Govardhan Puja
Encyclopedia
Govardhan Puja, also called Annakut (meaning a heap of grain) , is celebrated as the day Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...

 defeated Indra
Indra
' or is the King of the demi-gods or Devas and Lord of Heaven or Svargaloka in Hindu mythology. He is also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall.Indra is one of the chief deities in the Rigveda...

. Lord Krishna taught people to worship nature, as mountains bring rains to earth and to stop worshiping the God of Rains, Lord Indra. His was the message that we should take care of our nature. For Annakut a mountain of food is decorated symbolizing Govardhan mountain said to be lifted by Lord Krishna to save the people from the wrath of Lord Indra, the God of rain. In Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...

 it is celebrated as Padva or BaliPratipada. The day commemorates King Bali. Men present gifts to their wives on this day. In Gujarat, it is celebrated as New Year, as Vikram Samvat starts on this day. Govardhan puja is when Lord Krishna stopped the people of Vridavan dham worshipping Lord Indra because Indra had gotten too proud of himself so Lord Krishna completely stopped it and told the inhabitants of Vrindavana to worship Govardhan Hill. This worship has carried on from 5000 years ago to the 21st Century.
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