Festival · Krishna

Govardhan Puja

The day after Diwali, remembering Krishna lifting Govardhan hill to shelter the people of Braj from storms.

Govardhan Puja 2026
Tuesday 10 November 2026
New Delhi

For New Delhi, Tuesday 10 November 2026

Shukla Pratipada tithi

Begins
12:32 pm, 9 Nov
Ends
2:01 pm
Sunrise
6:40 am
Sunset
5:30 pm
Moonrise
7:38 am
Moonset
5:53 pm

Worked out for your city. Panchangs can differ by a minute or so.

Full panchang for this day →

Puja times

For New Delhi, Tuesday 10 November 2026

Morning puja

6:40 am to 8:50 am

Evening puja
None this year: Pratipada ends at 2:01 pm
Pratipada begins
12:32 pm, 9 Nov
Pratipada ends
2:01 pm

Worked out for your city. Panchangs can differ by a minute or so.

How it is kept

Customs vary by region and family

  • Offer an annakut, a "mountain" of many dishes
  • Shape and worship a small Govardhan hill
  • Feed and honour cows

What it remembers

Govardhan Puja is the first day of the bright fortnight of Kartika, the day after Diwali. It remembers the boy Krishna lifting Govardhan hill on his little finger to shelter the people and cattle of Braj from Indra’s storm for seven days. A hill is shaped from cow dung or food, an annakut, a mountain of many dishes, is offered, and cows are honoured. In Gujarat the same day is the New Year.

Indra’s storm

The cowherds of Braj made offerings to Indra every year for rain. The boy Krishna told them to worship Govardhan hill instead, which fed their cattle. Indra, angry, sent a storm for seven days. Krishna lifted the whole hill on the little finger of his left hand, and the village sheltered under it with their cows until Indra gave up and bowed to him.

The annakut

After the storm, the people of Braj cooked every dish they could and offered it to the hill as a mountain of food, the annakut. Temples still offer 56 dishes, chhappan bhog, for the seven days and eight meals a day Krishna is said to have gone without food while holding the hill.

Bali Pratipada

In the west and south the same day is Bali Pratipada: Vamana, Vishnu as a dwarf, sent the generous asura king Bali to the underworld, but granted that he would return to his people for one day each year. Homes draw Bali’s image and welcome him back.

Govardhan and annakut

Govardhan Puja is kept in the morning (or the evening) while Pratipada holds; the page shows those times. Families keep it in many ways; follow your own tradition where it differs.

  1. Shape a small Govardhan hill in the courtyard from cow dung (or clay or food), with trees, cows and the cowherds around it, and a little Krishna holding it up.
  2. Worship it with flowers, rice, kumkum, a lamp and incense, and walk around it seven times.
  3. Cook the annakut: as many dishes as you can, sweets, vegetables, kadhi, rice and puris, and offer them to Krishna as a mountain of food.
  4. Bathe and decorate the cows, put garlands on them, and feed them.
  5. Share the annakut prasad with family, neighbours and the poor.

What you need

  • Cow dung or clay to shape the hill, and flowers to decorate it
  • An image of Krishna
  • Many dishes for the annakut
  • A lamp, incense, rice and kumkum
  • Garlands and fodder for cows

Across India

Mathura and Vrindavan

Pilgrims walk the 21 km parikrama round Govardhan hill, and temples offer the annakut to Krishna.

Gujarat

Bestu Varas, the New Year: new account books, Sal Mubarak greetings, and the annakut at the Swaminarayan temples.

Maharashtra and Karnataka

Bali Pratipada or Padwa: wives do the aarti of their husbands, and Bali is welcomed home.

Nathdwara, Rajasthan

The great annakut at Shrinathji, where the food is taken by villagers in a rush as prasad.

Bihar and Uttar Pradesh

Gobardhan: women make the hill of cow dung and sing over it; in the east some keep Chitragupta puja today.

When it falls

Shukla Pratipada of Kartika. Kept on the day this tithi holds at sunrise.

These are the usual rules. A few days can differ by a day in your tradition, so check with your temple.

Govardhan Puja in the coming years

New Delhi, India time

  1. 2026Tuesday 10 November 2026
  2. 2027Saturday 30 October 2027
  3. 2028Wednesday 18 October 2028

Questions

When is Govardhan Puja in 2026?

Tuesday 10 November 2026, in New Delhi. In a few places it can fall a day apart, so the date above is worked out for your city.

When does Govardhan Puja fall?

Shukla Pratipada of Kartika. Kept on the day this tithi holds at sunrise.

How is Govardhan Puja kept?

Families offer an annakut, a "mountain" of many dishes, shape and worship a small Govardhan hill and feed and honour cows. Customs vary by region and family.

Who is honoured on Govardhan Puja?

Krishna. The day after Diwali, remembering Krishna lifting Govardhan hill to shelter the people of Braj from storms.

Why is Govardhan Puja sometimes two days after Diwali?

It is kept on the day Pratipada holds at sunrise. When Amavasya runs past the sunrise after Diwali night, Pratipada starts later that day and Govardhan Puja moves to the next day.

What is the annakut?

A “mountain of food”: dozens of dishes cooked and offered to Krishna, remembering the feast the people of Braj made after the storm. Temples offer 56 dishes (chhappan bhog).

When is the puja done?

In the morning (the first fifth of the day) while Pratipada holds; if Pratipada lasts into the afternoon, the evening (the last fifth) is also open. The page shows both for your city.

Related

All festivals and vrats →