Govardhan Puja and Annakut: Why Cows Are Honoured the Day After Diwali
By Thaaro Foods · 8 October 2026
The day after Diwali, villages bathe and decorate their cows, shape a Govardhan from cow dung and cook a mountain of food. The story and the customs.
For a family that keeps cows, the day after Diwali is as important as Diwali itself. It is Govardhan Puja, and across Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Braj it is the cows' day.
The story
The people of Braj used to make offerings to Indra, the god of rain. The young Krishna asked them to honour instead Govardhan hill, which gave their cows grass and water. Angered, Indra sent a storm, and Krishna lifted Govardhan hill on his little finger so that the villagers and their cows could shelter under it until the rain stopped. The festival remembers that day.
Gau puja: the cows' day
In villages the morning starts in the cattle shed:
- Cows, calves and bullocks are bathed, their horns painted, and garlands of marigold tied around their necks.
- They are fed something special, often a sweet made with jaggery and grain.
- The family does an aarti and a tilak, and asks for the herd's well-being for the year.
The Govardhan of cow dung
In many homes the women shape a small Govardhan in the courtyard from fresh cow dung, with figures of Krishna, cows and cowherds, decorated with flowers, cotton and grain. The family walks around it (parikrama) and worships it in the evening. Cow dung is also what cow dung cakes for havan are made of.
Annakut: a mountain of food
Annakut means "a heap of grain". Homes and temples cook as many dishes as they can (sabzis, kadhi, rice, puris, sweets) and offer them to Krishna as a hill of food, then share it with everyone. Many dishes are cooked in ghee from the household's own cows. Ideas for the sweets: atta halwa and Diwali sweets with ghee.
In our village
Thaaro is made in Nijamnagar, a village near Alwar, from the milk of cows and buffaloes. Read our story, see how our ghee is made, or light the evening diya with ghee: how to make a ghee diya.
Questions
When is Govardhan Puja celebrated?
On the day after Diwali, the first day of the bright half of the month of Kartik.
Why are cows worshipped on Govardhan Puja?
The festival remembers Krishna lifting Govardhan hill to shelter the people of Braj and their cows from Indra’s storm, and honours the cows and the land that feed the village.
What is Annakut?
A "mountain of food": many dishes cooked at home or in temples, offered to Krishna and then shared.