Why Lord Krishna is offered a feast of 56 meals and where to find it?

On the day of Krishna Janmashtami, many devotees prepare an array of delicacies to offer them to the deity. While, makhan-mishri, panjiri, coconut and dry fruits based sweets and a delicious concoction of milk, yoghurt, ghee, sugar and dried fruits is commonly prepared in most of the Hindu households, there is something remarkable called the Chappan Bhog which takes Janmashtami celebrations higher by several notches.


So, what is Chappan Bhog? Well, Chappan translates into the number 56 in pure Hindi and Bhog means “food offering”. Though it is not a hard and fast rule, the devotees of Krishna put in the effort to make or put together 56 food items for feeding him on his birthday. The reason why 56 dishes are offered is the fact that Krishna, in his childhood, had held the entire Govardhan Mountain at the tip of his smallest finger to give shelter to the entire population of Gokul, his native village, from the incessant rainfall and floods that hit the region due to the ire of Lord Indra.
It is said that for seven days, Krishna held the benevolent mountain to protect the villagers, which is a miracle of miracles fondly remembered even today. Finally, Lord Indra relented and surrendered his ego at Krishna’s feet. Life resumed at its normal pace in Gokul, but, the grateful and loving villagers, out of sheer devotion for Krishna, offered to feed him with 56 dishes since he had missed his 8 daily meals for 7 days! The compensatory diet of 56 meals became famous ever since, and 56 has been a favoured number for appeasing the deities since ages.

A typical Chappan Bhog comprises makhan mishri, badam milk, mohanbhog, kheer, jeera ladoo, jalebi, rasgulla, rabri, malpua, moong dal halwa, mathri, chutney, murabba, saag, dahi, rice, dal, kadi, ghewar, chila, papad, pakoda, khichadi, brinjal sabji, lauki sabji, poori, tikkis, dried fruits, paan and so much more. It is believed that the milk items should be offered first, followed by salted and sweet savouries.


Where to find it? If you wish to see from your very own eyes how Lord Krishna enjoys a feast of 56 dishes, you may visit your nearest ISCKON temple shrine, Jagannath Puri Temple in Odisha or any other renowned Krishna temple.