Diwali 2022: Significance of Govardhan Puja

Each and every festival in India is celebrated with utmost zeal and devotion. One such festival is Diwali. This is one of the important festival for the people of Hindu religion. Diwali in total is considered a five-day festival of which one is celebrated as Govardhan Puja. This day is also known as Annakot Puja. This year it falls on October 26,2022.

According to Hindu Calendar, Govardhan Puja is observed on the first day of Shukla Paksha of Kartik month. Devotees worship Lord Shri Krishna, Govardhan Parvat, and Cow on this day. Govardhan puja is a festival devoted to Lord Krishna along with the gesture to express admiration and respect to Mother Nature. The rituals associated with Govardhan Puja are varied according to the different sects in Hinduism. Lord Agni, Indra, and Varuna, the Gods of fire, Thunder, and the Oceans are also worshipped on this special day. 

According to Vishnu Purana, Lord Krishna once asked his mother, Yashodaji, why everyone worships and prays to Lord Indra. Mother Yashoda explained to him that people worship Lord Indra so that they can get enough rain for sowing, feeding cows, and harvesting grain from the fields. 

The boy Kanha (Krishna) was not satisfied with the reply of his mother Yashoda and said that instead of worshipping Lord Indra they should worship Gowardhan Parvat (Mountain) so that the villagers could get enough rain. Lord Krishna put an end to the villagers’ tradition of tendering huge quantities of food to Lord Indra and directed them to use it to feed their families.