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Govardhan Puja - Bali Pratipada & Annakut

Krishna lifts Govardhan; a mountain of food is offered in thanks.

Tuesday, 10 November 2026·Kartik Shukla Pratipada·Mumbai, Maharashtra

Main Muhurta★★★★☆
Govardhan Puja - Pratahkala
6:43 am – 8:58 am(2 hr 16 min)
Time to muhurta…
On the Day
  • Build and worship a Govardhan of cow-dung or food
  • Offer Annakut - a spread of many dishes - to Krishna
  • Honour cattle; Vishwakarma Puja where observed
  • Padwa: gifts between husband and wife (west)

Muhurtas

Govardhan Puja - Pratahkala★★★★☆
6:43 am – 8:58 am · 2 hr 16 min

Morning worship of Govardhan and the Annakut offering.

Why this rank: The morning window (first fifth of the day) traditionally used for Govardhan Puja and Annakut.
Deity: KrishnaDo: Building the Govardhan figure, Arranging and offering Annakut
Govardhan Puja - Sayankala★★★★☆
3:45 pm – 6:01 pm · 2 hr 16 min

Evening worship where the morning window is missed.

Why this rank: The evening window (last fifth of the day) - the alternative traditional time for the puja.
Deity: Krishna
Auspicious Choghadiya★★★☆☆
  • Labh 10:57 am – 12:22 pm
  • Amrit 12:22 pm – 1:47 pm
  • Shubh 3:11 pm – 4:36 pm

New ventures, purchases and account-opening on the Vikram new year (west).

Why this rank: The day's good Choghadiya blocks - for new-year purchases and shop-opening (Bali Pratipada).

This day's panchang

TithiShukla Pratipada
NakshatraVishakha
YogaShobhana
KaranaBava
MasaKartika
SamvatVikram 2083

Significance

Importance

The fourth day of Diwali. It honours Krishna's lifting of Mount Govardhan to shelter Vrindavan from Indra's storm, celebrated with Annakut - a 'mountain' of food offered to the deity. In the west it is Bali Pratipada, marking the benevolent king Bali's yearly return, and the start of the Vikram Samvat new year in Gujarat.

Religious significance

Gratitude to nature, cattle and food; the humbling of pride (Indra's); and the honouring of generosity (Bali's). Annakut expresses thanks for abundance.

Why it is celebrated

To thank Krishna and the natural world for sustenance, to build and worship a Govardhan of cow-dung or food, and (west) to greet the new Vikram Samvat year.

The story

When the people of Vrindavan prepared their annual worship of Indra, Krishna urged them to honour Govardhan hill and their cattle instead. Enraged, Indra sent torrential rain; Krishna lifted the entire hill on his little finger as an umbrella for seven days until Indra relented. In another thread, Vishnu's Vamana avatar pressed the generous demon-king Bali to the netherworld but granted him a yearly return to visit his people - Bali Pratipada.

Who celebratesVaishnava households and temples (especially the Pushtimarg/Nathdwara tradition); Gujarati and Marathi families as Bali Pratipada / Padwa.
Where observedNorth India and Braj (Govardhan/Annakut); Gujarat and Maharashtra (Bali Pratipada, new-year, husband–wife Padwa customs).

Associated deities

Krishna (Govardhan)BaliVishwakarma

What to do

Recommended

  • Build and worship a Govardhan of cow-dung or food
  • Offer Annakut - a spread of many dishes - to Krishna
  • Honour cattle; Vishwakarma Puja where observed
  • Padwa: gifts between husband and wife (west)

Avoid

  • Neglecting or mistreating cattle on this day
  • Wasting food from the Annakut offering

Regional variations

Special notes

Frequently asked questions

What is Annakut?

A 'mountain of food' - dozens of vegetarian dishes arranged and offered to Krishna in thanks for abundance, then shared as prasad.

Is Bali Pratipada the same day as Govardhan Puja?

Yes - the same Kartik Shukla Pratipada; the name and customs differ by region.

When is the puja performed?

In the Pratahkala (morning) window, or the Sayankala (evening) window if the morning is missed - both shown above.

All timings are computed for Mumbai, Maharashtra and follow Drik-style rules (sunrise/sunset, Pradosh-vyapini placement, sthir-lagna muhurtas). Times shift with your location - change your city on the calendar to recompute.