Dhanteras Puja Vidhi · धनतेरस पूजा विधि

How the Dhanteras puja of Dhanvantari, Lakshmi and Kubera is done at home in the evening, with the lamp for Yama: the samagri and the steps the published guides agree on.

How the puja is done

When

Dhanteras falls on Kartik Krishna Trayodashi, two days before Diwali. The puja is done in the evening, in pradosh kaal, the period just after sunset, while Trayodashi lasts. Sunset differs by city; see the Dhanteras page for the date.

Samagri to gather

A chowki (low platform) with a red or yellow cloth
Murtis or pictures of Dhanvantari, Lakshmi, Kubera and Ganesha
Haldi, kumkum or roli, chandan and akshat (unbroken rice)
Flowers, dhoop or incense, and sweets and fruits for the offering
A ghee lamp, and clay diyas for the evening (many guides say thirteen)
One extra diya, often made of wheat flour, for Yama

Before the puja

Clean the house, especially the place of worship and the main door, and decorate it with rangoli and lamps.
Bathe and put on clean clothes.

The puja

Spread the cloth on the chowki and place Dhanvantari, Lakshmi, Kubera and Ganesha on it.
Light the ghee lamp.
Worship Ganesha first, then Dhanvantari, Lakshmi and Kubera with haldi, kumkum, chandan, akshat and flowers, and show dhoop and the lamp.
Offer sweets and fruits.
Close with aarti; you can sing Om Jai Lakshmi Mata. Pray to Dhanvantari for health and to Lakshmi and Kubera for prosperity.

The lamp for Yama (Yam Deepam)

In the evening, light a lamp in the name of Yama, the god of death, and place it outside the main door with its flame facing south. It is lit for protection from untimely death.

What families buy

Buying something of metal on Dhanteras is considered auspicious: gold or silver, or a new utensil. Many also buy a new broom.

These steps are written in our own words; each appears in at least two of the published sources linked below, and steps found in only one source are left out. Puja customs differ by family, region and tradition; your family priest or family custom comes first.

About this text

Dhanteras opens the five days of Diwali. It honours Dhanvantari, the physician of the gods, who is said to have risen from the churning of the ocean with the pot of nectar, so the day is also kept as Dhanvantari Jayanti; and it honours Lakshmi and Kubera for wealth. It is also the one evening of the year when a lamp is lit for Yama. This page gives a simple home puja: the samagri and the steps that the published guides listed below agree on.

Fuller forms with Sanskrit mantras for each offering are usually done with a priest; we have not included mantras that we have not compared across editions. Customs differ by region and community: follow your family's way where it differs.