Govardhan Puja (Annakut)

What

Govardhan Puja, falling the day after Diwali, involves preparing an elaborate spread of food offerings — annakut, meaning 'mountain of food' — often built into a symbolic small hill shape, and offering it in gratitude.

Why

The festival marks Krishna lifting Govardhan Hill on his finger to shelter villagers from a storm sent by an offended Indra, redirecting the community's worship away from the sky god and toward gratitude for the more immediate, tangible land and nature that actually sustained them day to day.

Preparation

• Prepare a varied spread of dishes for a small annakut offering
• Consider what in your immediate surroundings — not the distant or abstract — actually sustains you
• Share the meal with family or neighbors
• Offer thanks specifically to the land and food sources nearest to you