page_title: Govardhana sila
section_title: Legend
hierarchical_section_title: Govardhana sila / Legend
caption_attribution_description: English: "Gouache painting on paper from Nathdwara representing the autumn Annakuta Festival. This annual festival is observed by donating a mountain of food, usually rice, to the temple to symbolise the moment Krishna lifted Mount Govardhan to protect his villagers. In Nathdwara the food is then given to the Bhils, the tribal peoples living in Mewar. The left arm of the god Srinathji, a form of Kṛṣṇa, is raised and the murti (idol) is positioned in front of a picchvai decorated with a stylised floral pattern. Two priests attend the god, positioned on either side of the offering."
context_page_description: A Govardhana Shila is rock from the Govardhan Hill in Braj. Govardhan Hill holds a unique position in Hindu scriptures related to Krishna, the land called Vrij where He was born. Known as Govardhan or Giriraj and being the sacred center of Braj, it is identified as a natural form of Krishna. Indian art overwhelmingly prefers the iconic image, but some aniconism does occur in folk worship, early Buddhism, Shiva's Banalinga, and Vishnu's Saligrama Sila. They have solar significance, and their use in worship predates the Hindu period in India. The stone is usually brown in color.
  Govardhan, a very famous place of Hindu pilgrimage, is located 26 km west of Mathura on the state highway to Deeg. Govardhan is located on a narrow sandstone hill known as Giriraj which is about 8 km in length.
  When Chaitanya Mahaprabhu did parikrama of Govardhana Hill while visiting Vrindavana in 1515 AD, he did not walk on the hill because he considered Govardhana as non-different from Lord Krishna. Therefore, traditionally Vaishnavas don’t step on Govardhan hill.
context_section_description: It is believed that thousands of  years ago, Lord Krishna picked up a hill and held it above His head, with his pinky finger, for 7 days to protect his kinsfolk from the wrath of rain God Indra. This gave Krishna the epithet Govardhandhari. Since Lord Krishna declared that He and Govardhan Hill was non-different, the followers of the Vallabha_Acharya tradition, devotees of Lord Krishna, worship Govardhan Sila. They worship Govardhana-silas along with the Saligrama sila, both considered as aniconic symbols of the Supreme Personality of Godhead, exactly as they worship the Deity of Krishna in the temple. Lifting of Govardhan Hill,Krishna's Lifting Govardhan Hill,Giriraj Govardhan Puja,Krishna Lifting Govardhan Hill,Sri Giriraj Govardhan Puja. 
  English translation of the relevant texts on Govardahan Hill from Srimad Bhagvatam  state:
  Krishna assumed a great transcendental form and declared to the inhabitants of Vrindavana that He was Himself Govardhana Hill in order to convince the devotees that Govardhana Hill and Krishna are identical. The identity of Krishna and Govardhana Hill is still honored, and great devotees take rocks from Govardhan Hill, and worship them exactly as they worship the Deity of Krishna in the temple.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.24.35 purport)
   
  Of all the devotees, this Govardhana Hill is the best! O my friends, this hill supplies Krishna and Balarama, along with Their calves, cows and cowherd friends, will all kinds of necessities—water for drinking, very soft grass, caves, fruits, flowers and vegetables. In this way the hill offers respects to the Lord. Being touched by the lotus feet of Krishna and Balarama, Govardhana Hill appears very jubilant.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 10.21.18).
caption: Nathdwara Srinathji in the Govardhan leela pose, at the autumn Annakuta Festival.late 18th century.
exif: {"Image Software": "Picasa 3.0", "Image ExifOffset": "50", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "750", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1056", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0210", "Interoperability InteroperabilityIndex": "", "Interoperability InteroperabilityVersion": "[48, 49, 48, 48]", "EXIF InteroperabilityOffset": "150", "EXIF ImageUniqueID": "b7b6dcf43ecb434982fd4c278df1893d"}