ISKCON celebrates Govardhan Giridhari festival

ISKCON celebrates Govardhan Giridhari festival

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangalore, Oct 28, 2011 : The International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) on Arya Samaj Road, Balmatta celebrated Govardhan Giridhari with great enthusiasm.

The highlights of the event were Go Puja (worship of cows), Govardhan Puja (the worship of the mountain), and distribution of cakes as prasadam. Cows and calves were honored and fed on that day.

According to a tradition in Mathura and Vrindavan, a large mount of rice or halwa, resembling Govardhan, is made and worshipped, after which it is distributed as prasadam to all the devotees. The ISKCON made a large vegetarian cake and distributed it among devotees.

The cake weighed around 150kgs and was made in the shape of Govardhan. Ingredients such as cherries, black grapes, Kodbale, grated coconut colored green and brown, biscuits, and others were used to resemble roads, grass, eyes, lips, ear rings, and ponds.

Yogish Bhat, the deputy speaker of the legislative assembly; MLC Captain Ganesh Karnik; Nagaraj Shetty, the chairman of the Coastal Development Authority; and Dr. Jeevraj Sorake, participated in this event along with hundreds of other people.

An aarti in commemoration of Damodara Kartik month marked the end of the event. 

Shri Shavaru Mahaganapathi Temple and Mangaladevi Temple worshipped cows in Mangalore on Thursday as part of Diwali celebrations. 

Govanithashraya Trust organized the Go Puja (worship of cows) at Mahaganapathi Temple. Leaders of pro-Hindu outfits such as Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad such as Dr. Anantha Krishna Bhat, Sharan Pumpwell, Jagadeesh Shenava, and Manohar were also present. 

The third day of Diwali is dedicated to cows, which are worshipped on this day. 

Speaking about the significance of this day, Mr. Pumpwell said that the cow, also referred to as “Gomatha” by devout Hindus, is inseparable from Hindu culture and tradition and is therefore highly respected and worshipped. He said that Hindus believe that the cow is man’s second mother because it gives milk, from which one can obtain ghee, curd, butter, and others. He also said that the puranas allot positions for all the 3 crore Hindu gods on the body of the cow.