Bhaktivedanta Narayana Gosvami
From the book “Sri Vraja-maṇḍala-parikramā”:
The place adjacent to Govardhana in Jatīpurā is called Annakūṭa- sthalī. Mādhavendra Purī held the grand Annakūṭa festival at this place for one month. Even now, Annakūṭa festivals are held here on special occasions, and each day of the year thousands of pilgrims bathe Girirāja with many litres of milk.
Rajashekhara Dasa
From the book “Chaurasi-kosa Vraja Mandala Parikrama”:
This is where the famous annakuta festival was held when the Vrajavasis led by Nanda Maharaja, prepared hundreds of wonderful preparations and offered a great feast to Giriraja Maharaja, as part of their Govardhana puja ceremony. The word ‘annakuta’ means an offered ‘cooked grains’ to the Deity. In Vraja-vilasa-stava it is written: “When the best of the cowherds, Nanda Maharaja, offered a large quantity of food to Govardhana, Shri Krishna, the killer of Agha, transformed Himself into a huge form, proclaiming that He Himself was Govardhana. Deceiving even Radharani, He ate all the offered food. Let me take shelter of this place known as Annakuta-sthana.”
