🍛 Govardhan Puja 2026 is on Tuesday, 10 November. The best time for the puja is the morning, 6:39 AM to 8:50 AM (New Delhi), and Pratipada tithi lasts until 2:00 PM, so finish the puja and the Annakoot offering before then.
Govardhan Puja is the fourth day of the Diwali festival. It remembers the day Shri Krishna lifted Govardhan hill on his little finger to protect the people of Braj from Indra's storm, and the mountain of food, the Annakoot or chappan bhog (56 dishes), that Braj offered in thanks. Below are the date and muhurat, the full story, the 56 item Annakoot list and how to do the puja at home.
| Govardhan Puja 2026 | Time (New Delhi) |
|---|---|
| Date | Tuesday, 10 November 2026 |
| Pratipada tithi begins | 9 Nov, 12:31 PM |
| Pratipada tithi ends | 10 Nov, 2:00 PM |
| Pratahkal puja muhurat | 6:39 AM to 8:50 AM |
| Also called | Annakoot, Bali Pratipada, Padwa, Gujarati New Year |
Offer the 56-item Annakoot to Govardhan ji in your name this year
Govardhan Puja, 10 Nov · Govardhan, Braj · 56 item Annakoot offered to Govardhan ji, then served as bhandara. From ₹251.
Is Govardhan Puja 2026 on 9 or 10 November?
Govardhan Puja 2026 is on Tuesday, 10 November. It is celebrated on Kartik Shukla Pratipada, and the rule is that Pratipada must be present in the pratahkal (the early morning). Pratipada begins at 12:31 PM on 9 November, so on the morning of the 9th it is still Amavasya. On the morning of the 10th Pratipada is running, so the 10th is the day.
This also means there is one day, Monday 9 November, between Diwali (8 November) and Govardhan Puja this year. It is the end of Kartik Amavasya, a good day for snan, daan and tarpan. The full five-day calendar is in our Diwali 2026 muhurat guide, and the day's panchang is on the Govardhan Puja panchang for 10 November.
The story of Govardhan Puja: why Krishna lifted the hill
Braj prepares a puja for Indra
Every year, after the monsoon, the cowherds of Braj held a great yagya for Indra, the king of the devas and the lord of rain. One year young Krishna asked Nand Baba why. "Because Indra sends the rain that grows our grass and feeds our cows," he said.
Krishna answered that it was the hill of Govardhan that held the clouds, grew the grass, gave the streams and sheltered the cows. "We are cowherds. Our dharma is to worship the cows and the hill that feeds them." The people of Braj agreed, and offered all the food prepared for Indra to Govardhan instead.
Indra's anger and seven days of rain
Indra was furious. He sent the Samvartaka clouds, the clouds of the end of an age, and rain and hail fell on Braj without stopping. The cowherds ran to Krishna with their cows and children.
Krishna lifted the whole of Govardhan hill on the little finger of his left hand and held it up like an umbrella. All of Braj, with every cow and calf, sheltered under it. For seven days and seven nights Krishna held the hill without eating or moving. On the eighth day Indra's pride broke. He came down, bowed to Krishna and asked forgiveness. Kamadhenu bathed Krishna with her milk, and Indra named him Govinda, "the one who protects the cows".
Why Krishna is offered a 56 item Annakoot
Yashoda Maiya used to feed her Kanha eight times a day. For seven days, while holding the hill, he ate nothing. When the rain stopped, the people of Braj made up for every meal he had missed: 8 meals × 7 days = 56 dishes. That is the chappan bhog, and the heap of food it makes is the Annakoot, "a mountain of grain".
🍛 Offer the 56 item Annakoot to Govardhan ji this year. On 10 November it is offered at Govardhan Parvat Kshetra in Braj and then served to devotees as bhandara, with your name and gotra in the sankalp. Contribute to Annakoot (₹251) →
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56 item Annakoot list: the dishes offered to Govardhan ji
Every temple and family has its own list, and many temples offer far more than 56 items. Here is a commonly offered 56 item Annakoot, grouped so it is easy to plan.
| Group | Dishes |
|---|---|
| Grains and savouries (14) | Bhaat (rice), dal, kadhi, puri, kachori, khichdi, dalia, mathri, papad, pakode, vada, baati, roti, mixed sabzi of the season |
| Sweets (14) | Ladoo, jalebi, malpua, ghevar, mohanthal, peda, barfi, rasgulla, gulab jamun, halwa, lapsi, shakkarpara, gujiya, imarti |
| Milk and dairy (10) | Makhan (white butter), mishri-makhan, kheer, rabri, malai, dahi, shrikhand, basundi, ghee, panchamrit |
| Fruits and dry fruits (8) | Banana, apple, guava, sitaphal, singhara, kaju, badam, kishmish |
| Chutney, pickle and more (6) | Chutney, achaar, raita, murabba, sikarni, mukhwas (saunf) |
| Drinks and paan (4) | Thandai, sharbat, chaach, paan-beeda |
Two things are never missed: makhan-mishri, because Kanha loved butter, and tulsi leaves on every dish, because Krishna does not accept bhog without tulsi.
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Govardhan Puja vidhi at home
- Bathe early and clean the courtyard or the front of the house.
- Make Govardhan: with cow dung (or clay, or even food for flat-dwellers), shape a small hill in the form of a lying figure, with a navel made of a small bowl. Decorate it with flowers, kheel and small cows and cowherds.
- Puja: offer roli, akshat, flowers, a diya and incense to Govardhan ji, and pour milk, curd and honey into the navel bowl.
- Annakoot: place the bhog you have prepared in front of Govardhan ji, with tulsi on each dish. Even 5 or 11 dishes, made with love, are enough at home.
- Parikrama: walk around your Govardhan 7 times, sprinkling water and singing "Govardhan Maharaj, tere maathe mukut viraaj rahyo".
- Gau puja: bathe and decorate the cows if you have them, or feed a cow with jaggery and green fodder.
- Prasad: share the Annakoot with family, neighbours and people in need.
🐄 Govardhan Puja is Gau puja. Krishna is Govinda, the protector of cows. Have green chara offered to Gau Mata in your name on Govardhan Puja. Offer gau seva (₹201) →
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Govardhan Puja and Annakoot across India
- Braj (Mathura, Vrindavan, Govardhan): temples prepare enormous Annakoots, and lakhs of devotees do the 21 km Govardhan parikrama around the hill.
- Nathdwara (Rajasthan): Shrinathji, the deity of Govardhan, is offered one of the most famous Annakoots in the country.
- Gujarat: the day is Bestu Varas, the Gujarati New Year. People greet each other with "Saal Mubarak".
- Maharashtra and Karnataka: it is Bali Pratipada (Padwa), when King Bali returns to visit his people. Wives do aarti of their husbands.
- Some northern communities do Vishwakarma Puja of tools and machines on this day.
The story of King Bali and Vamana, and the other stories behind the festival, are in our complete story of Diwali.
🙏 Can't go to Braj this year? Join the Annakoot Seva at Govardhan from home: the 56 item Annakoot is offered in your name and gotra, served as bhandara, and you receive a video on WhatsApp. Contribute from ₹251 →
Govardhan abhishek for land, home and property
Govardhan is the hill that gave Braj its home and its shelter. That is why devotees pray to Govardhan ji for a house of their own, for land, and for matters of property. Along with the Annakoot, a Govardhan Parvat abhishek and maha puja is performed on this day with a sankalp for land and house.
🏡 Praying for a home or a property matter? The Govardhan Parvat Abhishek and Maha Puja is offered in your name on Govardhan Puja. Add it to your Annakoot Seva booking. Add Govardhan abhishek (₹901) →
Do's and don'ts on Govardhan Puja
- ✅ Do the puja and the Annakoot offering in the morning, and before Pratipada ends at 2:00 PM.
- ✅ Put tulsi on the bhog and include makhan-mishri.
- ✅ Feed cows and share the Annakoot with others. The Annakoot is meant to be distributed.
- ❌ Don't do Govardhan Puja sitting alone in a closed room; it is a community festival, done in the courtyard.
- ❌ Don't waste the bhog. What is left should go to people, cows and birds.
- ❌ Don't eat before the puja and the bhog are offered, if your family keeps that custom.
The next day, Wednesday 11 November, is Bhai Dooj, with the tilak muhurat from 1:09 PM to 3:19 PM. See the Bhai Dooj panchang.
🗓️ Check Govardhan Puja and Bhai Dooj timings for your city, along with choghadiya and your rashifal, in the free Devpunya Panchang. Open Devpunya Panchang →
Questions people ask about Govardhan Puja
Why is Govardhan Puja celebrated the day after Diwali?
Because the events of the Bhagavata Purana are remembered on Kartik Shukla Pratipada, the first day of the bright half of Kartik, which comes right after Diwali's Amavasya.
What is the difference between Annakoot and Govardhan Puja?
They are the same festival. Govardhan Puja is the worship of the hill; Annakoot ("mountain of food") is the offering made to it.
Why is Govardhan made of cow dung?
Because the cow is at the heart of the story, and cow dung is considered pure. In cities, families often make Govardhan from clay, flour or even from the bhog itself.
Can I do Govardhan parikrama on this day?
Yes. The 21 km parikrama of Govardhan hill on Govardhan Puja is one of the most sacred walks in Braj. It is usually done barefoot, starting and ending at Daan Ghati.
📖 Read next in the Diwali 2026 series
- Why We Celebrate Diwali and Its Complete Story
- Diwali 2026 Best Tithi and Lakshmi Puja Muhurat (8 November)
- How to Attract Maa Lakshmi on Diwali: 21 Things to Do
- Diwali Puja Rules 2026: Do's and Don'ts for Lakshmi Pujan
- Diwali Lakshmi Puja for Business Growth and Debt Relief
Add your name to the Govardhan Annakoot Seva
Govardhan Puja, 10 Nov · Govardhan, Braj · 56 item Annakoot offered to Govardhan ji, then served as bhandara. From ₹251.
Before Govardhan, complete your Diwali with the Samriddhi Mahapuja
Diwali, 8 Nov · Shri Gaja Lakshmi Temple, Ujjain · in your name and gotra, full HD video, prasad home. From ₹991.