All the cowherd men of Vrindavana had arranged to worship King Indra. Because Vrindavana is a village of vaisyas (farmers and dairymen), and especially dependent on the rain to grow crops and feed the cows, the cowherd men felt obliged  to offer Lord Indra some worship in order to ensure regular supply of rain.

However, Krishna persuaded His Father, Nanda Maharaja, to abandon the worship of Lord Indra and to use the preparations he had already made to worship the cows, the brahmanas (priests) and Govardhana Hill. He instructed His father to prepare delicious foodstuffs from the grains and ghee collected for Lord Indra’s yajna. Krishna ordered that this feast be offered to Govardhana Hill with Vedic mantras chanted by qualified brahmanas. He instructed that the cows be decorated and fed to their satisfaction. Then keeping the cows before them, the inhabitants of Vrindavana were to circumambulate Govardhana Hill.

When all these activities had been carefully performed, Krishna expanded Himself into a gigantic, transcendental form and declared to the inhabitants of Vrindavan that He was Himself Govardhana Hill, and accepted all the offerings made during the ceremony.

Being proud of his position as King of the Demigods, Lord Indra took great offense at his sacrifice being cancelled, and attempted to chastise Krishna and the inhabitants of Vrindavan by calling the samvartaka clouds (used to inundate the world at the end of each cycle of yugas) and instructing them to totally destroy the residents, the cows and the village of Vrindavana.

Lord Krishna offered protection to the cowherd men and women by lifting Govardhana Hill so they could shelter underneath from Indra’s wrath. Krishna exhibited His supreme mystic power by holding the mountain aloft for seven days with the little finger of his left hand.

Devotees celebrate this remarkable pastime by observing the festival called Govardhana Puja.