Diwali 2026: Lakshmi Puja Date, Muhurat, Samagri & Step-by-Step Vidhi

Diwali 2026 falls on Sunday, 8 November, and Lakshmi Puja is performed that evening during Pradosh Kaal. The festival runs over five days, from Dhanteras on 6 November to Bhai Dooj on 10 November. On Diwali night families worship Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha for prosperity, light rows of diyas and welcome the new year of business and blessings.

Diwali 2026: all five days

Customs differ by region. In South India, Deepavali is celebrated mainly on Naraka Chaturdashi morning with an oil bath before sunrise. In Bengal and Assam, Diwali night is Kali Puja. In Gujarat, the day after Diwali is the start of the new year.

Lakshmi Puja muhurat 2026

Lakshmi Puja is done in the evening Pradosh Kaal (the period after sunset) while Amavasya tithi prevails — ideally during a fixed (sthir) lagna such as Vrishabha, so that prosperity stays. Panchang calculations for Delhi place this window at roughly 5:45 PM to 7:15 PM IST on 8 November. The exact minutes vary by city.

For families abroad: the new moon falls early on 9 November (UTC), so Amavasya is in effect at sunset on 8 November across India, North America, the UK and Australia. 8 November is Lakshmi Puja day for most families abroad too — but calculate the muhurat for your own city's sunset, not from IST.

Lakshmi Puja samagri list

• Idols or a picture of Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha (and Kuber, if your family worships him)
• Wooden chowki with red cloth; rangoli colours or flowers
• Kalash with water, mango leaves and a coconut
• Ghee diyas (often 11, 21 or more) and oil lamps for the home
• Roli, haldi, kumkum, chandan, akshat, mauli
• Lotus or red flowers and garlands; durva grass for Ganesha
• Kheel (puffed rice) and batashe, sweets (laddoos, barfi), dry fruits and fruits
• Coins, gold or silver items; new account books (bahi-khata) for traders
• Panchamrit, betel leaves and supari, dhoop, camphor
• Dakshina and items for daan

Step-by-step Lakshmi-Ganesh puja vidhi

1. Clean and decorate. Clean the home thoroughly — Lakshmi is said to visit clean, well-lit homes. Make rangoli at the entrance, hang a toran of mango leaves or marigolds, and draw small footprints of Lakshmi walking into the house.
2. Set up the altar. Place the chowki in the north-east or north of the room, spread the red cloth, and place Ganesha and Lakshmi on it with the kalash beside them.
3. Purification and sankalp. Sprinkle water on yourself and the samagri, then take the sankalp with water, akshat and flowers in your hand, stating your name, gotra, place and intention.
4. Ganesh puja. Offer Ganesha durva, roli, akshat, flowers and modak or laddoo.
5. Kalash and Navagraha puja, as in all major pujas.
6. Lakshmi puja. Bathe the idol or offer water symbolically, then panchamrit. Offer clothes or a chunri, haldi-kumkum, chandan, lotus or red flowers, coins and jewellery. Many families recite the Shri Suktam, the Vedic hymn to Lakshmi from the Rig Veda's khila (supplementary) hymns, or the Lakshmi Ashtottara (108 names).
7. Kuber and Chopda puja. Business families worship Kuber and their new account books, writing Shubh and Labh with a swastika on the first page.
8. Naivedya. Offer kheel-batashe, sweets and fruits.
9. Aarti. Sing "Om Jai Lakshmi Mata" and Ganesh aarti with camphor and ghee diyas.
10. Light the home. Take a diya from the altar and light lamps throughout the house, at the entrance and in every room. Keep one diya burning through the night.

Dhanteras and Bhai Dooj in brief

• Dhanteras (6 November): Dhanvantari, the physician of the gods, is worshipped for health, and Yama Deepam — a lamp facing south — is lit for the family's protection. Buying metal utensils, gold or silver is traditional.
• Govardhan Puja (9 November): commemorates Lord Krishna lifting Govardhan hill; Annakut (a mountain of food) is offered.
• Bhai Dooj (10 November): sisters apply tilak to their brothers and pray for their long life.

Celebrating Diwali abroad

• Diyas and smoke alarms. Real diyas are best at the altar; for windows and balconies, many families abroad use LED diyas and string lights to stay within building safety rules.
• Shopping early. Indian grocery stores sell out of kheel, batashe and puja kits in the final week — buy samagri a week before.
• Puja with a pandit. If the family is spread across countries, a pandit can lead the puja on a video call so everyone can join. You can also book a Diwali Lakshmi Puja to be performed in India on your family's behalf.

Diwali comes twenty days after Dussehra. If you are still planning Navratri, read our Navratri 2026 guide. For year-round Lakshmi worship, see the Margashirsha Guruvar Mahalakshmi vrat.