Diwali Puja Vidhi at Home: Step-by-Step Lakshmi Puja Guide with Mantras

The Lakshmi Puja on Diwali follows an old pattern called shodashopachar, sixteen offerings made to a guest you are honoured to receive. You invite Lakshmi in, offer her a seat, wash her feet, bathe and dress her, offer fragrance, flowers, light and food, and only then perform the aarti. Seen that way, the Diwali puja vidhi is less a list of rituals than a way of receiving someone into your home.

On Sunday, 8 November 2026, the puja takes about 45 minutes to an hour, done within your city's Lakshmi Puja muhurat after sunset.

Diwali puja vidhi at a glance

1. Purify yourself and the space, then take the sankalp
2. Worship Ganesh first
3. Worship the kalash
4. Invite Lakshmi and complete the sixteen offerings
5. Worship Kuber, then the account books or Saraswati
6. Perform the aarti and pushpanjali
7. Ask forgiveness, then light the diyas around the home

Before You Begin the Lakshmi Puja

The puja goes smoothly when nothing has to be fetched once it starts. By sunset on 8 November, have these in place:

• The chowki set up: red cloth, Lakshmi and Ganesh idols seated, the kalash filled and topped with a coconut. The Diwali puja samagri list covers the full setup.
• The puja thali within reach: roli, haldi, akshat, flowers, moli, paan and supari, coins, and a small bowl of water with a spoon for offering.
• Your city's muhurat noted: the Diwali puja time guide lists it city by city.
• The family seated together: the person leading the puja sits facing east or north, with everyone else around or behind them.

Many families bathe again just before the puja and wear new or freshly washed clothes, often in red, pink or yellow. Some also keep a light fast until the puja is done; it is customary, not required.

Diwali Puja Vidhi: Step-by-Step Lakshmi Puja

Most offerings in the Lakshmi Puja use one simple formula: chant Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah (ॐ श्रीं महालक्ष्म्यै नमः), name the offering, and add samarpayami (I offer). For example, Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah, pushpam samarpayami when you offer a flower. Where a step has its own mantra, it is given below.

1. Pavitrikaranपवित्रीकरण

Sprinkle a few drops of water over yourself, the family and the puja space while chanting:

ॐ अपवित्रः पवित्रो वा सर्वावस्थां गतोऽपि वा। यः स्मरेत् पुण्डरीकाक्षं स बाह्याभ्यन्तरः शुचिः॥

Om apavitrah pavitro va sarvavastham gato'pi va, yah smaret pundarikaksham sa bahyabhyantarah shuchih.

2. Sankalpसंकल्प

Take water, akshat and a flower in your right hand. Say your name, your gotra, the place and the date (Kartik Amavasya, Sunday, 8 November 2026), and state that you are performing the Lakshmi Puja for the family's wellbeing and prosperity. Release the water onto the ground.

3. Ganesh pujaगणेश पूजन

Offer roli, akshat, durva grass, a flower and a laddoo or modak to Ganesh, chanting Om Gan Ganapataye Namah (ॐ गं गणपतये नमः) 11 times. No puja begins without him.

4. Kalash pujaकलश पूजन

Apply roli to the kalash, offer akshat and a flower, and chant Om Varunaya Namah (ॐ वरुणाय नमः). The kalash holds the waters of every sacred river for the length of the puja.

5. Dhyana and avahanaध्यान, आवाहन

Hold a flower, close your eyes, and picture Lakshmi seated on a lotus. Chant the Lakshmi Gayatri once:

ॐ महालक्ष्म्यै च विद्महे विष्णुपत्न्यै च धीमहि। तन्नो लक्ष्मीः प्रचोदयात्॥

Om Mahalakshmyai cha vidmahe Vishnupatnyai cha dhimahi, tanno Lakshmih prachodayat.

Then place the flower at her feet: Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah, avahayami.

6. Asana, padya, arghya, achamanआसन, पाद्य, अर्घ्य, आचमन

Offer her a seat (a flower), water for her feet, water for her hands and water to sip, one spoonful each, using the formula above.

7. Snanaस्नान

Sprinkle water, then panchamrit, then clean water again over the idol or, for a picture, on a flower placed before it.

8. Vastra and shringarवस्त्र, श्रृंगार

Offer a piece of red cloth or moli as vastra, then sindoor, kumkum, attar and any shringar items you have.

9. Gandha and pushpaगंध, पुष्प

Apply roli or chandan, then offer lotus or red flowers, a garland and kamal gatta.

10. Dhoop and deepधूप, दीप

Light the dhoop and wave it before Lakshmi three times, then offer the ghee diya the same way. Many families keep one fragrance for the whole evening so the puja room and the rest of the house match; the Prithvi range comes as dhoop cones, dhoop sticks and incense sticks, so the cone can serve this offering while the sticks go into the other rooms.

11. Naivedyaनैवेद्य

Uncover the kheer, kheel, batashe, sweets and fruit and offer them with Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah, naivedyam samarpayami. Lakshmi bhog is simpler than the day-wise Navratri bhog: one sweet made with care counts as much as a full spread.

12. Tambool and dakshinaताम्बूल, दक्षिणा

Offer paan with supari and cardamom, then the silver or other coins.

13. Kuber and the account booksकुबेर, बही-खाता

Worship Kuber, then the bahi-khata or Saraswati, as set out in the order of worship below.

14. Aarti and pushpanjaliआरती, पुष्पांजलि

Perform the Lakshmi aarti with the ghee diya or camphor while the family sings Om Jai Lakshmi Mata. Then everyone offers a handful of flowers at her feet together.

15. Kshama prarthanaक्षमा प्रार्थना

Fold your hands and ask forgiveness for anything missed:

ॐ आवाहनं न जानामि न जानामि विसर्जनम्। पूजां चैव न जानामि क्षमस्व परमेश्वरि॥

Om avahanam na janami na janami visarjanam, pujam chaiva na janami kshamasva Parameshwari.

Then carry diyas from the akhand diya to every room, the doorway and the windows.

Step 10 · Dhoop and deep

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Lakshmi Ganesh Puja: Who Is Worshipped and in What Order

The Lakshmi Ganesh puja on Diwali night honours more than two deities. Each has a fixed place in the sequence, and the order is an easy part of the vidhi to mix up.

Ganesh comes before Lakshmi, never after, even though Lakshmi is the focus of the night. Kuber follows her because he guards what she grants.

Diwali Amavasya at KolhapurAmavasya Maa Mahalakshmi Dhan-Sthirta Shri Nariyal Vidhi Solah Rajsi ShringarNariyal vidhi and solah shringar at the Ambabai Shaktipeeth, alongside your puja at homeShri Mahalaxmi Ambabai Temple, KolhapurBook this puja

Diwali Puja Vidhi for Shops and Offices (Bahi-Khata Puja)

For traders, Diwali opens the financial year, and the puja extends to the account books, the safe and the tools of the trade. Do it after the Lakshmi and Kuber worship, in the same sitting.

1. Prepare the new books. On the first page, write Shri Ganeshaya Namah at the top, draw a swastik in sindoor or kumkum, and write Shubh on its left and Labh on its right.
2. Tie and place them. Tie moli around the books and the pen, and place them before Lakshmi.
3. Worship them as Saraswati. Offer roli, akshat and a flower, and chant Om Aim Saraswatyai Namah 11 times.
4. Worship the safe or cash box. Draw a swastik on it, place a silver coin inside, and chant Om Kuberaya Namah.
5. Honour the tools. Shops often add a tilak to the weighing scale, the cash counter or, in offices, the computer used for accounts.
6. Make the first entry. After the aarti, write the first entry of the new year, often a small sum offered back as dakshina.

Alongside the Chopda Puja, many business families also seek Khatu Shyam ji's blessings for the year ahead. Through Ekishwar, the Vyapar Vriddhi Dhan Labh Shyam Chadhava is offered at the Khatu Shyam temple in Rajasthan in the business's name.

Common Mistakes in Diwali Lakshmi Puja

None of these will undo a puja done with sincerity, but each is worth avoiding.

• Starting with Lakshmi. Ganesh always comes first, even on Lakshmi's night.
• Offering tulsi to Ganesh. Tulsi is not offered to Ganesh; give him durva grass instead.
• Doing the puja before sunset. Amavasya begins at 11:27 AM on 8 November, but the Lakshmi Puja belongs to the evening.
• A chipped idol or a cracked diya. Use whole, unbroken idols and lamps; set aside anything damaged before the evening.
• Letting the akhand diya go out. Keep extra ghee and a spare wick beside it, and check it before you sleep.
• Sweeping the house after the puja. Many families avoid sweeping on Diwali night, so that nothing is swept out of the house once Lakshmi has been welcomed in. Finish the cleaning before sunset.

Receiving Lakshmi: How the Diwali Puja Vidhi Fits Together

The fifteen steps look long on paper, but they follow one idea: Lakshmi is a guest, and each step is a courtesy you would show a guest. Ganesh clears the way, the kalash sanctifies the room, Lakshmi is seated, washed, dressed and fed, Kuber is asked to keep what she brings, and the books are opened under her eye. If you lose your place on the night, return to that sequence and the next step will be obvious.

For Lakshmi puja kits, dhoop and incense for Diwali, visit Ekishwar.

Diwali 2026 · 8 November

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