Govardhan Festival of Uttar Pradesh
Name of Festival : Govardhan Festival
Time of celebration (Month)
Govardhan or Gordhan Festival is celebrated on the sixteenth day in the month of Kartika (October – November ) or just on the day following Diwali.
Major Territory of Celebration
Govardhan Festival is celebrated in the Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh state of India
Worship in Festival
In Festival of Govardhan People worship the Cows.
About Festival
Gobardhan means ‘prosperity for cows’ and seems to have its origin in the Krishna cult. On this day people decorate their cows and cattle and rub oil on their bodies and horns. On this day cattle are fed first of all in the morning and they are given green fodder, oil and sugar. People worshipped the Cows with the respect due to a goddess.
Bhils of Malwa sing to the cattle some anecdotal songs, known as Heeda. In the evening the figures of Gordhan are made by cow-dung and series of earthen lamps are placed near them. People made the 3 image , two image named Gordhan and third is Chugalkhor Jamai (back-biter son-in-law).They decorate it with flowers and then offer them prayers and special offerings.
Worshipping the Gordhan, Malwa women sing the Chandrawali song those are associated with Krishna’s romance.
Govardhan Puja festival is associated with a mythological legend in which Lord Krishna lifted the Mount Govardhan to protect the people & cattle of Gokul Village from the anger of Lord Indra.
In some villages of Gondwana the ritual grazing of cattle is done on this day. The men who have vowed to do so for twelve consecutive years are called ‘Mauniar’. During the day they must fast . On this day they remain in the jungle, grazing the cattle and may return to the village before dusk. Then they hang their flutes up in the house, take off their ornaments, wash their hands and take their first meal of the day.
