The most awaited festival of Hindus, i.e., Diwali has arrived to fill the life of everyone with joy and happiness. The goddess Laxmi, the Hindu deity of wealth, good fortune, and prosperity is worshipped on the auspicious day of Diwali along with the God of obstacles, known as Vighanharta, Ganesh ji, and Lord Kuber. As you are newlywed and it is your first Diwali puja after getting hitched with your life partner and if you are living away from family members due to job preferences. Knowing the fact that you are confused in conducting the Laxmi puja with the traditional rituals and customs performed to invoke the blessings of goddess Laxmi, this article would be a great help for you. And if you are living with your in-laws, then it is essential to do the puja with the significant rituals. We are giving you the list of all the necessary Samagri required for worshipping and steps to be followed during the pujan vidhi.

Make sure to clean up every corner of your new home before commencing traditional puja of goddess Laxmi as it is believed that goddess Laxmi visits every house and reside only at those places which are neat and clean. Don’t forget to clean up your mandir with the help of your husband. Now you have clean up the mandir and all set to worship Maa Laxmi ji, check if you have all the ingredients beforehand.

Ingredients required for puja

• Foremost thing which is required to perform the puja is idols of Goddess Laxmi and Lord Ganesh.
• Silver coin
• Ganga water, betel nuts (supari), Kalash filled with water, thali, lotus if conveniently available, red flowers, fruits, coconut, garlands, tulsi leaves, mango leaves (aam k patte), uncooked rice, coriander seeds, vermillion (red powder), 5 small diyas, one big diya, rose fragrance cotton balls (itra), conch, a bell, kalawa (sacred red thread), ghee for filling the diyas, kheel, batasha, dry fruits and sweets
• Milk, curd, ghee, honey, powdered sugar (bura) for panchamrit.

How to perform Diwali Pujan

Diwali puja takes place after the sunset in Shubh mahurat. Take bath and deck up in new clothes before the commencement of the puja.

• Now, sanctify the place of worship (mandir) by sprinkling holy Ganga water. If you don’t have the separate place, you can sit up the idols of Ganesh Ji and Laxmi Ji on a pedestal (chowki). Keep the valuable items (jewelry), money and pen or account register to get the divine blessing of goddess Laxmi.
• Spread the rice on either side of the chowki and place a water-filled Kalash on it. Place 5 or 7 mango leaves in the Kalash and leave a supari and a silver coin in Kalash. Keep coconut over it.
• Start the puja by offering a bath to idols of Lord Ganesha and Goddess Laxmi with water in a thali, then with panchamrit and again with plain water. Dress the idols in new clothes. Put the vermillion powder on their forehead, garland around them and rose fragrance cotton balls (itra)
• Light up the one big Diya of ghee in front of the idols and offer a flower to the diya and pray to it doesn’t blow up till the completion of puja.
• You have already offered bath to the god and goddess. Now offer durva grass as it is liked by Lord Ganesha and lotus or red flower to goddess Laxmi.
• Offer fruits, dry fruits, kheel and batasha along with sweets to Ganesh ji as bhog because we all know that one should worship Lord Ganesh ji before worshipping any other Hindu deity and God. Keep the Dakshina in the bhog. Now offer bhog to goddess Laxmi Ji. Put Dakshina or money according to your wish.
• Lit the  5 ghee diyas in front of the idols and offer kheel in them.
• Draw a swastika with red powder on the thali, place the diya and perform the aarti religiously. Distribute the Prashad between the family members. Blow out the conch and ring bell while doing aarti.
• Place the diyas filled with oil at the entrance, on the terrace, and every corner of the house to wipe away the darkness from the house.

May your new home will be filled with health, wealth, happiness, and prosperity by the grace of Goddess Laxmi. Happy Diwali. Don’t burn crackers and have a prosperous Diwali with your husband and in-laws.