Lucknow, Oct. 23 -- Thousands of devotees flocked to city temples to participate in Annakoot Puja on Wednesday. At the 163-year-old Kali Bari Temple, devotees gathered on Wednesday evening to offer "Chhappan Bhog" (56 food items) to the goddess as part of Govardhan Puja. After the rituals, devotees returned home carrying packets filled with sweets and bhog prasad. "Annakoot, also known as Govardhan Puja, is celebrated to worship Lord Krishna and Mount Govardhan. On this auspicious day, devotees offer 56 different dishes to Lord Krishna (Chhappan Bhog). Annakoot Puja is a special attraction at Kali Bari Temple," said Amit Goswami, the purohit at Kali Bari Temple. According to Gautam Bhattacharya, president of the managing committee of Kali Bari, the offerings included a variety of food items such as fried rice, sweets, fruits, dry fruits, namkeens and paneer pakoda. "The tradition of offering 56 different types of food to the deity dates back to the time when Lord Krishna held Govardhan Parvat on his finger for a week. During that time, food was served to Lord Krishna eight times a day for seven days, resulting in the offering of 56 items in the bhog," Bhattacharya explained. At Rabindrapalli Kali Bari also, Kali Puja was celebrated with great enthusiasm today. A special celebration was held at the International Society of Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), where Govardhan Hill was revered with an abhishek and a bhog of 256 delicacies was offered at the temple. Govardhan Katha and Hari Kirtan were also organised. Hari Sabha temple at Maqboolganj also conducted Annakoot Puja, with bhog prasad distributed among devotees, said Taran Nath Bhattacharya, the temple's purohit. At Khatu Shayamji Mandir, Mahaprasad was distributed on the occasion. Earlier on Monday, Kali Puja was celebrated at all Kali temples and pandals across the city, including Risaldar Park, where a grand celebration began with the chanting of Vedic mantras. At Ramakrishna Math, festivities continued throughout Monday night, with all programs live-streamed on its official YouTube channel....