🪔 Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) Puja Vidhi — step by step
This is the householder's home vidhi — cleaning and decoration in the day, Lakshmi-Ganesha puja in Pradosh Kaal, then the lamps.
How to do Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) — the steps
- Bathe in the morning; final cleaning of the house; at the main door rangoli, a toran (mango/ashoka leaves and marigold), Lakshmi's footprints on both sides (from the threshold inwards), swastik and shubh-labh.
- Evening puja place: in the north-east (Ishan) or east, a red/yellow cloth on a wooden seat; in the centre a new idol of Lakshmi-Ganesha (Ganesha to Lakshmi's right), with pictures of Kuber and Saraswati, a kalash (water, betel nut, coin, mango leaves, coconut), a silver/copper coin, account books, the key of the safe.
- In Pradosh Kaal (time above) sit with the family; with water, akshat and flowers in hand take the sankalp — 'I worship Lakshmi and Ganesha for the happiness and prosperity of the family.'
- First Ganesha puja (durva, modak/laddoo, sindoor), then kalash puja, then Lakshmi puja — bath (water and panchamrit), cloth, lotus/rose flowers, perfume, roli-akshat, kheel-batasha, sweets, fruit, paan-supari, cloves-cardamom; chant 'Om Shreem Hreem Shreem Kamale Kamalalaye Praseed Praseed Shreem Hreem Shreem Om Mahalakshmyai Namah' or recite Shri Sukta/Lakshmi Chalisa.
- Worship Kuber, Saraswati, the account books and the safe; keep new coins and ornaments in the puja. Roli-akshat on household tools/vehicles too.
- Aarti — 'Om Jai Lakshmi Mata', then 'Jai Ganesh Deva'; camphor aarti; all family members touch the feet of elders, elders give blessings and shagun to the young.
- Deepdaan: light all the lamps of the house from the puja lamp — the door first, then Tulsi, kitchen, water place, terrace, every room, out to the lane/drain; one large lamp (or akhand) burns all night at the puja place. The count of lamps 11, 21, 51 or as per family custom.
- If the Ahoi/Karwa Chauth karwa has been kept, sprinkle its water in the house and wipe the Ahoi Mata picture. Distribute prasad; give sweets and shagun to neighbours, sanitation workers and household help.
- Keep the main door open/lit with lamps at night for Lakshmi's arrival; next morning (Govardhan/Pratipada) clean the puja place and prepare the Annakut.
Puja samagri checklist
Merge the Dhanteras list into this — the samagri for all three days comes together.
- Idol of Lakshmi-Ganesha (clay, new), pictures of Kuber and Saraswati, red-yellow cloth, wooden seat
- Kalash, mango leaves, coconut, betel nut, coin, mauli, Gangajal
- Earthen diyas (21/51), mustard oil, ghee, cotton wicks, one large lamp/akhand
- Roli, kumkum, turmeric, sandalwood, akshat, sindoor, perfume, durva
- Flowers — lotus (dear to Lakshmi), rose, marigold; garland, toran
- Kheel-batasha, sugar toys, sweets (laddoo-barfi), fruit (custard apple/pomegranate/water chestnut), paan-supari, cloves-cardamom
- Panchamrit (milk-curd-ghee-honey-sugar), modak/laddoo (for Ganesha)
- New coin/ornament, account books, pen, key of the safe
- Rangoli colours, Lakshmi footprint stencils, swastik and shubh-labh stickers
- Incense, agarbatti, camphor, aarti thali, Lakshmi Chalisa/Shri Sukta book
- Shagun envelopes, sparklers for children (limited)
Lakshmi bhog and Diwali dishes
Lakshmi loves white and sweet — kheel-batasha and kheer are the bhog of every home. Cooking begins from Dhanteras and runs till Bhai Dooj.
- Bhog: kheel-batasha, sugar toys, kheer or semolina halwa, boondi laddoo, pomegranate-custard apple-water chestnut, paan
- Modak/laddoo for Ganesha, white sweets for Kuber; many homes offer 5 or 11 kinds of sweets and dishes (a small glimpse of the chhappan bhog)
- North-Indian dishes: gujiya, shakkarpare, mathri, namakpare, besan laddoo, dahi-bhalle, poori with pumpkin/potato sabzi
- Purvanchal-Bihar: thekua, khaja, anarsa, chura-dahi; Bengal: coconut naru, sandesh; Gujarat-Maharashtra: the 'faral' of chakli, chivda, karanji, anarse, laddoo; South: murukku, Mysore pak, adhirasam
- For diabetic elders, less khoya sweets and more fruit and makhana; the first dish in the new utensil — kheer
Rules — do's and don'ts
✅ Do
- Puja in Pradosh Kaal, in the fixed lagna (~6:30-8:30 pm) — see the time above; the family sits together
- Ganesha to Lakshmi's right (to your left as you face them); the puja seat in the north-east or east
- The door lamp first and all night; lamps at the Tulsi, kitchen and water place without fail
- Prasad and shagun to household help, neighbours and sanitation workers too — Lakshmi grows by sharing
- Rise in Brahma Muhurat next morning, clean the house and prepare for Annakut/Govardhan
❌ Don't
- Quarrels, intoxication, household money lost in gambling on the puja night — Lakshmi does not stay in such a home
- Do not give fireworks to children unsupervised; no curtains or cloth near the lamps; nothing flammable near the all-night lamp
- Take a seated Lakshmi idol (on a lotus), not a standing one — a standing Lakshmi is considered restless
- No old broken idols/pictures in the puja — immerse them; a year-old idol goes into water or a plant
- Do not throw out the broom or garbage on Diwali night (that happens in the morning with the poverty-driving rite); no dark corner should remain in the house
Vrat katha
During the churning of the ocean, on Kartik Amavasya, Maa Lakshmi appeared from the Kshirsagar seated on a lotus and garlanded Lord Vishnu — since then this night is the night of Lakshmi puja. Lakshmi enters the home tha… Read the full katha →
Frequently asked questions
When is Diwali in {Y}?
The date at the top is this year's Kartik Amavasya (Lakshmi Puja) — from panchang calculations; the table of all five days (Dhanteras to Bhai Dooj) is above too. If the Amavasya touches Pradosh on two days, Lakshmi puja is on the day when the Amavasya is present in Pradosh Kaal and continues into the night.
What is the auspicious muhurat for Lakshmi puja?
The Vrishabha fixed lagna within Pradosh Kaal (sunset to ~2 hours 24 minutes, exact time above) — about 6:30-8:30 pm in Delhi; this is best for householders. Nishita Kaal (above) is for sadhaks and traders. The fixed-lagna time shifts by 10-20 minutes by city.
Which deities are worshipped in the Diwali puja?
Ganesha (first), Lakshmi (main), Kuber, Saraswati, the kalash (Varuna), and by family custom Kali/Durga or the kul-devi; account books, the safe and tools are worshipped too.
What kind of Lakshmi-Ganesha idol, and what to do with the old one?
Clay, seated (on a lotus), Ganesha to Lakshmi's right; new every year. Immerse the old idol in water or the soil of a plant before the next Diwali, never in the garbage.
Is a fast kept on Diwali?
Not compulsory; many women take only fruit on the Amavasya day and eat after the Lakshmi puja. The puja, the lamps and the family together are what matter.
Why is Kali Puja held on Diwali night in Bengal?
The midnight of Kartik Amavasya is considered a night of Shakti sadhana; in Bengal-Assam the Lakshmi puja has already been done earlier (on Kojagari Purnima), so the Amavasya belongs to Maa Kali. The same night, a different tradition.
🏠 Diwali (Lakshmi Puja) 2026 — date, muhurat, full page · All vrat & festivals