The fourth day of Diwali festival is celebrated as Goverdhan Pooja throughout the country. It occurs on the first lunar day of Shukla Paksha (bright fortnight) in the Hindu month of Kartik and also marks the first day of the New Year in the Vikram Samvat calendar. Today people worship their instruments, arms and machinery therefore most or all business establishments remain closed on this day.
Devotees prepare the dish of Annakut (meaning pile of vegetables). It consists of every vegetable available in the season and many temples make the special Prasad of Annakut containing hundreds of vegetables. It is first offered to God as a symbol of gratitude.
The day commemorates the first pooja conducted by Lord Krishna in honour of Goverdhan hill. According to the legends, the people of Braj(the village where Goverdhan Hill is situated), used to offer their herds as sacrifices in the autumn season to please Lord Indra, the God of rain and storm. Lord Krishna did not approve these sacrifices and wanted the people not to pray to the distant Gods but rather those present in front of them in the nature that played an important role in their life sustainability. Therefore Lord Krishna initiated the Goverdhan Pooja with lavish feast of Annakut as an offering to it and dissuaded people from worshipping Lord Indra. Indra was angered upon seeing the people’s devotion being shifted from Him toward Lord Krishna. He initiated a thunderstorm and heavy downpour upon the village. To protect the villagers from the storm and rains, Krishna lifted the Goverdhan hill on his small finger and the entire village came under the hill to take shelter from the calamity. Indra, after causing torrential rains for seven days, realized his mistake and bowed to Lord Krishna’s superiority.
Goverdhan has since become a major pilgrimage site for devotees of Lord Krishna. On the day of Annakut, devotees walk around the hill and offer food to the mountain. People also worship Lord Krishna and pray him for protection from the natural calamities. The day marks the beginning of New Year, in some parts of India, where the Vikram Samvat calendar is prevalent. Merchants and shopkeepers close their old year, and start a new financial year with blessings from Goddess Lakshmi and other deities.
–To be continued
