Lakshmi Puja

Welcoming the goddess

Preparation starts days ahead with sweeping, washing and decorating the home, as tradition holds that Lakshmi enters the cleanest spaces first. Patterns such as rangoli, alpana or jhunti are drawn at doorsteps with rice paste or coloured powder. As dusk falls, people put on their finest clothes and set rows of oil-filled clay lamps along ledges, parapets and windowsills to guide the goddess inside. Family members praise mothers on this day, honouring them as living reflections of Lakshmi's nurturing fortune. Relatives and neighbours exchange visits, gifts and traditional sweets.

The evening ritual

Before prayer begins, the sacred space is purified with incense fumes from burning benzoin. A new cloth is laid across a raised altar, topped with scattered grains and a metal jug filled with water, betel nut, a flower, a coin and rice. An image of Lakshmi sits upon mango leaves and rice atop the pot, while a statue of Ganesha stands nearby alongside business ledgers. The deity is bathed in a sacred five-ingredient mixture of milk, yoghurt, clarified butter, honey and sugar, before being adorned with turmeric, vermilion, sandalwood paste and garlands.

Regional variations

Regional customs reflect diverse traditions. In Bengal and Assam, Kojagori Lokkhi Pujo takes place on the autumn full moon following Durga Puja, with offerings of fruit, lentils and puffed sweets. Odisha marks the occasion as Gajalakshmi Puja, a multi-day observance where a cane measuring pot is filled with fresh paddy while recitations from the Lakshmi Purana take place. In Nepal, the ritual forms the third day of the five-day Tihar festival, where people buy new metal utensils, silver or gold, cleanse spaces with red mud and water, and sing Bhailo melodies.

How Lakshmi Puja is kept

Families thoroughly tidy and decorate their residences, drawing bright patterns across entrance thresholds. In the evening, participants dress in new or formal clothing and light clay lamps across balconies and windows. An altar is set with a consecrated water vessel, grains, account ledgers and deity figures. Worshippers purify the room with incense, recite sacred verses, bathe the deity image, and present vermilion, flower garlands, puffed rice, fruits and sweets. The ceremony concludes with an aarti prayer and bell ringing, after which blessed foods are shared.

When and where

Lakshmi Puja usually takes place on the new moon day of the Hindu month of Ashvin or Kartika, during the Diwali and Tihar festivals in October or November. In eastern regions including Bengal, Assam and Odisha, it is observed earlier on the full moon of Ashvin.

The observance is celebrated throughout India and Nepal, held inside family homes, shops and communal pandals. Regional forms flourish strongly across northern, southern and eastern India, as well as throughout the towns and villages of Nepal.

What Lakshmi Puja means

Lighting lamps represents dispelling darkness and inviting prosperity, auspiciousness and moral clarity into the household. Cleaning the home reflects the belief that divine grace inhabits orderly, joyful spaces. Ganesha is honoured first to remove obstacles, while Kubera and Lakshmi represent spiritual and material abundance. Celebrating mothers honours their vital role as protectors and sustainers of domestic well-being.

On the table

Flavours: Turmeric Coriander Cumin

Days Lakshmi Puja is marked

Questions people ask about Lakshmi Puja

See also

Sharad PurnimaA Hindu autumn full moon festival of night vigils, moonlit sweets and sacred dancesHoliA spring festival of colours and bonfires that marks the end of winter and the triumph of good over evil.As-salamu alaykumA traditional Arabic greeting of peace exchanged in daily life and prayerPongalThree or four days of boiling rice, garlanded cattle and thanks to the sun

Good reading and sources

• Lakshmi Puja on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-04.