Devotees celebrate Govardhan Puja
Govardhan Puja is the day after Deepawali and is celebrated as Govadhan Puja when Mount Govardhan, near Mathura, is worshipped.
Deepawali has yet again come and gone, with thousands of devotees celebrating the victory of light over dark.
On November 4, Hare Krishna devotees gathered at the ISKCON Temple to celebrate Govardhan Puja, also known as the sweet festival.
People celebrating the occasion usually stay awake during the course of the night and cook fifty-six different types of food for the bhog (the offering of food) to Krishna).
This ceremony is called ankut which means a mountain of food. Various types of food such as cereals, pulses, fruit, vegetables, chutneys, pickles, and salads are offered to the Deity and then distributed as prasada to devotees.
This festival is in commemoration of the lifting of Mount Govardhan by Krishna. According to a legend, before Krishna was born, Indra, the god of Rain, was the chief deity of Vraj.
Krishna then instigated the people to stop worshipping Indra, and wanting to show his power over Krishna, Indra brought about a cloud-burst which flooded the countryside for many days.
People were afraid that the downpour was a result of their neglect of Indra. But Krishna assured them that no harm would befall them.
He then lifted Mount Govardhan with his little finger and sheltered men and beasts from the rain. This gave him the epithet Govardhandhari. After this, Indra accepted the supremacy of Krishna.
During the festival, devotees offered diyas, participated in spiritual hymns and teachings and the evening was concluded with a time of socialising.
