Govardhan is celebrated because Lord Krishna lifted the Govardhan mountain in Vrindavan with his little finger and held it so for seven days to protect the cows and people of the town from the deluge sent down by an enraged Indra, the god of heaven and rain.
So Govardhan mountai is worshipped. Those who cannot go to the site worship it at home with great devotion and give gifts to Brahmins. Cows and bulls are also decorated and worshipped.
Pious people keep awake the whole night and cook fifty-six or 108 different types of food for the bhog (the offering of food) to God Krishna. This ceremony is called ankut which means a mountain of food. Various types of food – cereals, pulses, fruit, vegetables, chutneys, pickles, and salads – are offered to the Deity and then distributed as prasada to devotees.
