The Lakshmi puja is the central act of Diwali. On the evening of the new Moon day (Amavasya) families clean the house, light lamps at the door and worship Lakshmi, the goddess of prosperity, with Ganesha beside her. Many homes also include Kubera or Saraswati, and business families add a short worship of their account books, known as chopda pujan in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
The text below describes a common household order. It is a guide, not a rule book. A family priest, or the custom you grew up with, comes first.
Timing
The puja is done in the evening, in the period after sunset called Pradosh. Because sunset differs from city to city, so does the best window. For the exact date and the muhurat in your city, use the Diwali dates and Lakshmi Puja times page, which lists 49 cities, or open the page for New Delhi, New York or London. For another place, the any-city tool will work it out. We do not state dates on this page, so that you always read them from the one place that is calculated.
Samagri: what to gather
| Item | Use |
|---|---|
| Pictures or idols of Lakshmi and Ganesha | The focus of the worship; a clay or metal idol or a framed picture both serve |
| A wooden stool (chowki) with red or yellow cloth | The seat for the deities |
| Kalash (a pot of water) with mango leaves and a coconut | Represents the divine presence; placed to the right of the deities |
| Rice grains, turmeric, kumkum, sandal paste | For tilak and for offering |
| Flowers, especially lotus or marigold, and a garland | Offered at several steps |
| Durva grass and a few coins | Durva for Ganesha; coins are placed before Lakshmi |
| Ghee or oil lamps, incense, camphor | Light, fragrance and the final aarti |
| Sweets, puffed rice (khil), batasha, fruit and betel leaf | Naivedya, the food offering |
| Water, a small bell, a plate and a spoon | For the sipping, sprinkling and ringing |
Steps in order
- Clean the house in the days before, and bathe on the day. Draw rangoli at the entrance and place lamps at the door.
- Spread the cloth on the chowki, set the pictures facing east or west, and place the filled kalash. Sit on a mat facing the deities.
- Light a lamp and incense. Sip water three times and sprinkle a little over yourself and the samagri to purify them.
- Take the sankalp: state quietly, in your own words or your priest’s, who you are and that you are offering this worship.
- Invoke Ganesha first, offer him durva, flowers and a sweet, and ask that the puja proceed without obstacle.
- Invoke Lakshmi. Offer her water to wash the feet, a seat of flowers, tilak, a garland and a cloth or a red thread.
- Offer the coins, a lotus if you have one, and the sweets. Many families recite a Lakshmi stotra or the names of Lakshmi at this point.
- Light the camphor and sing the aarti. The usual choices are the Lakshmi aarti, the Ganesh aarti and Om Jai Jagdish Hare.
- Share the prasad, then light the rest of the lamps through the home, the doorway and the courtyard.
The katha
The story most often told on this day is the churning of the ocean. As the tradition tells it, the sage Durvasa once gave Indra a garland, and Indra, careless, let his elephant trample it. Durvasa’s displeasure took the gods’ strength and good fortune with it. Vishnu advised them to churn the ocean of milk together with the asuras, using Mount Mandara as the rod and the serpent Vasuki as the rope.
Many things rose from the ocean. Lakshmi came out seated on a lotus, holding lotus flowers, and the gods and asuras both wished to claim her. She walked past them and garlanded Vishnu. The day is remembered as the day she chose to dwell where there is order, light and goodwill, which is why homes are cleaned and lit to welcome her.
Other regions tell other tales for the same night, among them the return of Rama to Ayodhya. These are not in conflict; different communities remember different stories on one day.
Regional variations
Customs differ by region and family; follow your family’s custom. Gujarati and Marwari families begin the new business year and open new account books. In Bengal the night is given to Kali. In parts of the south the main day is the one before. Some families place a silver coin, some a set of five fruits, and some do the puja with only a lamp and flowers.
Fasting and food
There is no fixed fast for this puja. Many families eat only after the worship, and some keep a light day until the evening. If you are pregnant, diabetic, unwell or on regular medication, please eat on time. Doctors can advise on any fast, and a lamp and a sincere prayer are a complete offering.
Frequently asked questions
↳ Can the Lakshmi puja be done without a priest?
Yes. Most families do it at home. Light a lamp, invoke Ganesha, offer flowers and sweets to Lakshmi, and sing the aarti. If you want a full ritual with mantras, a priest can guide it, but a simple puja done with sincerity is accepted in the tradition.
↳ Why is Ganesha worshipped before Lakshmi?
Ganesha is invoked at the start of almost every Hindu ritual as the remover of obstacles. Some families also say that wealth needs wisdom, and Ganesha is the deity of wisdom, so he is seated beside Lakshmi.
↳ What if I miss the muhurat?
The muhurat is a recommended window, not a test. If work or travel makes it hard, do the puja at another time in the evening, or follow the time your family or temple announces.
↳ Can I do the puja abroad?
Yes. Use the muhurat for your own city, since sunset is local. The festival pages list 49 cities across North America, Europe, Australia, the Gulf, Asia and Africa.