>Citation bot at 10:51, 2 October 2021

2021-10-02T10:51:24Z

New page

'''Govardhan Puja''' ({{IAST3|Govardhana-pūjā}}), also known as '''Annakut''' or '''Annakoot''' (meaning a “mountain of food”),<ref name="Livingston">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_WZJCgAAQBAJ|title=The Hidden Revelation: "My passion is Spirituality; my mission is to end homelessness and hunger."|last=Livingston|first=Morson|date=2015-07-10|publisher=Xlibris Corporation|isbn=9781503584082|language=en}}{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/absentlordasceti0000babb|url-access=registration|title=Absent Lord: Ascetics and Kings in a Jain Ritual Culture|last=Babb|first=Lawrence A.|date=1996-08-01|publisher=University of California Press|isbn=9780520917088|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://festivals.iloveindia.com/diwali/govardhan-puja.html|title=Govardhan_Puja - Govardhan Puja Legends, Govardhan Pooja Celebrations|website=festivals.iloveindia.com|access-date=2016-04-01}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BWQMBAAAQBAJ|title=Seeing Krishna in America: The Bhakti Tradition of Vallabhacharya in India and Its Movement to the West|last=Richardson|first=E. Allen|date=2014-07-29|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786459735|page=187|language=en}}</ref><ref name=":0"/> is a [[Hindu festival]] in which devotees worship [[Govardhan Hill]] and prepare and offer a large variety of vegetarian food to [[Krishna]] as a mark of gratitude.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|title=Hindu Rites & Rituals|last=Mukundcharandas|publisher=Swaminarayan Aksharpith|year=2007|isbn=978-81-7526-356-7|location=India|pages=357}}</ref> For [[Vaishnavism|Vaishnavas]], this day commemorates the incident in the ''[[Bhagavata Purana]]'' when Krishna lifted Govardhan Hill to provide the villagers of [[Vrindavan]] shelter from torrential rains. The incident is seen to represent how God will protect all devotees who take singular refuge in him.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.baps.org/News/2000/3rd-Guinness-World-Record-for-Annakut-1926.aspx|title=3rd Guinness World Record for Annakut|website=BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha|access-date=2016-04-01}}</ref> Devotees offer a mountain of food, metaphorically representing the Govardhan Hill, to God as a ritual remembrance and to renew their faith in taking refuge in God.<ref name="Livingston"/> The festival is observed by most of Hindu denominations all over India and abroad.

For Vaishnavas, particularly the [[Pushtimarg]] of Vallabha,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BWQMBAAAQBAJ|title=Seeing Krishna in America: The Hindu Bhakti Tradition of Vallabhacharya in India and Its Movement to the West|last=Richardson|first=E. Allen|date=2014-07-29|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786459735|page=25|language=en}}</ref> the [[Gaudiya Vaishnavism|Gaudiya Sampradaya]] of Chaitanya<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BWQMBAAAQBAJ|title=Seeing Krishna in America: The Hindu Bhakti Tradition of Vallabhacharya in India and Its Movement to the West|last=Richardson|first=E. Allen|date=2014-07-29|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786459735|page=26|language=en}}</ref> and the [[Swaminarayan Sampradaya]],<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/leicester/content/articles/2007/11/13/annakut_diwali_feature.shtml|title=Annakut Celebration!|last=BBC|language=en-gb|access-date=2016-04-01}}</ref> it is one of the important festivals. The Annakut festival occurs on the first lunar day of the Shukla [[Paksha]] (bright fortnight) in the month of [[Kartik (month)|Kartik]], which is the day after [[Diwali]], the Hindu festival of lights.<ref name="Livingston"/><ref>{{Cite book|title=Hindu Rites and Rituals: Sentiments, Sacraments and Symbols.|last=Mukundcharandas|publisher=Swaminarayan Aksharpith|year=2007|isbn=978-81-7526-356-7|location=India|pages=104}}</ref>[[File:Annakut.jpg|thumb|Annakut feast]]

==Origins of Govardhan Puja and Annakut==
[[File:1150 CE Hoysaleswara temple Halebidu Karnataka, Govardhandhara Krishna with Indra behind it.jpg|thumb|Krishna holding the Govardhan, a historic legend is depicted in many major Hindu temples complexes. This panel is from the Hoysaleswara temple, Halebidu Karnataka (c. 1150 CE). The stone block was carved to show the Krishna legend, and Indra behind it.]]
Krishna spent most of his childhood in [[Braj]], a place devotees associate with many of Krishna's divine and heroic exploits with his childhood friends.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PyC4o7i9tnEC|title=India: A Sacred Geography|last=Eck|first=Diana L.|date=2013-03-26|publisher=Three Rivers Press|isbn=9780385531924|page=361|language=en}}</ref> One of the most significant incidents, described in the [[Bhagavata Purana]],<ref name=":0" /> involves Krishna lifting Mount Govardhan (Govardhan Hill), a low hill situated in the middle of Braj.<ref name=":0" /> According to the Bhagavata Purana, forest-dwelling [[gopi|cowherds]] living close to [[Govardhan]] used to celebrate the autumn season by paying respect to [[Indra]], the God of rain and storm. Krishna did not approve of this since he desired that the villagers worship Mount Govardhan with the reason that Mount Govardhan is the one that provides natural resources to the villagers for their livelihood. Trees provided oxygen, the grass provided food for the cattle and provided natural beauty. The mountain was responsible for the natural phenomena that occur in the city of Gokul. Indra got angry with this advice.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-11-13|title=Govardhan Puja 2020: Date, Story, Meaning, Arti, Supreme God|url=https://news.jagatgururampalji.org/govardhan-puja-2020-date-story/|access-date=2020-11-14|website=S A NEWS|language=en-US}}</ref>

Shri Krishna, though being younger than almost everyone in the city, was respected by everyone due to his knowledge and immense power. So, the people of Gokul agreed with Shri Krishna's advice. Indra was angered upon seeing the villagers' devotion diverted away from him and toward Krishna. Indra decided to initiate thunderstorms and heavy rains in the city in reflex of his egoistic anger. To protect the people from the storms, Shri Krishna lifted the Govardhan mount on his little finger and provided shelter to all the people and cattle of the city. After 7–8 days of continuous storms, seeing the people of Gokul being unaffected, Indra accepted defeat and stopped the storms. This day is therefore celebrated as a festival that paid respect to Mount Govardhan by preparing a 'giriyajna' - a "great offering of foods and delicacies to the mountain" Krishna then assumed the form of a mountain himself and accepted the villagers' offerings. .<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://basr.ac.uk/diskus_old/diskus11/wood.htm|title=DISKUS: The journal of the British Association for the Study of Religions (BASR)|website=basr.ac.uk|access-date=2016-04-01}}</ref> Indra, after causing torrential rains for seven days, ultimately gave up and bowed to Krishna's superiority.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> This story is one of the most recognizable in the Bhagavata Purana.<ref name=":0" />

Govardhan has since become a major pilgrimage site in Braj for devotees of Krishna.<ref name=":0" /> On the day of Annakut, devotees circumambulate the hill and offer food to the mountain—one of the oldest rituals in Braj.<ref name=":0" /> The circumambulation consists of an eleven-mile trek dotted along the way with several shrines, before which devotees place flowers and other offerings.<ref name=":0" />

Families create an image of Giriraj Govardhan (the mountain) from cow dung, adorning it with miniature cow figures as well as grass as twigs, representing trees and greenery.<ref name=":0" /> In the days leading up to Annakut, fifty-six food items (chappan bhog) are typically prepared and offered in the evening.<ref name=":0" /> Someone from a cow-herding caste officiates the ritual, circling the hill with a cow and a bull, followed by families in the village. They partake in the sanctified food after offering the food to the hill. The festival often draws a large crowd, including the [[Chaube]] [[brahmin]]s of [[Mathura]].<ref name=":0" />

== Rituals Of Annakut ==
Annakut is celebrated on the fourth day of Diwali. Therefore, the rituals surrounding Annakut are closely linked with the rituals of the five days of Diwali. While the first three days of Diwali are days of prayer to sanctify wealth and invite greater wealth into the devotee's life, the annakut day is a day of offering gratitude for Krishna beneficence.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Govardhan Puja Vidhi: How to do Govardhan Puja at home, basic rituals to perform - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/events/govardhan-puja-vidhi-2018-how-to-do-govardhan-puja-at-home-basic-rituals-to-perform/articleshow/66540767.cms|access-date=2020-11-11|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref>

=== Goverdhan Puja ===
Govardhan Puja is a principal ritual performed during Annakut. Although some texts treat Govardhan Puja and Annakut as synonymous, the Govardhan Puja is one segment of the day-long Annakut festival.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3KcEotmV2MAC|title=Guests at God's Wedding: Celebrating Kartik among the Women of Benares|last=Pintchman|first=Tracy|date=2005-08-25|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=9780791465950|pages=212, 66|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Govardhan Puja 2020 date and time, tithi and other details|url=https://www.timesnownews.com/spiritual/religion/article/govardhan-puja-2020-date-and-time-tithi-and-other-details/679786|access-date=2020-11-11|website=www.timesnownews.com|language=en}}</ref>

There are many variants of how Govardhan Puja is performed. In one variant of the ritual a god (Lord Krishna) is made out of cow dung in horizontal position. After completing the structure, it is decorated by earthernlamps (deepak or diya), seenkh (a material used for broom chaffs), and candles. After worshipping, the structure of the lord is fed by the bhaktas or worshippers, and the ladies fast.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://festivals.iloveindia.com/diwali/govardhan-puja.html|title=Govardhan Puja - Govardhan Puja Legends, Govardhan Pooja Celebrations|website=festivals.iloveindia.com|access-date=2016-04-04}}</ref> Prayers are also made to Lord Govardhan.<ref name=":3" />[[File:Govardhan -1.JPG|thumb|Govardhan -1]]

As described in the Bhagavata Purana, Govardhan Puja is chiefly identified with Krishna lifting the Govardhan Hill on his finger to protect those who sought his refuge from Indra's torrential rage.<ref name="basr.ac.uk">{{Cite web|url=http://basr.ac.uk/diskus_old/diskus11/wood.htm|title=DISKUS: The journal of the British Association for the Study of Religions (BASR)|website=basr.ac.uk|access-date=2016-04-04}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3KcEotmV2MAC|title=Guests at God's Wedding: Celebrating Kartik among the Women of Benares|last=Pintchman|first=Tracy|date=2005-08-25|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=9780791465950|page=212|language=en}}</ref>

=== Main Annkut Festival ===
Vast array of vegetarian foods is traditionally arranged in tiers or steps in front of the deities.<ref name="basr.ac.uk" /> Usually, the sweets are placed nearest to the Deities. As the tiers descend, other foods such as '[[dal]]', vegetables, pulses and fried savory foods are arranged. A mound of cooked grains, symbolic of Mount Govardhan, is placed in the center. In Swaminarayan shikharbaddh mandirs, sadhus begin to arrange the Annakut in the morning and finish before noon.<ref name="swaminarayan.org">{{Cite web|url=http://www.swaminarayan.org/festivals/diwali/index2.htm|title=Nutan Varsh - Annakut (New Year's Day)|website=www.swaminarayan.org|access-date=2016-04-04}}</ref>

=== Thaal ===
In all [[Swaminarayan]] mandirs, sadhus and devotees then sing 'Thaal' - [[kirtan]]s or devotional hymns composed by the poet paramhansas of Swaminarayan. These kirtans describe the food items, and are about praying to the Deities to accept the food. The singing lasts for about an hour, and is followed by a grand arti.<ref name="swaminarayan.org"/> Afterwards, devotees do puja and circumambulate the Deities and offered food.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G9D40mqdvgMC|title=The Power of the Dharma: An Introduction to Hinduism and Vedic Culture|last=Knapp|first=Stephen|date=2006-06-05|publisher=iUniverse|isbn=9780595837489|language=en}}{{Self-published inline|certain=yes|date=December 2017}}</ref> In some mandirs, Arti is performed several times in the day as long as the Annakut offerings remain before the Deities. In the evening, devotees take portions of the Annakut as prasad, sanctified food, that has been offered to God and is received as his mercy.<ref name="swaminarayan.org"/>

In certain mandirs, especially in Mathura and Nathadwara, the murtis are also given a [[milk bath]] before being and dressed in elegant clothes and ornaments.<ref name="Rosen">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WuVG8PxKq_0C|title=Essential Hinduism|last=Rosen|first=Steven|date=2006-01-01|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=9780275990060|language=en}}</ref>

=== Vishvakarma Puja ===
Some craftsmen pay reverence to their tools and machinery on the day of Annakut.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=g4TtrdejbTEC|title=Festivals of India|date=2002-01-01|publisher=Har-Anand Publications|isbn=9788124108697|language=en}}</ref>

==Annakut Celebrations Today==
Hindus throughout the world actively celebrate Annakut as a part of Diwali and, most frequently, pair the Annakut celebration with the Govardhan Puja performed on fourth day of Diwali celebrations.<ref name="Livingston"/> Hindus also view Annakut as a time to transmit religious and cultural values to children, ask for forgiveness from God and express devotion towards God. Annakut is celebrated with [[Diya (lamp)|diya]]s (small oil lamps) and [[rangoli]], decorative art on the ground made from colored rice, colored sand, and/or flower petals.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bapsgermany1.blogspot.com/2014/10/annakut-at-baps.html|title=BAPS Germany: Annakut at BAPS|last=Germany|first=Baps|website=BAPS Germany|access-date=2016-04-04}}</ref> Many distinct food items, sometimes numbering in the hundreds or thousands, are offered to deities during Annakut.<ref name=":2" /> For example, 250 kilograms of food were offered to Lord Krishna at the [[ISKCON]] temple in Mysore, India in 2009.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/govardhan-puja-at-iskcon-temple/article163949.ece|title=Govardhan puja at ISKCON temple|date=2009-10-19|newspaper=The Hindu|language=en-IN|issn=0971-751X|access-date=2016-04-04}}</ref> Although Annakut is most often associated with Lord Krishna, other deities are also focal points.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9680810/Diwali-2012-London-temple-welcomes-Hindu-New-Year-with-a-mountain-of-food.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121118060507/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9680810/Diwali-2012-London-temple-welcomes-Hindu-New-Year-with-a-mountain-of-food.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-11-18|title=Diwali 2012: London temple welcomes Hindu New Year with a mountain of food|website=Telegraph.co.uk|access-date=2016-04-04}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=http://mahalakshmi-temple.com/festival.asp|title=Shri Mahalaksmi Temple Charities - Festivals and special arrangements|last=Designs|first=Enlighten|website=mahalakshmi-temple.com|access-date=2016-04-04}}</ref> At the Shree Mahalakshmi Mandir in Mumbai, India, 56 sweets and food items are offered to Mataji and then distributed as Prasad to more than 500 devotees.<ref name=":4" />

The Annakut festival is also celebrated annually at approximately 3,850 [[BAPS]] Mandirs and centers throughout the world in a day-long event. During the festival, Swaminarayan devotees prepare and offer a large variety of vegetarian food to Hindu deities including Swaminarayan and Krishna, among others.<ref name=":5"/> The Annakut festival at BAPS mandirs is often the largest festival of the year.<ref name=":5"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.baps.org/News/2013/Annakut-Celebrations-2013-5407.aspx|title=Annakut Celebrations 2013|website=BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha|access-date=2016-04-04}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.baps.org/News/2014/New-Year---Annakut-Celebrations-with-Pramukh-Swami-Maharaj-6936.aspx|title=New Year - Annakut Celebrations with Pramukh Swami Maharaj|website=BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha|access-date=2016-04-04}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/birmingham-hundreds-people-marked-hindu-8014681|title=In Birmingham hundreds of people marked Hindu New Year and Diwali|last=Fulford|first=Paul|website=birminghammail|date=29 October 2014|access-date=2016-04-04}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://parsippanyfocus.com/2014/10/28/diwali-celebrations-baps-parsippany/|title=Diwali Celebrations at BAPS Parsippany|last=Staff|first=Parsippany Focus|website=Parsippany Focus|date=28 October 2014|access-date=2016-04-04}}</ref> Visitors learn about Hindu spirituality, offer prayers for the new year, partake in the prasad, or sanctified food, and engage in other devotional activities.<ref name="Rosen"/> A devotee at the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in [[Leicester]], England, which organizes the Annakut festival every year, describes Annakut as being a forum where spiritual aspirants can reaffirm their appreciation for the role God plays in their lives.<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/leicester/content/articles/2007/11/13/annakut_diwali_feature.shtml|title=Annakut Celebration!|last=BBC|language=en-gb|access-date=2016-04-04}}</ref> These gatherings also represent an opportunity to reaffirm a sense of community.<ref name=":5" /> At the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, England in 2004, 1247 vegetarian dishes were assembled and offered to the deities during the Annakut celebrations in 2000 at the BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, England.<ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://londonmandir.baps.org/the-mandir/|title=– BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, London|website=londonmandir.baps.org|access-date=2016-04-04}}</ref>

The Guinness World record for the largest Annakut ever held was on October 27, 2019 (Diwali) in BAPS Atladra Mandir in Gujarat. With over 3500 vegetarian dishes.<ref>{{Cite web|title=3rd Guinness World Record for Annakut|url=https://www.baps.org/News/2000/3rd-Guinness-World-Record-for-Annakut-1926.aspx|access-date=2020-11-14|website=BAPS|language=en-US}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{HinduFestivals}}

[[Category:Diwali]]
[[Category:Hindu holy days]]
[[Category:Hindu festivals]]
[[Category:Festivals in India]]
[[Category:October observances]]
[[Category:November observances]]
[[Category:Vaishnavism]]
[[Category:Hindu festivals in India]]
[[Category:Religious festivals in India]]
[[Category:Brij]]

Govardhan Puja - Revision history

>Citation bot at 10:51, 2 October 2021