Lakshmi Puja: A Step-by-Step Guide for Diwali Night

Lakshmi Puja is the heart of Diwali. The form differs from family to family and region to region, but the bones of the ritual are remarkably stable: a clean space, a lit lamp, an offering of sweets and flowers, and a few quiet minutes of attention before the rest of the evening begins. This guide walks through how a simple home puja is typically conducted, with notes on common variations.

Last reviewed on 30 April 2026.

Treat the steps below as a working outline rather than a prescription. Every household has its own order — especially around aarti and the family deity — and an elder in the family is the best authority for the version that's been passed down to you.

When to perform Lakshmi Puja

Lakshmi Puja is performed on the third day of the five-day festival — the new-moon evening of the Hindu month of Kartika. Most almanacs (panchang) identify a specific window, the pradosh kaal with sthir lagna, which usually falls between sunset and roughly two hours after. If you don't follow a specific panchang, sundown to about three hours after is a safe and traditional window. For the date itself, see our Diwali dates page.

Before the puja: cleaning and preparation

Lakshmi is said to enter homes that have been made ready — the cleaning isn't symbolic. Most families:

Clean the home thoroughly during the days before Diwali, paying attention to entrances and corners that don't usually get attention.
Bathe and wear clean clothes — new clothes if possible, but freshly laundered is enough.
Set up a small clean platform or low table for the puja, ideally facing east or north.
Draw a rangoli or place small footprints (charan) at the doorway and from the doorway to the puja space, symbolising Lakshmi being welcomed in.

What to gather (samagri)

A simple home Lakshmi Puja uses items most kitchens already have. Adapt freely:

A picture or murti of Goddess Lakshmi, usually alongside Lord Ganesha (and often Saraswati in Maharashtra and parts of north India).
A clean red or yellow cloth to cover the puja platform.
A small vessel of water for the kalash, plus a coin and a few mango leaves to set on top, with a coconut on the leaves.
A ghee diya (the main puja lamp) and a few additional clay diyas for the room.
Incense sticks (agarbatti) and a small bell.
Roli (vermilion), kumkum, akshat (uncooked rice mixed with a pinch of turmeric).
Fresh flowers — marigolds, lotus or rose — and a flower garland if available.
Naivedya: an offering plate of sweets, fruit (often banana, pomegranate and apple) and a small bowl of panchamrit (milk, curd, ghee, honey, sugar).
A few coins, the household account book or a symbolic representation of work tools (a laptop, ledger, key) — Lakshmi Puja is also a worship of livelihood, not only of money.
A small plate of dakshina (a token coin or note), set aside for the priest or the householder's symbolic offering.

Step-by-step: a simple home Lakshmi Puja

Light the diya. The first act of the puja is lighting the main ghee diya. Place it to the right of the deities (the deity's left). The lamp is the host's way of saying the home is ready.
Sankalpa. Take a small spoon of water in your right palm with a few grains of rice. Say silently the date, the place, the names of the family present and the intention — "I am performing Lakshmi Puja with my family on this Diwali for the well-being and prosperity of all here." Pour the water on the floor or into a small dish at the end.
Ganesha first. No puja begins without invoking Ganesha. Apply a tilak of roli on the image, offer a flower, a few grains of akshat, and silently invite him to remove obstacles. A short Ganesha mantra such as "Om Gan Ganapataye Namah" is commonly chanted three times.
Kalash sthapana. Place the water-filled vessel with mango leaves and coconut to the left of Lakshmi. The kalash represents abundance — a vessel filled and ready to be received.
Invoke Lakshmi. Apply tilak on the image of Lakshmi, offer flowers and a garland if you have one. Light the incense and rotate it gently in front of the image. Common mantras include "Om Mahalakshmyai Namah" chanted 11 or 21 times, or the longer Sri Suktam where the family follows that text.
Offer naivedya. Place the plate of sweets and fruit before the deities. Sprinkle a few drops of water around the plate (a gesture that "seats" the offering) and silently offer it. Many families also offer the panchamrit at this point.
Worship the tools of livelihood. This is the distinctly Diwali element. Place the account books, business ledgers, work keys or symbolic items in front of Lakshmi; for many merchant communities the financial year is opened ceremonially on this night with a fresh ledger (chopda pujan). Apply a small tilak to each item.
Aarti. Take a small plate with a lit camphor or wick lamp and rotate it clockwise in front of the deities while singing or playing the Om Jai Lakshmi Mata aarti or the family's preferred verses. After the aarti, rotate the plate gently among everyone present so each can pass their hands over the flame and touch their eyes — a closing gesture of receiving the light.
Mantras and silence. A short period of quiet follows: family members sit, close their eyes and offer the puja's intention internally. This is often the most meaningful minute of the evening, and it's easy to miss if the children are restless.
Distribute prasad. The sweets and fruit offered to the goddess are now prasad. Distribute first to the elders, then to children, then around the rest of the family. Save a portion to share with neighbours and any guests still arriving.
Light more diyas. After the puja, light the additional diyas for the doorway, balcony, windows and around the rangoli. The puja's main flame is left burning until everyone goes to sleep, kept in a safe metal vessel.

Common variations

Maharashtra and Gujarat emphasise chopda pujan — the worship of new account books for the new financial year. Saraswati is usually invoked alongside Lakshmi.
Bengal and parts of the east celebrate Kali Puja on the same evening as Lakshmi Puja, with a different ritual centred on Kali; some families perform a brief Lakshmi puja and a longer Kali puja the same night.
South India often performs Lakshmi Puja in a quieter form earlier in the evening, with greater attention to Naraka Chaturdashi the previous day; the morning oil bath before sunrise is the more emphasised ritual.
Some traditions add Kubera Puja (the keeper of wealth) at the same time as Lakshmi Puja, with a small bowl of coins set in the north or northeast corner of the home.

What if you don't have a priest

Most home pujas are conducted by family members — usually the eldest in the household or whoever feels comfortable leading. A priest isn't required. If you'd like one but can't arrange it, a few practical notes:

The intention matters more than the Sanskrit. A clearly stated sankalpa in your own language is fine.
If you don't know the mantras, "Om Gan Ganapataye Namah" for Ganesha and "Om Mahalakshmyai Namah" for Lakshmi are sufficient. Repeat each 11 or 21 times with attention.
Reading the Lakshmi aarti from a printed sheet or phone screen is universally accepted — many family members do.
The order of steps is flexible; the small core that matters is light a lamp, invite Ganesha, invite Lakshmi, offer something, share the offering.

Common mistakes

Rushing. A puja that takes 25 quiet minutes is more meaningful than a 90-minute one done while people drift in and out. Keep phones away.
Lighting only after the puja. The diya is lit first, not as a finishing touch. The room should be lit before the deities are invited.
Skipping Ganesha. Ganesha is invoked first regardless of which puja you're performing.
Offering and forgetting. The naivedya is meant to be distributed soon after the puja. Leaving sweets in front of the deity all night, then discarding them, defeats the purpose.
Treating the puja as decoration. Photographs are fine afterwards. During the puja itself, attention is the offering.

After the puja

The rest of Diwali night is usually spent eating, exchanging sweets, lighting more diyas around the home and stepping out to greet neighbours. Children typically light sparklers; many families set off a short round of crackers (the eco-friendly Diwali page has notes on the trade-offs there). The puja diya is kept lit until the last person turns in.

For the meaning behind the day, see Lakshmi Puja in our traditions guide. For what gets cooked and shared, see the Diwali sweets and foods page. For the lamps themselves, the diyas guide covers oil, wick and placement in detail.