Govardhan Puja is festival in India, celebrated just after Diwali in which devotees worship Govardhan Hill and Lord Krishna as a mark of gratitude. This day is celebrated due to the incident in the Bhagavata Purana when Lord Krishna told the people of village that it was Govardhan Parvat and not Lord Indra who caused rains therefore they should worship the former and not the latter. People did the same and it made Lord Indra so furious that the people of village had to face very heavy rains as a result of his anger. People were afraid that the downpour was a result of their neglect of Indra. But Krishna assured them that no harm would befall them. Then Lord Krishna came forward to ensure their security and after performing worship and offering prayers to Mount Govardhan, He lifted it as an umbrella on the little finger of his right hand so that everyone could take shelter under it. After this event, Lord Krishna was also known as Giridhari or Govardhandhari. The incident is seen to represent how God will protect all devotees who believe and take refugee in him, and also to worship the Govardhan Hill which was a source for food for cattle and a shelter indeed to protect them, for them to prosper; to worship nature that has always helped humans and is still doing. In most festivals only deities are worshipped, but this is what makes Govardhan Puja special, the addition of nature. If it wasn’t for the Govardhan hill, whole of Vrindavan would have been finished, but with the divine combination of God and nature people were saved. And that’s why it’s remembered and celebrated, to ask for blessings from both.
People of north India build cow dung structures of lord krishna and govardhan hill and decorate them with flowers & some food items as well and then worship them.
People even walk 23 kilometres barefoot around the hill in a parikrama to pay their respect.
That’s how it is celebrated, but we can also add some more good things to this festival with some efforts, we can take out some time and give food to cows and buffalos, which are a great source of good things for us, even for the cow dung to worship our deities and for fire and much more. We can plant trees, it’s all connected, that cow dung turns into manure and helps trees and crops to grow, that’s how we can pay our gratitude to nature.
Festivals are a great example of moral values, one of the best things that is seen during festivals is sharing, being thankful, being loving to each other and grateful for everything that we have. You can see everyone going to each other’s houses with sweets and gifts, sharing a bit of happiness. And above all to be thankful to god and nature for blessing us and keep on blessing us further. And these should be taught to everyone, these moral values, to be good to each other, to share a bit of happiness and love with others and be humble. Festivals represent a good energy, a light that beats darkness, a cleansing opportunity and above all a period to spread love.
