Laxmi Puja is the worship of Goddess Lakshmi performed on the main night of Diwali, which falls on Sunday, 8 November in 2026. The puja is done in the evening during Pradosh Kaal, with the home cleaned and lit, a kalash established, and Lakshmi worshipped alongside Lord Ganesha and the account books or tools of the household’s livelihood. This guide gives the complete laxmi pooja vidhi, the samagri required, and the step by step procedure for performing it at home without a priest.

When Is Laxmi Puja in 2026?

Lakshmi Puja falls on Kartik Amavasya, the new moon night of Kartik, which is the third and main day of the five day Diwali festival. In 2026 that is Sunday, 8 November.

The puja is performed after sunset, during Pradosh Kaal, and the most favoured window within it is the Sthir Lagna, when the fixed sign of Vrishabha is rising. Goddess Lakshmi is chanchala, restless by nature, and the tradition holds that worship during a fixed ascendant helps her presence settle in the home. City wise timings are covered in our separate muhurat guide.

Why Lakshmi Is Worshipped With Ganesha

In almost every household the puja is offered to Lakshmi and Ganesha together, with Ganesha placed to her right. There is a reasoning behind it that is worth knowing.

Ganesha is Vighnaharta, the remover of obstacles, and is worshipped first at the start of every undertaking. Wealth that arrives without wisdom and without the removal of obstacles does not stay or does not do good. The pairing expresses that: prosperity requested alongside the discernment to handle it. Many families also place Kubera, the treasurer of the gods, and Saraswati in the same puja.

Laxmi Pooja Samagri

Gather everything before you begin, so the puja is not interrupted.

Idols or framed images of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha
A wooden platform or chowki, and a red or pink cloth to cover it
Kalash of copper or silver, with water, a coin, betel nut, mango leaves and a coconut
Haldi, kumkum, chandan, akshata (unbroken rice)
Lotus flowers for Lakshmi, durva grass for Ganesha, and a garland
Ghee lamps and cotton wicks, mustard oil lamps for the doorway
Incense sticks, dhoop, camphor and a bell
Panchamrita: milk, curd, ghee, honey and sugar
Naivedyam: kheer, batasha, laddoo, fruits, dry fruits, paan and supari
Coins, cowrie shells, silver items and the household account books
Rangoli colours for the entrance, and fresh flowers for decoration

Laxmi Puja Vidhi: Step by Step

1. Clean the home. This is part of the puja, not preparation for it. Lakshmi is held to enter only a clean and orderly house, which is why the cleaning before Diwali is taken as seriously as the ritual itself. Clean the whole house, especially the entrance.

2. Decorate the entrance. Draw a rangoli at the doorway and mark small footprints leading inward, representing Lakshmi entering the home. Hang a toran of mango leaves and marigold over the door. Light lamps on both sides of the entrance.

3. Prepare the puja space. Place the chowki in the north east of the room. Spread the red cloth. Place a handful of grains in the centre, and the kalash on them, filled with water, a coin, a betel nut, and mango leaves at the mouth with a turmeric smeared coconut on top.

4. Install the deities. Set the idols of Lakshmi and Ganesha on the chowki, Ganesha to Lakshmi’s right. The images should face east or north, and you should sit facing east or north while performing the puja.

5. Bathe and dress. Bathe before the puja and wear fresh clothes, traditionally red, pink or yellow rather than black or white.

6. Light the lamp and take the sankalpa. Light the ghee lamp. Take water, rice and a flower in your right hand, state your name, gotra and the purpose of the puja, and release it, dedicating the worship.

7. Invoke Ganesha. Worship Ganesha first with akshata, durva grass, flowers and a modak or laddoo, chanting Om Gan Ganapataye Namah.

8. Invoke Lakshmi. Offer her the panchamrita abhishekam if you are using a metal idol, then water, and dry the idol. Offer haldi, kumkum, chandan, akshata, and lotus flowers. Chant Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah, traditionally 108 times, or recite the Lakshmi Ashtottara or the Shri Suktam.

9. Worship the kalash, the wealth and the books. Offer kumkum and akshata to the kalash. Place coins, jewellery, silver items and the account books or ledgers before the deities, mark them with kumkum, and worship them. For a business, this is the chopda pujan, the worship of the new year’s books. Households without ledgers place the tools of their livelihood instead.

10. Offer naivedyam. Offer kheer, batasha, laddoo, fruits, dry fruits, paan and supari.

11. Aarti. Perform the Lakshmi aarti and the Ganesha aarti with the lamp and camphor, ringing the bell. Om Jai Lakshmi Mata is the aarti sung in most households.

12. Light the lamps through the house. After the aarti, light lamps in every room, at the doorway, on the balcony and at the tulsi if the house has one. Some lamps are traditionally kept burning through the night.

13. Distribute prasad. Share the prasad with everyone in the house, and take the blessings of the elders.

How to Do Laxmi Puja at Home Without a Priest

A household puja needs no priest and never has. What it needs is cleanliness, a settled mind and sincerity. If you do not know the Sanskrit, chant Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah, which is complete in itself, and speak the rest of your prayer in your own language. The tradition is explicit that bhava, the feeling behind the offering, matters more than the precision of the procedure.

If you want a fuller recitation, the Shri Suktam and the Lakshmi Ashtottara Shatanamavali are the two texts most used, and both are widely available with transliteration.

Laxmi Puja Procedure for Shops and Businesses

Businesses perform the puja at the shop or office rather than at home, and the structure is the same with one addition. The new account books for the coming financial year are worshipped, marked with a swastika and the words Shubh Labh in kumkum, and opened for the first time after the puja. The cash box, the safe and the main entrance of the premises are also worshipped. Many businesses perform this puja at the shop in the evening and a second one at home afterwards.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Laxmi Puja in 2026?

Lakshmi Puja falls on Sunday, 8 November 2026, on Kartik Amavasya, the main night of Diwali. The puja is performed in the evening during Pradosh Kaal.

How do you do Laxmi Puja at home?

Clean the home, decorate the entrance with rangoli and lamps, place Lakshmi and Ganesha on a red cloth with a kalash, take a sankalpa, worship Ganesha first and then Lakshmi with haldi, kumkum, lotus and the mantra Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah, worship the coins and account books, offer naivedyam, perform the aarti and light lamps through the house.

What is the laxmi puja vidhi in short?

Sankalpa, Ganesha puja, kalash sthapana, Lakshmi invocation and abhishekam, offerings of haldi, kumkum, flowers and lotus, mantra japa, worship of wealth and account books, naivedyam, aarti, then lighting lamps across the home.

What samagri is needed for Lakshmi Pooja?

Idols of Lakshmi and Ganesha, a chowki and red cloth, a kalash with coconut and mango leaves, haldi, kumkum, chandan, akshata, lotus flowers, ghee lamps, incense, camphor, panchamrita, kheer, batasha, fruits, dry fruits, coins and the household account books.

Can Lakshmi Puja be done without a priest?

Yes. The household puja has always been performed by the family. Chant Om Shreem Mahalakshmyai Namah if you do not know the longer recitations, and offer the rest of the prayer in your own words. Sincerity carries more weight than exact procedure.

Why are Lakshmi and Ganesha worshipped together?

Ganesha is the remover of obstacles and is worshipped first in every undertaking. The pairing expresses that prosperity is sought together with the wisdom and clear path needed to hold it well. Kubera and Saraswati are included in many households.

Which direction should you face during Laxmi Puja?

Set the puja in the north east of the room, with the deities facing east or north, and sit facing east or north yourself.