Govardhan Puja 2021: Date, Significance, Celebration, Puja vidhi and Muhurat Time

The festival of Govardhan Puja is celebrated each year on the next day of Diwali. This year, it is being celebrated on Friday (November 5). Govardhan Puja or Annakut Puja is celebrated with immense joy and gaiety among Hindu households. On this day, devotees worship the Govardhan Parvat (Mount Govardhan) and Lord Krishna, who is also known as Govardhan dhari. This marks the fourth day of the five-day long Diwali festivities on Pratipada date of Kartik Shukla Paksha.

Govardhan Puja 2021: Festival Date

As per the Hindu calendar, the date of Govardhan Puja festival varies every year. This time, Govardhan Puja will be celebrated on 5th November 2021.

Govardhan Puja 2021: Puja/ Muhurat Time

The Pratipada date of Kartik Shukla Paksha will start from 2:45 am on November 5 and will last till 11.14 pm.

Morning Puja Muhurta - 6:36 am to 8.47 am

Evening Muhurta - 3:22 pm to 5:33 pm

Govardhan Puja 2021: Significance

According to the scriptures and folklore, Govardhan Puja is celebrated to mark the victory of Lord Krishna over Lord Indra. According to the story the villagers of Vrindawan used to offer numerous meals to Lord Indra who is the God of rain and storm to ensure that Lord Indra keeps blessing them with timely rainfall and good harvest. When Lord Krishna raised his voice against the practice as he found it unfair, Indra Dev found it offensive, Krishna proposed the villagers to feed their own families instead of investing on the gods. This angered Indra Dev and expressed the same in form of endless rain and thunderstorm. The rain continued for days when Krishna lift the Govardhan Parvat (Mountain) to save the lives of the villagers. Krishna lifted the mountain for seven days on his tiny finger.

Seeing everything, Lord Indra finally bowed down in front of Krishna and ended the storm. Since then, Govardhan Puja is performed and women cook numerous Indian dishes including halwa, ladoos, mishri and peda dedicated to Krishna.

Govardhan Puja 2021: Puja Vidhi

People prepare 56 or 108 kinds of meals cooked with wheat, rice, gram flour on Govardhan Puja. The Vegetarian delicacies are then offered to Lord Krishna. To mark the festival, a hillock is created from cow dung which is referred to as Govardhan and is decorated with flowers. The devotees walk all the way round the hillock to pray Lord Govardhan for their wellbeing and to safeguard their families.

Scientific importance of Govardhan Puja 2021

This festival of Govardhan is also very important from a scientific point of view. People in rural areas also smear their houses with cow dung on this day. In fact, many bacteria or germs which are produced during the rainy season and increases the risk of diseases die due to cow dung. Thus protecting people from disease.