Govardhan

Govardhan's history as a sacred site reaches into the Bhagavata Purana and the long oral tradition of Krishna katha. The town of Govardhan was rediscovered as a tirtha centre by the Gaudiya saints in the sixteenth century. Sanatan Goswami, Rupa Goswami, and Raghunath Das Goswami spent decades at Radha Kund, and their bhajan kutirs along the kund remain pilgrim sites. The Govardhan temples — Haridev Mandir on the Mansi Ganga (built by Raja Bhagwant Das in the sixteenth century), Brahma Kund Mandir, and the smaller shrines along the parikrama path — were built between the 16th and 19th centuries by Vaishnava patrons from across north India.

The Krishna Janmashtami of 1968 saw the establishment of the Govardhan-Vrindavan parikrama in its modern form by Gaudiya Vaishnava sampradayas. Today the parikrama draws lakhs of pilgrims on Govardhan Puja, Guru Purnima, and Ekadashi days.

Govardhan town centres on the Mansi Ganga — a large stone-paved lake at the heart of the town, surrounded by ghats and small temples. Haridev Mandir, built in red sandstone in the late Mughal style, sits on the Mansi Ganga and houses the deity Haridev (Krishna) in a fine sixteenth-century shrine.

Along the parikrama path are smaller stone temples to Daan Ghati Krishna, Mukharavind (the lotus-mouth of Govardhan), Punchhari (the tail), Apsara Kund, Surya Kund, and finally Radha Kund and Shyam Kund with their many goswami bhajan kutirs. The architecture is intimate, weathered, and continuous with the natural rock of the hill.

The Govardhan parikrama is the central rite — 23 kilometres on foot around the hill. Traditional pilgrims walk barefoot; many do dandavat parikrama, prostrating their full length at every step, which takes days to complete. The conventional start is at Dan Ghati (or Mansi Ganga); the path passes Punchhari, Aniyor, Jatipura (where Vallabhacharya saw Krishna), Radha Kund, Shyam Kund, Kusum Sarovar, and returns to Dan Ghati. The walk takes about six to eight hours at a comfortable pace.

Special practices include the Annakut offering on the day after Diwali — vast mounds of grains, sweets, and seasonal vegetables are offered to Giriraj Maharaj, then distributed as prasad. Govardhan-darshan from any one of the seven Govardhan ridges is held to be especially auspicious. Pilgrims also collect a small silaka (stone) from the hill — but tradition holds that one should not take the silaka without permission and a strong devotional reason.

Pujas commonly arranged include Giriraj abhishek with milk, ghee, and panchamrit; recitation of the Govardhan Ashtakam by Sri Vallabhacharya; and the chappan bhog offering of fifty-six items to Giriraj on festival days.