‘Govardhan Puja’ was celebrated by the Hare Krishna Movement at CMR Function Hall at Venkojipalem on Sunday evening.
A replica of Govardhan hill with 100 kg of cake and 200 varieties of sweets like ‘ragi laddu’, ‘ragi janthikalu’, ‘kaja’, ‘Mysore pak’, ‘sugar ariselu’, ‘jaggery ariselu’ and dry fruits was made and offered to Lord Krishna.
Later, it was distributed as ‘maha prasadam’ to all the devotees. Along with replica of Govardhan hill, items made with milk like ‘rasgulla’, ‘gulabjamun’, ‘sandesh’, ‘paneer’ and ‘doodh peda’ were also offered to Lord Krishna. ‘Go puja’ was performed.
As part of Deepotsava, the venue was lit up with multiple traditional lamps and devotees offered ghee lamp to Lord Krishna. Niskinchana Bhaktha Dasa, president of Hare Krishna Movement, delivered a lecture on the importance of ‘Govardhn Puja’ and ‘Go puja.’
It is said that 5,000 years ago Lord Krishna lifted the Govardhan Hill and saved His devotees from the wrath of King Indra. This hill is still present in the land of Vrindavan, Mathura district in Uttar Pradesh. The puja is celebrated in commemoration of the day on which Lord Krishna performed this feat.
By lifting Govardhan Hill, Lord Krishna established His supremacy and declared that His devotees will always be protected. The event also signifies the importance of cow protection as Lord Krishna personally performed this festival by offering varieties of food items made from cow milk and ghee as a sacrifice to Govardhan Hill. Devotees circumambulate the hill as a mark of vrata(sacrifice) on this day. During the circumambulation, they offer milk, ghee and various items made from ghee to Lord Krishna in the Govardhan temple.
