Govardhan Puja 2026: Date, Annakut and the Story of Krishna

Govardhan Puja 2026 at a glance

When is Govardhan Puja in 2026

Govardhan Puja in 2026 falls on Tuesday, November 10, the day after Diwali, on the Pratipada, the first day of the bright fortnight of the month of Kartik. The Pratipada tithi begins in the afternoon of November 9 and ends in the afternoon of November 10 and the morning Pratahkala muhurat for the puja falls on November 10. It is among the greatest festivals of Braj, for it celebrates the very hill of Govardhan and Krishna's most beloved lila; and to keep it at Govardhan itself or in the temples of Vrindavan and Mathura, is a joy beyond words. As tithi and muhurat times shift a little by place, confirm them with your local panchang; and to be in Braj for the festival, a mathura vrindavan tour package with Experience My India can bring you.

From the ground (Gurudutt): Govardhan Puja is our own festival in Braj and nowhere is it kept as here. The morning after Diwali, we make a little Govardhan of cow dung and adorn it with flowers, we heap the Annakut, the mountain of food, before Giriraj and countless pilgrims walk the parikrama around the sacred hill. It is the day we thank Giriraj Maharaj, the hill that is the Lord, for sheltering us. Come and see the Annakut and walk with us around Govardhan; there is no day like it. Radhe Radhe. See our Mathura Vrindavan tour Package  or message WhatsApp +91 7302265809. 

What is Govardhan Puja and Annakut

Govardhan Puja, also called Annakut and Giriraj Puja, is the festival of the Govardhan hill and Krishna's lila of lifting it:

• The worship of Govardhan. Govardhan Puja is the worship of the Govardhan hill, revered as Giriraj, the Lord in the form of the mountain, in gratitude for the shelter Krishna gave Braj beneath it; it is kept the day after Diwali.

• The Annakut, the mountain of food. It is also known as Annakut, meaning a mountain of food, for on this day a great heap of many dishes, the Chhappan Bhog or fifty-six offerings, is laid before the Lord, in thanks for the harvest and his protection.

• A festival of Braj and beyond. Though kept across India, above all in the Krishna and Pushtimarg traditions, Govardhan Puja belongs first of all to Braj, the land of the Govardhan hill, where it is celebrated with the greatest glory.

The legend: Krishna and the Govardhan hill

The festival springs from one of the best-loved of all Krishna's lilas:

• The worship of the hill. The people of Braj used to worship Indra, the god of rain, for their harvests; but the young Krishna taught them that it was the Govardhan hill and their cows that truly sustained them and led them to worship Giriraj instead.

• Indra's storm. The proud Indra, enraged at being set aside, sent a terrible storm to drown Braj in torrential rain and flood.

• Krishna lifts the hill. Then Krishna, only a boy, lifted the whole Govardhan hill upon his little finger and held it aloft as a great umbrella for seven days and nights and all the people and cattle of Braj sheltered beneath it, safe and dry, until Indra, humbled, bowed to him; and so the hill has been worshipped ever since.

See the govardhan hill page for the sacred hill, worshipped as Giriraj and circled on its parikrama, never climbed.

The significance: gratitude, protection and cow worship

Govardhan Puja carries a deep and timely meaning:

• Gratitude to nature. It teaches gratitude to the hill, the land and nature that sustain us, above the worship of pride and power; Krishna's lesson to Braj is that we live by the gifts of the earth.

• Protection and refuge. It celebrates the shelter Krishna gave his people beneath the hill and so the Lord's protection of those who take refuge in him.

• Cow worship. It is also a day of Go Puja, the worship of the cow, so dear to Krishna and to Braj, in thanks for her gifts and her place in the life of the land.

The Annakut and the Chhappan Bhog

The heart of the celebration is the Annakut, the great offering of food:

• A mountain of food. On Govardhan Puja, a vast array of dishes is heaped before the Lord, sweets, savouries, grains, vegetables and fruits, piled like a mountain, the Annakut, in thanks for the harvest and his grace.

• The Chhappan Bhog. By tradition the offering is the Chhappan Bhog, the fifty-six food items, said to recall the meals Krishna missed during the seven days he held the hill, offered now in his loving memory.

• Shared as prasad. After the offering, the Annakut is distributed among the devotees as prasad, so that all share in the Lord's blessing and the joy of the day.

How Govardhan Puja is celebrated

Govardhan Puja is kept with several beloved customs:

• Making a Govardhan of cow dung. In homes and courtyards, a small model of the Govardhan hill is made from cow dung, adorned with flowers, grass and lamps and worshipped as Giriraj, often with figures of Krishna, the cows and the cowherds.

• The Annakut offering. The great Annakut of food, the Chhappan Bhog, is offered to the Lord in the morning, within the muhurat and then shared as prasad.

• The Govardhan parikrama. At Govardhan, countless pilgrims walk the parikrama around the sacred hill on this day, one of the greatest gatherings of the year at Giriraj.

• Go Puja and rejoicing. The cows are worshipped, bathed and adorned in the Go Puja and the day is kept with song, lamps and the joyful darshan of the Annakut in the temples.

For the darshan hours during the festival, our mathura vrindavan temple timings guide helps, though hours often change on festival days, so confirm locally.

Govardhan Puja at Govardhan and in Braj

Govardhan Puja is celebrated everywhere, but its true home is Braj and above all Govardhan itself:

• At the Govardhan hill. At Govardhan, the festival reaches its glory: the sacred hill, Giriraj Maharaj, is worshipped and adorned, the parikrama fills with pilgrims and the Annakut is heaped before the Lord; to keep the day here, at the very hill of the lila, is the dearest of all.

• In the temples of Braj. Across Vrindavan and Mathura, the temples keep a magnificent Annakut, their deities surrounded by a mountain of food and the awakening joy of the season; the Banke Bihari, Prem Mandir and ISKCON temples among them shine with the celebration.

• A day for the whole land. For Braj, Govardhan Puja is not a distant festival but its own, the thanksgiving of the land that Krishna sheltered; the whole region rejoices and pilgrims come from everywhere to walk the parikrama and see the Annakut.

See the kusum sarovar govardhan on the parikrama, the banke bihari temple, prem mandir vrindavan and iskcon temple vrindavan for the Annakut and our vrindavan to govardhan distance guide for reaching Govardhan.

Visiting Braj for Govardhan Puja and tips

• Govardhan Puja, the day after Diwali in early November, falls in the pleasant, cool season, a beautiful time to be in Braj.

• Confirm the tithi and muhurat times with your local panchang and plan the puja for the morning Pratahkala window on November 10.

• Expect Govardhan and the temples to be extremely crowded for the parikrama and the Annakut; arrive very early for a calmer darshan.

• For the Govardhan parikrama, start before dawn and walk barefoot if you can; remember Giriraj is circled, never climbed.

• Book accommodation well ahead, as the Diwali and Govardhan Puja season brings very large numbers of pilgrims to Braj.

We bring pilgrims to Govardhan and Braj for Govardhan Puja, with the parikrama, the Annakut darshan and the temple visits arranged, a comfortable vehicle and a Braj-born guide who keeps the festival. A shared day tour starts from around ₹1,499 per person, with darshan free. Our govardhan barsana tour is built around the sacred hill, our mathura vrindavan tour covers the twin cities and the braj 84 kos yatra the whole of Braj; our mathura vrindavan tour itinerary and how to commute in vrindavan guides help you plan and the krishna janmabhoomi is a dear stop. Message me on WhatsApp at +91-7302265809.

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