A few months ago, on one of the heritage walks led by Rajesh Govindarajulu, he pointed out a Krishna Temple on Vysial street and spoke fondly of the Annakoot festival celebrated around Diwali. He was kind enough to take me along to the celebration last Sunday —the bhajans, bhog and brotherhood was truly a feast for the senses.
Annakoot , also known as Govardhan Puja , is an annual festival traditionally celebrated on the fourth day after Diwali. It is a thanks-giving to Krishna for lifting the Govardhan mountain with his little finger to protect the people.
Annakoot literally translates to mountains of food. Food prepared by the devotees is symbolically arranged in the form of mounds (a metaphorical representation of the Govardhan mountain) and offered to Krishna along with prayers and songs in his praise.
The Vaishnava Gujarathi community of Coimbatore comes together in the Krishna temple on Vysial street to celebrate Annakoot. The in-house priest and his family start preparing for the feast three days ahead of the festival. The sweets are the first to be prepared and the dishes that include fresh vegetables are prepared on the final day.
Annakoot provides an opportunity for the community to come together in a celebratory mood and share the bounties of Mother Nature in the form of delicious food. A part of the offerings, especially the sweets like badusha, boondi, laddu and some savoury farsan are packed in neat parcels for people to take back home. The rest is enjoyed there after the aarti.
We lined up in the backyard of the temple under the setting sun where eager children were taught to serve the food to the people under the guidance of their mothers and aunts, along with fresh fruit and paan.
The food included Moong Dal Halwa, Rice Kheer, Bajra roti and butter, varieties of Bhajjias including potato, methi and chilli, Paatra, Dahi vada, varieties of vegetables including greens, sweet potato and pumpkin, Oondiyoo with Poori, Kadhi with Rice and variety of fresh pickles made from tindoora, raw mango and turnip. Every dish was delicious and distinct from the other, made with the freshest of ingredients and utmost care and attention.
The community in Coimbatore celebrates this festival on the Sunday following Diwali. Busy lives and parking challenges on narrow lanes have led them to pick a day that is convenient for a larger number of people. This is a perfect example of how we can follow our traditions, despite the problems of modern times.
