India GOGovardhan Puja: Annakut and the parikrama in Braj
A mountain of food for the hill that Krishna held up on one finger
Govardhan Puja, also called Annakut, is the day after Diwali on which Braj feeds the hill that, in the Bhagavata Purana, Krishna lifted to shelter the cowherds from Indra's rain. Temples raise a mountain of cooked food before the deity, the rock of the hill is bathed in milk, and the 21-km parikrama path around Govardhan carries the densest walking of the year. In 2026 the almanac puts it on Tuesday 10 November, two days after Diwali, though the UP, Delhi and central holiday lists mark Monday 9 November; in 2027 it falls on 30 October.
The day follows the lunar calendar; almanacs give it years ahead, and state holiday lists (Govardhan Puja in Rajasthan, the New Year in Gujarat) confirm it late in the previous year.
The legend
In the Bhagavata Purana the cowherds of Braj honour Indra, god of rain and storm, every autumn.
Young Krishna persuades them to honour Govardhan Hill instead, where their cows graze.
Insulted, Indra unleashes storms and torrential rain on Braj.
Krishna lifts the hill on his little finger and holds it over people and herds for seven days, until Indra admits defeat.
So the day after Diwali the hill is offered the Annakut: Krishna, it is said, became the mountain himself and ate the feast.
Meaning
Gujarat
Here it is Bestu Varas, New Year by the Vikram Samvat calendar: people wear new clothes, visit elders and give sweets.
Maharashtra
Here the day is Padva, or Bali Pratipada: Vishnu, the story goes, allowed the good demon king Bali to return to earth once a year.
Pushtimarg
For the Pushtimarg it is Shrinathji's day: Krishna with an arm raised, whose image, legend says, emerged from the rock of Govardhan.
Swaminarayans
In their temples the Annakut is laid out in the morning, then comes about an hour of thaal, hymns asking the gods to accept the food.
Customs
A hill at home
In the yard a small Govardhan is shaped from cow dung, decked with grass, twigs and little cows, and circled seven times with songs.
Tiers of food
Dishes go in tiers: sweets nearest the god, then dal, vegetables and fried snacks, with a mound of rice in the middle for Govardhan.
🥛 Milk for the hill
In Govardhan itself the hill's rock is bathed in milk all day at Danghati and the Jatipura Mukharvind, with the main abhishek around noon.
What people eat
Chhappan bhog
56 dishes at once: sweet, savoury, rice, breads, drinks
🥘 Annakut ki sabzi
every vegetable of the season in one pot
Kadhi chawal
sour yoghurt kadhi over rice
Words of the festival
अन्नकूट
Annakut
"mountain of food", the feast heaped before the god
गिरिराज
Giriraj
"king of mountains", the hill's title, given by all the mountains in the Garga Samhita
गिरिधारी
Giridhari
"mountain holder", one of Krishna's names
मुखारविन्द
mukharvind
"lotus face": the spot where Giriraj's face is worshipped
How to greet
નૂતન વર્ષાભિનંદન
Nutan varshabhinandan!
"New Year greetings": what Gujarat says on this day, along with "Saal mubarak".
True or myth
✅ True. Legend says Krishna went without food for the seven days he held up the hill, and he usually ate eight times a day: 7 × 8 = 56.
✅ True. For some 350 years, on the evening of Govardhan Puja, Adivasi villagers around Nathdwara have carried off the Annakut rice to keep at home as prasad and medicine.
❌ Myth. The Guinness record belongs to a Swaminarayan temple at Atladra, Gujarat: over 3,500 vegetarian dishes in 2019.
Where to celebrate
Govardhan
The day after Diwali the hill that Krishna lifted is fed: a mountain of cooked food is offered as Annakut, and the parikrama marg around Govardhan carries the year's densest walking.
What you see
The day starts early. The Annakut muhurat, the auspicious window for laying out the offering, falls in the morning (06:09–08:26 in 2026 by Drik Panchang), and temple kitchens have been cooking through the night. The food goes up in tiers: sweets nearest the deity, then dal, vegetables and fried snacks, with a mound of rice in the middle standing for the hill itself. Many temples aim for chhappan bhog, 56 dishes. After darshan (viewing) the food is shared as prasad.
In Govardhan town the offerings run from the Danghati temple, where most parikramas begin, to the Mukharvind at Jatipura, the "lotus face" of the hill, where its rock is bathed in milk all day, with the main abhishek (ritual bathing) around noon. Between them the parikrama marg becomes one continuous column of walkers circling the hill.
In homes across north India people shape a small Govardhan of cow dung in the yard, decorate it with grass and little cows, and circle it with songs. Elsewhere the day changes name: Bestu Varas, the New Year, in Gujarat, and Padva in Maharashtra.
Where to see Govardhan Puja
The festival belongs to Braj, and the hill is its centre. All the temples and the parikrama are free.
Danghati temple, Govardhan
The principal Annakut in Govardhan town, at the point where most parikramas begin. Stand by the gate to see the food being laid out.
Mukharvind, Jatipura
The milk abhishek of Giriraj and the Annakut of the Pushtimarg tradition, for whom this is Shrinathji's day. At the foot of the hill.
The parikrama marg
The 21-km path around the hill, starting and finishing at Manasi Ganga. On this day any stretch of it is a continuous column; walking even part of the circuit is the best way to feel the festival. Route, timing and tips: [Govardhan Parikrama](/en/govardhan/parikrama/).
Mathura and Vrindavan
The Dwarkadhish temple in Mathura, near Vishram Ghat, lays out one of the largest Annakut displays in Braj, best seen in the afternoon; in Vrindavan, Banke Bihari and Radha Raman have their own. A calmer option than the hill itself, about 22–26 km away.
✅ Etiquette and safety
Govardhan on this day is a pilgrimage in full flow. Visitors are welcome to join in.
- Walk clockwise — The parikrama goes clockwise, with the hill on your right. Take your shoes off at temple doors.
- Prasad — If you are offered Annakut prasad, accept it with the right hand. Do not photograph the offering in a temple where people around you are not.
- Crowds — The path and the temple gates are packed. Go with company, agree a meeting point at Manasi Ganga or Danghati, and keep valuables close.
- Water and pace — Twenty-one kilometres is a long day on foot. Carry water, start early and do as much of the circuit as is comfortable.
👣 Booking ahead
Govardhan Puja sits inside Diwali week, the hardest travel week of the Indian year, and Braj is at capacity from Dhanteras onwards.
- Trains on the first day
Book trains the morning reservations open, 60 days ahead, and flights as early.
- Rooms two and a half months ahead
Govardhan town has only dharamshalas (pilgrim lodges) and small guesthouses along the Parikrama Marg; sleeping there puts you on the path on foot before the muhurat. Mathura (about 22 km) and Vrindavan (about 25 km) have far more rooms, but only work with a pre-dawn start. Prices rise steeply; book about 75 days ahead.
- Arrive the day before
Be in Govardhan or Mathura the evening before Annakut: road traffic into Govardhan is at its worst on the morning itself. In 2026 that means arriving on 9 November; three nights let you add Bhai Dooj in Mathura the next day.
❓ FAQ
When is Govardhan Puja in 2026?
By the almanac, on Tuesday 10 November 2026: the new moon lasts into the morning after Diwali (8 November), so the festival moves a day later. The UP, Delhi and central government holiday lists put it on Monday 9 November, so check the local temple notice closer to the date.
When is Govardhan Puja in 2027?
On Saturday 30 October 2027, the day after Diwali; holiday lists and the almanac agree.
Why is Govardhan Puja celebrated?
In the Bhagavata Purana, Krishna persuades the cowherds of Braj to honour Govardhan Hill instead of Indra; the angry rain god sends storms, and Krishna lifts the hill on one finger to shelter them for seven days. The Annakut thanks the hill.
Is Govardhan Puja the same as Diwali?
No, it is a separate festival inside the Diwali days, usually the day after Lakshmi Puja. See [Diwali](/en/festivals/diwali/) for the whole five-day sequence.
In which state is Govardhan Puja celebrated?
Across north India, and most intensely in Braj in Uttar Pradesh, around Govardhan, Mathura and Vrindavan. Rajasthan lists it as a holiday; in Gujarat the same day is the New Year, and in Maharashtra it is Padva.