Govardhan Puja 2026: Date, Muhurat, Story and Annakut Bhog

Last updated: 3 November 2026

Govardhan Puja 2026: date and muhurat

The Pratipada tithi starts in the afternoon of 9 November and continues until the afternoon of 10 November, so the date differs between calendars. Drik Panchang’s Nashik listing places Govardhan Puja and Bali Pratipada together on 9 November. Calendars made for North India, which count the day on which Pratipada is present at sunrise, show 10 November. Follow your family panchang or temple.

What is Govardhan Puja?

Govardhan Puja, also called Annakut (“mountain of food”), is the fourth day of Diwali in North India, the day after the Lakshmi Puja Amavasya. Devotees make a small Govardhan hill from cow dung (or dough), decorate it with flowers and lamps, worship it and walk around it, then offer a large variety of food to Krishna. Cows are decorated and fed. In Gujarat the day is the New Year, Bestu Varas (Vikram Samvat 2083), and in Maharashtra it is Bali Pratipada / Diwali Padwa.

Why is Govardhan Puja celebrated? The story of Krishna and Indra

According to the Bhagavata Purana, the people of Vrindavan used to hold a great yearly worship of Indra, the king of the gods and giver of rain. The young Krishna persuaded them to worship Govardhan Hill instead, because the hill fed their cattle, and the cattle fed the village. Indra, angered, sent a terrible storm that flooded Vrindavan for days. Krishna lifted Govardhan on his little finger and sheltered everyone, people and cows alike, beneath it for seven days. Indra finally understood his pride and bowed before Krishna. The story is a lesson in humility and in gratitude to the land and the cattle that sustain a community.

Govardhan Puja vidhi at home: step by step

1. Wake early and bathe. Wear fresh or new clothes. Many families clean the courtyard and draw a rangoli.
2. Make the Govardhan. Shape a small hill from cow dung (or dough, if cow dung is not available) in the courtyard or on a tray. Some families draw a human-like form of Govardhan with a face and add small figures of cows and cowherds.
3. Decorate it. Place flowers, a few green leaves, small diyas and, if your custom allows, a small flag on top.
4. Offer the puja. Apply kumkum and turmeric, and offer flowers, incense, akshata (rice), water and a lamp.
5. Offer the Annakut. Place a variety of cooked dishes, sweets and fruits before the Govardhan and Krishna’s image as bhog.
6. Do the parikrama. Walk around the Govardhan clockwise, singing or chanting Krishna’s name.
7. Worship the cows. Garland and feed the cows and calves with fresh grass, and share the prasad with the family.

Govardhan Puja samagri (items)

• Cow dung (or dough) to shape the Govardhan
• Marigold flowers, garlands and a few leaves
• Kumkum, turmeric, akshata (rice) and sandalwood paste
• Diyas with oil or ghee, incense and camphor
• A picture or idol of Krishna, and small figures of cows and cowherds
• A variety of cooked food, sweets and fruits for the Annakut
• Fresh grass or soaked grains for the cows
• A small flag (optional) and rangoli colours

Annakut: the mountain of food

Anna is food and kut is a heap, so Annakut means a hill of food, offered to Krishna in memory of the Govardhan hill. Temples and homes prepare many dishes, and some temples offer 56 dishes (Chappan Bhog). The offering is then shared as prasad. In many places the Annakut darshan is open to devotees for the whole day.

The number of dishes is a devotional choice. A home offering of 5, 11 or 21 dishes is just as sincere as a temple’s 56. Use fresh, vegetarian food, and share the prasad.

Govardhan Puja and cow worship

The story honours Govardhan Hill and the cattle that fed Vrindavan, so cows are worshipped on this day. In villages they are bathed, painted, garlanded and fed. Be gentle with animals: do not tie them for long hours, keep crowds away and do not offer cooked or sweet food. If you do not live near a cow, visit a goshala at a quiet hour or donate fresh fodder.

Govardhan Puja across India

Govardhan Puja in Nashik

The evening muhurat for Nashik is 3:42–5:57 PM on 9 November. Nashik’s temples and homes mark the day more as Bali Pratipada and Padwa, so you may see aukshan and faral more than a large Annakut. If you plan to go out to see the Diwali lights near Panchavati and the Godavari ghats, expect larger crowds than usual because Diwali falls in the first weeks of the Simhastha Kumbh Mela; the Nashik Kumbh Guide has the Kumbh calendar.

Related Diwali guides

Read the Diwali Padwa 2026 guide for the Maharashtra side of this day, the Diwali 2026 calendar for all five days and the Bhai Dooj 2026 guide for the day after.