Prasad, or sanctified food (food first offered to the Lord), makes an inherent part of Bhakti culture. So it is impossible to not have a festival that celebrates food. And when we celebrate it, we have that grand that we have a mountain of food that builds up for the pleasure of the Lord. It is observed on the auspicious day of Govardhan Pooja which is next day of Diwali (the festival of lamps). This was the auspicious day when Lord Sri Krishna lifted the mountain called Govardhan almost five thousand years ago to give protection to the cowherd people of Vrindavan. This narration is documented in the Vedic text Srimad Bhagavatam.

At Radha Gopinath temple devotees start building a bamboo structure a day before, which can be used to build a mountain of food the next day. It is as huge as 14 feet in width and 15 feet in height with provision made to hold different containers of food. Next day, almost whole temple converts into a kitchen. Not only are preparations going on for preparing hundred’s items for Lord but there is huge preparation to serve a feast to all the devotees also. There is dry food, wet food, sweet food, salty food, spicy food, crunchy food, crispy food, gooey food, hot food, cold food, juices and pickles and many more. So many items are prepared but most amazing are the number of sweets that come out that day. It’s amazing to witness the creativity of devotees in creating sweets different in taste color, form and appearance. This doesn’t end here as congregation devotees prepare items at home and get them to offer to Lord. Devotees also get lot of fruits like apples, bananas, pomegranates, papayas, peaches, plums, guavas, pineapples, oranges, strawberries, melons, grapes, berries etc.

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Every year Radhanath Swami is on pilgrimage with thousands of his disciples to some holy place in India during this time. But there also these devotees prepare 100’s of items in clay pots for the pleasure of Lords. The number of dishes prepared in an open kitchen by devotees at times has reached beyond an unbelievable number of 1000…wow!!

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On the festival day devotees gather for a class in afternoon where the pastime of mountain lifting is cherished by everyone. Followed by it is ecstatic kirtan when all the preparations are offered to the Lord. Devotees dance and circumvent the mountain of food after the offering waiting with a hope in their hearts that their favorite delicacy will come to them during distribution… Finally, everyone enjoys the fest. And as someone said good food ends with good talk but at Radha Gopinath temple it ends with great memories that come again….