A mountain of dishes offered to Krishna on Govardhan Puja; temples display hundreds of foods

Annakut, 'mountain of food', is the offering of a huge variety of dishes to Lord Krishna on Kartika Shukla Pratipada, the day after Diwali, together with Govardhan Puja. When Krishna persuaded the people of Braj to worship Govardhan Hill instead of Indra, the angry Indra sent seven days of torrential rain; Krishna lifted the hill on his little finger and sheltered everyone beneath it. Since he had not eaten for seven days, and was used to eight meals a day, the grateful gopis prepared 56 dishes (chhappan bhog) for him. Annakut recreates this: temples and homes stack cooked grains, vegetables, sweets and savouries into a mountain before the deity. At Nathdwara, Swaminarayan temples, and ISKCON temples, hundreds or even thousands of dishes are arranged in tiers, and the 'kadhi-chawal' and mixed-vegetable annakut sabzi are shared as prasad. In Gujarat it coincides with Bestu Varas, the New Year, and in the Pushti Marg tradition it is the grandest festival of the year. Annakut expresses gratitude for the harvest and faith that God protects those who shelter in him.

A feast day; no fast.