braj yamuna ghats and leela sites are dear and our mathura vrindavan tour itinerary helps you plan. Message me on WhatsApp at +91-7302265809.

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