Lakshmi Puja has more than one observance. In Kolkata, Bengali Kojagari Lakshmi Puja is on Sunday, 25 October 2026, on Ashwin Purnima. Diwali Lakshmi Puja falls on Sunday, 8 November, on Kartika Amavasya in the Indian calendars consulted. Both honour Maa Lakshmi; the tithi and family tradition determine which puja you observe.
The common explanation is that Lakshmi brings wealth. That is true but incomplete. In Sanskrit and devotional tradition, Lakshmi is closely connected with Śrī: prosperity, beauty, auspiciousness, flourishing and the conditions that allow a household to live well.
When is Lakshmi Puja in 2026?
For Kolkata, Drik Panchang lists Kojagari Lakshmi Puja on 25 October and Diwali Lakshmi Puja on 8 November. These are separate observances, not competing dates for one puja. Check your local panjika or panchang and family tradition for the puja time.
- Kojagari Lakshmi Puja: Sunday, 25 October 2026 in Kolkata; Ashwin Purnima, following Durga Puja.
- Diwali Lakshmi Puja: Sunday, 8 November 2026 in the Indian calendars consulted; Kartika Amavasya. The evening muhurat varies by city.
Is Bengali Lokkhi Puja the same as Diwali Lakshmi Puja?
Lokkhi Puja and Lakkhi Pujo are familiar Bengali forms of the name Lakshmi Puja. In the autumn festival calendar, the Bengali observance commonly refers to Kojagari Lakshmi Puja after Durga Puja. It falls on Purnima, while Diwali Lakshmi Puja falls on Amavasya.
Kojagari traditions include jagaran, staying awake at night in devotion to Maa Lakshmi. Diwali traditions often include Lakshmi-Ganesha puja and diyas. Customs differ across households and regions; the Diwali puja steps below are a simple guide, not a replacement for a family’s Kojagari puja paddhati.
Why is Lakshmi worshipped on Diwali?
Diwali is a time of renewal: homes are cleaned, accounts are reset, lamps are lit and families prepare to begin again. Lakshmi fits naturally into that rhythm because she represents auspicious prosperity.
Prosperity does not have to mean luxury. A house with food, health, useful work, generosity, learning and harmony is also a Lakshmi-rich house. That wider understanding makes the puja more meaningful than simply asking for more money.
What is the Samudra Manthana connection?
A major Puranic story describes the devas and asuras churning the cosmic ocean in search of amrita. Many beings and treasures emerge from the ocean, including Lakshmi.
The story is often connected with Diwali because Lakshmi appears as a radiant force of auspiciousness and abundance. The exact festival connection belongs to later devotional tradition, while the Samudra Manthana story itself is much older.
Why is Ganesha worshipped with Lakshmi?
Many North Indian Lakshmi Puja traditions worship Ganesha alongside Lakshmi. The pairing is easy to understand: prosperity is asked to arrive with wisdom, right beginnings and the removal of obstacles.
This is a living ritual convention rather than a rule followed by every Hindu community. Some homes add Saraswati, Kubera or family deities; others follow a very different sequence.
A simple Diwali Lakshmi Puja at home
If your family has a puja tradition, follow that first. A simple household puja can be modest and still meaningful.
- Clean the worship area and place the murti or image respectfully.
- Light one or more diyas.
- Offer water, flowers, fruit or sweets according to your family practice.
- Invoke Ganesha first if that is part of your tradition.
- Offer prayers or a Lakshmi stotra you already know.
- Sit quietly for a few minutes rather than rushing from one ritual to the next.
- Share the prasad and, if possible, give something to someone outside the household as well.
Why are doors, windows and thresholds decorated?
The threshold is where the outside world meets the home. Rangoli, kolam, flowers and lamps turn that boundary into a place of welcome.
Popular Diwali language says Lakshmi enters a clean and illuminated home. Whether one understands that literally or symbolically, the ritual asks the household to become ready for what it says it wants to receive.
Why are account books important on Diwali?
Business communities in several regions treat Diwali as a time to close old accounts, open new ledgers or perform Chopda Puja. The practice joins economic life with a ritual beginning.
It is a reminder that money is not outside spiritual life. How it is earned, recorded, spent and shared also belongs to dharma.
What should Lakshmi Puja not become?
It should not become fear that one small mistake will drive the Goddess away. It should not become competitive spending. It should not become an excuse to treat wealth as proof of spiritual worth.
A more grounded Lakshmi Puja asks for prosperity with responsibility: may there be enough, may it be earned well, may it be used well, and may it not make the heart smaller.