🪔 Lakshmi Puja on Diwali 2026 is on Sunday, 8 November, with the best muhurat from 5:55 PM to 7:51 PM (Delhi). Every family has its own way of doing the puja, and that is fine. But there are some rules almost every tradition agrees on: which way to face, where to place Ganesh ji, which diya goes where, and what not to do on Diwali night.
This page lists those rules as simple do's and don'ts, with the reason behind each one. For the samagri list and the step-by-step vidhi, read our guide on how to do Diwali puja at home. For timings in your city, see the Diwali 2026 muhurat guide.
| ✅ Top 5 do's | ❌ Top 5 don'ts |
|---|---|
| Face north or east during the puja | Don't place Lakshmi to the left of Ganesh ji |
| Worship Ganesh ji first | Don't use a standing Lakshmi idol |
| Do the puja in Pradosh Kaal | Don't move the puja to 9 November |
| Keep one diya burning all night | Don't blow out a puja diya |
| Keep the home clean and peaceful | Don't quarrel, gamble or drink |
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Diwali puja rules for direction and placement
✅ Set up the puja in the north-east or north of the house
The north is the direction of Kuber ji and the north-east (Ishaan) is the most sacred corner in Vastu. If that is not possible, any clean, quiet place where the family can sit together is acceptable.
✅ Sit facing north or east
The person doing the puja should face north or east, so the idols face south or west towards them. Never sit facing south for Lakshmi Puja.
✅ Ganesh ji on the left, Lakshmi ji on the right
As you face the chowki, place Ganesh ji on the left and Maa Lakshmi on the right. Maa Saraswati can sit to Lakshmi's right and Kuber ji or the Kuber yantra in front. Lakshmi is never placed to the left of Ganesh ji; that is the place of a wife, and Ganesh ji is regarded as her son.
✅ Use a red or yellow cloth on a raised chowki
Do not place the idols directly on the floor. A wooden chowki with a red cloth (for Lakshmi) or yellow cloth (for Ganesh ji) is traditional. Make a small heap of rice or a swastik under each idol.
❌ Don't use a standing Lakshmi idol
Maa Lakshmi is worshipped seated on a lotus on Diwali, so that she "sits" and stays in the home. A standing Lakshmi is seen as a Lakshmi who is about to leave. Ganesh ji's idol is traditionally one with the trunk turned to his left for a home puja.
❌ Don't keep two idols of the same deity facing each other
Keep one Ganesh and one Lakshmi on the chowki. Older idols can stay in the home temple, but not facing the new ones.
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Diwali puja rules for timing
✅ Do the main puja in Pradosh Kaal on 8 November
The Shastra rule is that Lakshmi Puja is done on the day Amavasya is present at dusk. In 2026 that is only 8 November; on 9 November Amavasya ends at 12:31 PM. The best window in Delhi is 5:55 PM to 7:51 PM (Pradosh Kaal plus the fixed Vrishabha lagna). City-wise times are in the Diwali 2026 muhurat guide.
🗓️ Check before you light the first diya: the Devpunya Panchang shows the muhurat, choghadiya and hora for your own city. Open Devpunya Panchang →
❌ Don't do Lakshmi Puja in Rahu Kaal or after sunrise the next day
Rahu Kaal on Sunday is in the late afternoon (about 4:09 PM to 5:31 PM in Delhi), which is before the muhurat anyway. And the main Diwali puja should not be pushed to the next morning.
✅ Light the first diya at the main door at sunset
Before the puja begins, light a diya at the main door, then at the tulsi, in the kitchen and at the water source. The house should be lit when the muhurat starts.
Diwali diya rules
- ✅ Ghee diya on the right of the deity (your left as you face it) and an oil diya on the left, if you light both.
- ✅ Use a cotton wick. A wick of kalava (red thread) is also traditional for Lakshmi.
- ✅ Keep one akhand diya (a big diya with enough ghee or oil) burning through the night in the puja place.
- ✅ Light a diya facing south outside the house only for Yama (on Dhanteras or Choti Diwali), never in the puja.
- ❌ Don't blow out a puja diya with your mouth. If you must put it out, use a flower or let it go out by itself.
- ❌ Don't use a cracked or broken diya, and don't light one diya from another puja diya.
- ❌ Don't leave any corner, especially the main door and the kitchen, dark on Diwali night.
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Rules for what to offer and what not to offer
✅ Offer these to Maa Lakshmi
- Kamal (lotus), her favourite flower; red roses and marigold.
- Kheel-batashe, kheer, white sweets, singhara and seasonal fruit.
- Kumkum, haldi, akshat (unbroken rice), a red chunri and shringar items.
- A coconut (shriphal) on the kalash, paan and supari, coins and the account book.
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❌ Don't offer these
- ❌ Tulsi to Ganesh ji. Tulsi is offered to Vishnu and Lakshmi-Narayan, but never to Ganesh ji.
- ❌ Wilted, smelled or fallen flowers.
- ❌ Broken rice. Akshat must be whole.
- ❌ Store-bought sweets that contain egg, or anything with onion and garlic in the bhog.
- ❌ Iron or black items in the puja thali.
Do's and don'ts on Diwali day
✅ Do these on 8 November
- Bathe early. This year the Narak Chaturdashi abhyanga snan (oil bath) is also on the morning of 8 November, before the 6:38 AM sunrise.
- Wear clean new clothes in red, yellow, pink or white.
- Keep a fast until the puja if it is your family's tradition, and break it with the prasad.
- Worship the account books, the cash box and the tools of your work. Traders, see our guide on Diwali Lakshmi puja for business growth and debt relief.
- Give something: food to a cow, sweets to a helper, or a contribution to a temple bhandara.
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❌ Don't do these on Diwali
- ❌ Don't quarrel or speak harshly, above all to the women of the house, who are called Griha-Lakshmi.
- ❌ Don't gamble, drink alcohol or eat non-vegetarian food. Card games on Diwali are a folk custom, not a scriptural one.
- ❌ Don't sleep at dusk. The evening is when Lakshmi is believed to arrive.
- ❌ Don't lend or borrow money, and don't give away salt, milk or a broom on Diwali evening.
- ❌ Don't sweep after sunset, and never sweep dirt out of the main door at night.
- ❌ Don't step on rangoli or keep footwear near the puja place.
- ❌ Don't leave the house locked and dark on Diwali night.
Want the positive version of this list? See how to attract Maa Lakshmi on Diwali.
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Rules after the puja
- ✅ Keep the puja set-up in place overnight. Many families keep it until the next morning, some until Bhai Dooj (11 November).
- ✅ Next morning, do a short aarti, then put the coins, cowries and gomti chakra in red cloth and keep them in the tijori.
- ✅ Distribute the prasad in the family and to neighbours; don't throw it away.
- ✅ New idols can stay in the home temple for the year. Old clay idols from last year can be immersed in clean water or buried in a pot of soil, respectfully.
- ❌ Don't throw used flowers and puja waste in the dustbin. Put them in a plant pot or flowing water.
Two days later is Govardhan Puja and Annakoot (Tuesday, 10 November). See our Govardhan Puja 2026 guide.
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Common doubts about Diwali puja rules
Should we buy new Lakshmi-Ganesh idols every year?
Many families buy new clay idols each Diwali and keep last year's in the home temple or immerse them. Metal or marble idols can be worshipped year after year; just bathe and decorate them.
Can unmarried people or students do Lakshmi Puja?
Yes. Anyone can do Lakshmi Puja. Students often keep their books for Maa Saraswati beside Lakshmi-Ganesh.
Can we do Diwali puja in a rented house or a hostel?
Yes. A small, clean corner with a diya, a picture of Lakshmi-Ganesh and a sincere sankalp is a complete puja.
What if there is sutak in the family this year?
During sutak, most traditions do not perform a full puja at home. Families usually light diyas quietly and ask the family priest. Some choose to have a puja done at a temple instead. Follow your family's custom.
Can I do the Diwali puja alone?
Yes. It is good to involve the family, but one person's sincere puja is enough for the home.
Is it necessary to stay awake all night?
No. Keeping a diya lit through the night is the rule; staying awake (jaagran) is an option for those who wish.
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📖 Read next in the Diwali 2026 series
- Diwali 2026 Best Tithi and Lakshmi Puja Muhurat (8 November)
- How to Attract Maa Lakshmi on Diwali: 21 Things to Do
- Why We Celebrate Diwali and Its Complete Story
- Diwali Lakshmi Puja for Business Growth and Debt Relief
- Govardhan Puja 2026: Date, Annakoot Story and 56 Bhog List
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