Lakshmi Puja is on Sunday 8 November 2026, in the evening after sunset. Most families do it themselves without a pandit, from memory and a list that someone's mother wrote out years ago. This is that list, cleaned up, with the arrangement around it. It applies whether your thali is brass, steel or one of ours; the last section is about the resin-specific questions we get asked.

On the thali

  • Diyas. One main ghee diya that stays lit through the night, plus the diyas for aarti. Many families use five for the aarti itself, some eleven or twenty-one around the mandir. Cotton wicks and ghee go on the thali; the oil diyas for the balcony and the entrance are filled separately.
  • Roli or kumkum, haldi and chawal (akshat). In small cups or heaped directly on the thali. This is where a roli plate with built-in cups earns its place.
  • Flowers. Marigold for the garland, and lotus if you can get it; it is Lakshmi's flower. Loose petals for offering.
  • Sweets. Kheel and batasha are the traditional Lakshmi Puja offering in most of North and West India, with a laddoo or a piece of mithai beside them.
  • Coins and a note. A silver coin if you bought one on Dhanteras, otherwise any coin and a currency note, which are kept in the cash box or the shop till after the puja.
  • Supari, paan, cloves and elaichi. Small quantities, on one side.
  • Incense and camphor for the aarti, and a matchbox that someone will still have to go and find.

Beside the thali

  • The idols or picture of Lakshmi and Ganesh, on a red or yellow cloth. Ganesh sits to Lakshmi's right as you face them, which puts him on your left. Most families do it this way; if yours does not, follow yours.
  • A kalash of water with mango leaves and a coconut, or a lota if there is no kalash.
  • Panchamrit and Ganga jal for the abhishek.
  • The account book or ledger for chopda pujan, if the business does it on Diwali night rather than on Bestu Varas. Even a printed balance sheet in a folder counts. Shubh and Labh are written on it in kumkum with a swastik between.
  • A bell, and the aarti book or the phone with the aarti on it, propped where someone can read it.

Arranging the mandir

Put the thali in front of the idols, not to the side, so the aarti circles them and the light reaches their faces. The main ghee diya goes slightly to the right of the idols and is the last thing lit before the aarti and the first thing checked afterwards. Keep the sweets and the coins on the idol side of the thali and the puja materials on your side, so you are not reaching across the flame for kumkum.

If the mandir shelf is narrow, a sinhasan lifts the idols above the thali and makes the whole arrangement visible in the photos everyone takes. Ours is ₹2,000 plus shipping, ivory marble with pearl beading, and takes the standard 10 to 14 days.

The entrance and the rangoli

Lakshmi comes in through the door, so the door is done before the thali is. A toran across the frame, Shubh Labh on either side, diyas on both sides of the threshold, and a rangoli in front of it with a diya at the centre. Small Lakshmi footprints in kumkum or rice paste walking inward from the door to the mandir are still drawn in a lot of Gujarati homes. Tealight holders in a row along the balcony parapet finish the outside: the lotus stand at ₹149 and the pearl and gold-leaf holder at ₹169 are the ones we sell most for this, in maroon, red and gold.

How a resin thali handles the puja

These are the questions we are asked before someone switches from brass.

Does the diya damage it?

Not if the flame is in the brass diya, which is how our thalis are built: brass diyas in pearl rings cast into the resin, so the metal takes the heat. Do not put a lit diya, a camphor cup or a burning incense stick directly on the resin surface. Use the diya rings and a separate incense holder.

What about ghee, kumkum and water?

All fine. The surface is glossy and sealed. Wipe it the same night with a damp cloth; dried kumkum comes off the next morning with a little more effort but no staining. Do not soak it, and keep it out of the dishwasher.

Which thali for Lakshmi Puja?

For a five-diya aarti, the five-diya thali in 12 inch at ₹1,499 is built for it. For a three-diya aarti, the peacock teal or purple thali at the same prices. Add the 6 inch roli plate at ₹699 for the kumkum and chawal cups and the thali itself stays uncluttered. Any of these can be poured in red, maroon or gold tones, with a Lakshmi mantra or your family name in gold, if you order in time. Browse the full collection to compare.

Order-by dates

Thalis take 10 to 14 days in the studio. For Sunday 8 November, order by 18 October for the rest of India, by 23 October within Gujarat, and by 26 October in Ahmedabad. If you are buying on Dhanteras, that is two days before the puja, so it has to be a piece that is already made; ask Heta on WhatsApp what is on the shelf that week.