Govardhan - Padwa Puja

Diwali brings along the auspicious time of the year when many other festivals are celebrated too. Among the five consecutive days of Diwali celebrations, Govardhan Puja or Padwa Puja is celebrated on the fourth day. It is a day devoted to the great Lord Krishna. People sing in praise of the deity and dance in order to rejoice as Lord Krishna saved the natives of Gokul from the wrath of God Indra.

The story behind Govardhan Puja is very interesting and is full of preposterous events. In the Dwapar Yuga, Lord Krishna, who was known in Gokul to have a divine origin asked the natives to stop offering prayers to Lord Indra and present the offerings to Govardhan Parwat.

People, although reluctantly offered all food to Govardhan Parwat, which was actually eaten by little Krishna. God Indra got furious and his rage came to Gokul natives in the form of a dreadful storm. Everybody got scared for their life and asked Shri Krishna to help. He lifted the gigantic Govardhan Parwat on the tip of his tiny fingers. And the complete population of Gokul took refuge in it.

This story is one of the most amazing tales of Krishna “Bal Leela”. Watching the kid Krishna performing such a divine act, all were convinced that he is the Avatar of a God and therefore himself is a deity. Ultimately, Indra had to apologize for his deed.

On the auspicious occasion of Govardhan/Padwa Puja, the idol of Lord Krishna dressed in flashy attire and adorned with gorgeous jewelry is given milk bath. In Northern regions of India, like Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, people make cow dung hillocks and worship them. A huge bhog ( food offerings to the deity ) of fifty six delicious dishes . This may contain, pulav, pickles, cooked vegetables, sweet dishes and many more. The assortment of these delicacies are called 'Annakoot'. All these are initially presented to the idol of Lord Krishna and then served among the devotees after the end of all the rituals.

After all the puja ceremonies are done people sing bhajanas in praise of Lord Krishna and dance along. The sounds of dholak, harmonium & chimta make the aura ethereal. And the worshipers are lost in it.