Dhanteras Puja Vidhi: Samagri, Steps and Yama Deepak

The Dhanteras puja is an evening worship on the Trayodashi before Diwali in which Ganesh, Dhanvantari, Kuber and Lakshmi are honoured, followed by a four-wicked lamp lit for Yama and set outside facing south. In outline: clean the house and draw rangoli, set up the puja place, worship in the evening puja muhurat, hear the katha, and then offer the Yama deepak at the door.

The day and the puja muhurat for your city, the evening overlap of pradosh, Vrishabha lagna and Trayodashi, are on the Dhanteras date page; this page does not repeat them, because they change every year and from city to city.

Samagri: what to keep ready

• A chowki with a red or yellow cloth
• Pictures or small idols of Ganesh, Lakshmi, Kuber and Dhanvantari; a single printed Diwali picture with Lakshmi and Ganesh is fine, and a coin can stand for Kuber
• A kalash of water with mango leaves, or a plain lota
• Roli, haldi, akshat, sindoor, flowers, a little dhaniya (whole coriander seed)
• Ghee diyas for the puja, and small clay diyas for the doorways
• The Yama deepak: a four-wicked lamp of clay or of wheat-flour dough, with mustard oil and four wicks
• Naivedya: sweets, fruit, kheel-batashe, or whatever the family makes; in Maharashtra many families offer neem leaves with sugar or jaggery to Dhanvantari
• Any new utensil or coin bought for the day, to be placed before Lakshmi
• Incense, a bell, a small bowl of water for achaman
• Rangoli colours or rice flour for the doorway, and Lakshmi's footprints drawn with rice paste or roli

Step by step

1. Clean and decorate. During the day finish the cleaning, wash the doorstep and draw rangoli. Many families draw Lakshmi's small footprints leading into the house.
2. Bath and sankalp. In the evening, after a bath, sit facing east or north and say in your own words that you are doing the Dhanteras puja for the health, long life and wellbeing of the family.
3. Set up the chowki. Spread the cloth and place Ganesh, Lakshmi, Kuber and Dhanvantari on it. Set the kalash to one side. Put any new utensil, coin or account book in front.
4. Ganesh first. Light the main ghee diya. Offer roli, akshat and a flower to Ganesh.
5. Dhanvantari puja. Offer flowers, akshat and naivedya to Dhanvantari and pray for good health in the family. Many families say a short name-mantra such as Om Dhanvantaraye Namah.
6. Kuber and Lakshmi. Offer roli, haldi, akshat and flowers to Kuber and to Lakshmi, with sweets, kheel-batashe and the dhaniya. Apply a little roli to the new utensil or coin. Those who keep a cash box or safe at home or at the shop clean it and mark a swastika on it.
7. Hear the katha. Hear or read the Dhanteras katha: King Hima's son and the lamps, and Dhanvantari from the ocean.
8. Lamps for the house. Light the small clay diyas and place them at the main door, on the windowsills and at the kitchen and water source. Many families light thirteen diyas on this Trayodashi.
9. Aarti. Sing the Lakshmi aarti, Om Jai Lakshmi Mata, and if the family likes, the aarti of Dhanvantari.
10. Yama deepdaan. Fill the four-wicked lamp with mustard oil and light all four wicks. Take it out of the main door and set it facing south, on the ground or on a little heap of grain. Fold your hands and pray for the long life of everyone in the house. In many homes the eldest member does this, and the lamp is not looked back at or carried in again.
11. Prasad. Share the sweets and eat together.

Checking the time

Two windows matter. The puja itself is done in the evening muhurat where pradosh, the fixed Vrishabha lagna and the Trayodashi overlap; this is given for your city on the Dhanteras date page and on the muhurat page. The Yama lamp is lit during pradosh, after sunset. Families who prefer to begin a puja or a purchase in a good choghadiya can check the choghadiya for your city. If the Vrishabha window is short, many simply do the puja in pradosh and light the Yama deepak afterwards.

Customs families keep

These are customs, not conditions; your family's own way comes first.

• Buying metal. Many families buy a new steel, brass or copper utensil, or a small coin of silver or gold, and place it before Lakshmi in the puja. Something small is the norm, and many buy nothing at all.
• A broom. In many North Indian homes a new broom is bought on Dhanteras, as a sign of sweeping out what is old.
• Dhaniya. Whole coriander seed is offered to Lakshmi, and in some homes a few seeds are later sown in a pot or kept with the family's savings.
• No lending. Many traders and households avoid lending money or giving away metal on this day.
• Thirteen lamps. Some families light thirteen diyas in honour of the Trayodashi.
• Lamp safety. Keep the Yama deepak on a stable base away from curtains, dry leaves and children's clothes, and do not leave the house lamps unattended near anything that catches fire.

Regional ways

• Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan: the evening Lakshmi-Kuber puja, the Yama deepak at the door, and busy markets for utensils and coins.
• Gujarat: the day is often called Dhan Teras or Dhan Pujan, and coins, ornaments and the cash box are washed and worshipped.
• Maharashtra: Dhanvantari puja is prominent, the day before is Vasu Baras for cows and calves, and neem with sugar is offered and eaten.
• Ayurvedic practitioners and colleges across India hold a Dhanvantari puja and mark it as a day of medicine.
• The south: the season centres on Naraka Chaturdashi, though buying gold on this day has become widespread.

After the puja

Put the new utensil to use in the kitchen from the next day, as many families do. Two days later comes Diwali; its stories are on the Diwali Lakshmi Puja katha page, and the day after Diwali is Govardhan Puja.