Recalls Krishna lifting the Govardhan hill on a single finger, sheltering the people of Vraj from the storm Indra sent after they turned their worship to Krishna instead. Households prepare annakut — a "mountain of food" — in offering.
कार्तिक शुक्ल प्रतिपदा · दिन ४
The story is often read as Krishna redirecting devotion from Indra, a nature-deity tied to weather and power, toward the land and community that sustains daily life — a shift in what is considered worth worshipping.
In Vraj (Mathura-Vrindavan), the hill itself is circumambulated by pilgrims — the Govardhan Parikrama, a roughly 21 km walk kept by thousands each year.