ISKCON Hare Krishna Hill, Rajajinagar and ISKCON Vaikuntha Hill, Vasanthapura, celebrated Govardhan Puja on 2 November 2024 to commemorate Lord Krishna’s divine lila of lifting Govardhana Hill to shield Vrindavan’s residents from Indra’s storm.
The Archakas decorated the utsava vigraha of Sri Sri Rajagopala Rukmini Satyabhama at ISKCON Vaikuntha Hill and of Sri Sri Krishna Balarama at ISKCON Hare Krishna Hill with a captivating Giridhari alankara of Lord Krishna lifting Govardhana Hill, signifying the Lord’s special care and protection for His devotees.
One of the celebration’s highlights was the devotees’ enthusiastic participation in the Gau puja and Gau seva, where they had the unique opportunity to feed the cows, following one of Lord Krishna’s important instructions in the Bhagavad-gita.
Around 5000 years ago Lord Krishna instructed the inhabitants of Vrindavan to cook various nice preparations with rice, ghee, dal, sweets and so on and offer them to Govardhana Hill. Following in their footsteps, devotees had prepared a grand feast as part of the Annakuta festival. The Archakas artistically arranged the offerings in the shape of Govardhana Hill, which were reverently offered to Lord Krishna. This was followed by a grand arati for Their Lordships, accompanied by the beautiful singing of the Sri Govardhanashtaka, enhancing the devotional atmosphere.
The celebration continued with an engaging audio-visual presentation on the significance of Govardhana Puja, featuring Srila Prabhupada’s insights, a pastime from the Little Krishna animated series, and images of sacred sites around Govardhana Hill.
The festivities culminated with the Damodara Arati performed during the Kartika masa, the Pallakki Utsava for Their Lordships, and the distribution of the grand Annakuta prasadam feast for the assembled devotees.
These events left everyone in a state of peace and bliss, marking the successful conclusion of the celebration.
Witness the entire celebrations here: