Five things are enough to begin Diwali Lakshmi Puja at home: an oil lamp, a picture of Lakshmi or a coin, turmeric and kumkuma, akshatalu (turmeric rice), and a piece of jaggery or fruit. A kalasham, panchamritam and silver coins are optional; for anything missing, offering akshatalu is the traditional substitute.
Half an hour before the evening muhurtham, you sit down in the puja room only to find the betel leaves wilted or the incense box empty. Rushing to a crowded market at dusk pulls your mind away from the prayer itself. Knowing beforehand which items are actually required on the altar and which ones have simple household substitutes removes that last-minute stress.
For the full map of the five-day festival, read our Deepavali 2026 complete guide.
What Must You Prepare First and What Truly Stops the Puja
The minimum five: with these, you can begin the puja
- An oil lamp: a clay diya, a cotton wick, ghee or sesame oil, and a matchbox
- A picture or idol of Lakshmi; if you have none, a clean coin placed on rice on the seat
- Turmeric and kumkuma; the turmeric also makes the Pasupu Ganapati
- Akshatalu, unbroken rice mixed with turmeric
- Naivedyam: a piece of jaggery or a fruit, and a glass of clean water
Everything else, from the kalasham and panchamritam to lotuses, silver coins and a Kubera yantra, is good to have but never stops the puja.
Household puja manuals describe sixteen upacharas (Shodashopachara, the traditional sixteen offerings), but no household rule says every item must be present. The puja begins with Pasupu Ganapati, a small turmeric cone for Ganesha; why, and the full order of the puja, are covered in Part 5. For the dates and your city’s muhurat, see the series main guide.
How many lamps? One or two are enough for the puja itself. How many diyas you light around the house follows family custom, often 11 to 21. A clay diya burns for a few hours on about a teaspoon of oil, so roughly a quarter litre of oil covers 21 diyas.
What matters is starting the puja, not the number of items.
Complete Lakshmi Puja Samagri Table Essential vs Optional vs Substitutes
Sorting your Lakshmi Puja Samagri into three clear categories helps you shop sensibly without overspending.
| Category | Essential Items | Optional Items | Traditional Substitutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altar & Deities | Lakshmi photo or idol, turmeric powder (for Pasupu Ganapati), wooden plank (peeta), clean cloth | Kalasham pot (copper/silver vessel), whole coconut, silver or gold coins, Kubera Yantram | If you do not have an idol or photo, place a clean silver coin or a whole betel nut (vakka) on a small mound of raw rice |
| Lighting (Deeparadhana) | Clay lamps (matti pramidalu) or metal lamp, cotton wicks, cow ghee or sesame oil | Lotus stem wicks, calotropis (jilledu) wicks, extra decorative diyas | If cow ghee is unavailable, sesame oil (nuvvula nune) is traditionally used in Telugu homes |
| Worship Offerings | Turmeric, kumkuma, sandalwood paste (gandham), akshatalu (unbroken turmeric rice), flowers, incense sticks, camphor | Panchamritam (milk, curd, ghee, honey, sugar), gejje vastram (cotton thread garland), rosewater, cowrie shells | In traditional practice, akshatalu can be offered in place of any missing item such as sacred threads, ornaments, or extra flowers |
| Leaves & Naivedyam | Betel leaves (tamalapaku), betel nuts (vakka), jaggery (bellam), bananas or seasonal fruits, clean water | Mango leaves, pink lotuses, marigolds, cooked festive sweets, account books (khata) | If fresh betel leaves are unavailable, offer fruits, betel nuts, and akshatalu to complete the tambulam step |
A handful of unbroken akshatalu offered with a steady mind holds more value on the altar than a table full of hurried purchases.
When to Buy What Including Dhanatrayodashi Customs
Breaking your shopping into three small trips saves you from standing in long festival queues on Sunday morning.
- Two to Three Days Ahead (November 4 to 5) Stock up on dry shelf goods including turmeric, kumkuma, sandalwood powder, incense sticks, camphor, cotton wicks, cow ghee, sesame oil, raw rice, and jaggery.
- On Dhanatrayodashi (Friday, November 6, 2026) In many Telugu households, it is a popular custom to buy new clay lamps (pramidalu), coriander seeds (dhaniyalu), jaggery (bellam), or a small brass vessel for the puja room on this day as a symbol of auspiciousness. The Trayodashi tithi runs from 10:30 AM on November 6 to 10:47 AM on November 7.
- Day Before or Morning of Puja (November 7 or Morning of November 8) Pick up fresh betel leaves, mango leaf strings (thoranam, a festive doorway garland), marigolds, chrysanthemums, lotuses, fresh fruits, and milk.
How to Prepare Clay Lamps, Akshatalu, and Pasupu Ganapati Beforehand
Mixing turmeric paste or rolling cotton wicks after the muhurtham begins interrupts the flow of prayer. Complete these five preparation steps by the afternoon of Sunday, November 8.
- Soak and Dry Clay Lamps Place your new clay lamps (matti pramidalu) in a wide bowl of clean water for 2 to 3 hours. Once the tiny air bubbles stop rising from the terracotta, lift them out, wipe them with a dry cloth, and let them dry completely under a fan or in sunlight. Soaking prevents the porous clay from drinking up your oil during the evening prayer. If you forget to soak them beforehand, rub a few drops of ghee or sesame oil across the inner surface of the dry clay lamp 10 minutes before lighting.
- Mix Unbroken Akshatalu Take a handful of whole, unbroken raw rice grains in a dry bowl. Add a quarter spoon of turmeric powder and two drops of cow ghee or sesame oil, then rub the grains gently between your fingers. Do not add water. When the yellow coat shines evenly without clumping, your akshatalu are ready. If your rice bag has broken grains, pick out whole grains by hand before mixing.
- Shape Pasupu Ganapati Put two tablespoons of turmeric powder into a small cup and add clean water drop by drop until it forms a firm, non-sticky dough. Roll it between your palms and pinch the top with your thumb and index finger to form a neat cone. Place a dot of kumkuma on the front and set it on a fresh betel leaf. If the paste turns runny and slumps, knead in an extra half spoon of dry turmeric powder.
- Twist Double Cotton Wicks Traditional household worship uses two cotton wicks twisted together into a single tip rather than a single wick. Prepare 20 to 30 paired wicks in advance and dip just the tips in soft ghee so they catch flame immediately. If store-bought wicks are unavailable, pull a small piece of clean medical cotton and roll it between your palms with a drop of ghee.
- Ready the Kalasham Vessel (If Used) Scrub your copper, brass, or silver pot with tamarind or lemon, rinse with clean water, wipe dry, smear turmeric around the outer rim, and place five kumkuma dots on its sides.
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Night-Before Checklist for Saturday, November 7
On the morning of Sunday, November 8, families observe the Naraka Chaturdashi Abhyanga Snanam (ritual oil bath at dawn) before sunrise, between 05:19 AM and 06:18 AM in Hyderabad. Since Sunday will be busy with bath rituals and cooking, verify this tray checklist on Saturday night, November 7.
- Lakshmi idol or framed picture wiped clean and kept ready.
- Wooden plank (peeta) and a washed red or yellow cloth set aside.
- Brass lamps and pre-soaked clay pramidalu dried and arranged on a tray.
- Containers of turmeric, kumkuma, and sandalwood paste refilled.
- Cow ghee, sesame oil, twisted wicks, incense sticks, camphor, and matchbox placed together.
- Silver coins, family jewelry, or account books meant for the altar gathered in one safe pouch.
- Achamanam cup, small spoon (uddharine, the ritual water spoon), and water plate washed.
Practical Substitutes for NRI Telugu Families
For Telugu families living outside India, Indian grocery stores may run out of fresh puja supplies over the Diwali weekend. You can adapt using everyday items while keeping your family tradition intact.
- No Fresh Betel or Mango Leaves Check the freezer aisle for frozen betel leaves and let them thaw at room temperature. If none are available, place flowers and akshatalu atop the Kalasham pot instead of leaves, and offer whole betel nuts, fruits, and akshatalu for the final tambulam (the traditional concluding offering of betel leaf and nut).
- No Lotuses or Marigolds Use locally available roses, yellow or white chrysanthemums, or carnations. If fresh flowers are completely unavailable, perform the entire 108-name archana using turmeric akshatalu.
- No Clay Diyas Use small brass or silver lamps. Failing that, pour ghee or sesame oil into a small heat-safe steel bowl and light a cotton wick; avoid plastic or thin glass. Keep every lamp on a firm surface away from curtains and paper, and do not burn camphor right under a smoke alarm.
- No Gejje Vastram (Cotton Garland) Pull a thin strip of regular medical cotton, dampen your palms with a pinch of wet turmeric, and roll the cotton into small beads linked by a thread to offer as sacred clothing.
Tradition holds that when an item is genuinely unavailable outside one’s homeland, offering unbroken akshatalu fulfills the ritual completely.
Regional Variations and Family Custom
Across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, household setups vary widely. While many families perform standalone Mahalakshmi Puja on Amavasya evening, others, particularly across Warangal and parts of Telangana as documented in the 1961 Census ethnographic records, observe the Kedareswara Nomu or Gouramma Puja alongside or as their primary Deepavali ritual. Similarly, whether Pasupu Ganapati sits to the right or left of Goddess Lakshmi, and whether business ledgers are placed on the altar, depends entirely on your family elders’ practice. Neither way is wrong; your household custom is your standard. (The step-by-step puja procedure is covered in Part 5, and festive naivedyam recipes are in Part 9.)
One Thing You Can Do Today Open your puja cabinet right now, check your stock of turmeric, kumkuma, camphor, cotton wicks, and sesame oil, and write down any missing items on a slip of paper.
We noted earlier that many families buy clay lamps, coriander seeds, and jaggery on Dhanatrayodashi. How did Lord Dhanvantari (the divine physician who emerged from the churning of the Milky Ocean carrying the pot of nectar) become linked with this day, why do households light a Yama Deepam facing south outside the front door at dusk, and do the scriptures actually require anyone to buy gold on Dhanteras?
Frequently asked questions
When is Diwali Lakshmi Puja in 2026 and what are the city timings?
Diwali Lakshmi Puja falls on Sunday, November 8, 2026. The Amavasya tithi starts at 11:27 AM on November 8 and ends at 12:31 PM on November 9. The evening puja muhurtham is 06:07 PM to 08:08 PM in Hyderabad, 06:00 PM to 08:01 PM in Vijayawada, 05:48 PM to 07:48 PM in Visakhapatnam, and 06:09 PM to 08:11 PM in Tirupati.
Which items are strictly necessary so the puja does not stop?
You only need turmeric powder (to shape Pasupu Ganapati), kumkuma, akshatalu (unbroken raw rice mixed with turmeric), a lamp with cow ghee or sesame oil and cotton wicks, clean water, and a piece of jaggery or fruit for naivedyam. Silver coins, a Kalasham pot, and elaborate sweets are optional. Akshatalu can substitute for any missing offering.
What oil and how many wicks are traditionally used for Deepavali lamps?
In traditional Telugu practice, pure cow ghee or sesame oil (nuvvula nune) is used for the main puja lamps. For auspicious household rituals, two cotton wicks are twisted together and lit as a single flame rather than using a single wick. Soaking new clay lamps in water for 2 to 3 hours and drying them prevents oil seepage.
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When is Dhanatrayodashi in 2026 and what puja items are bought on that day?
Dhanatrayodashi (Dhanteras) is on Friday, November 6, 2026. The Trayodashi tithi runs from 10:30 AM on November 6 to 10:47 AM on November 7. In Telugu households, it is a popular belief and custom to buy new clay lamps (pramidalu), coriander seeds (dhaniyalu), jaggery (bellam), or small brass puja vessels on this day.
How can I perform Lakshmi Puja if I do not have an idol or photo?
If you do not have an idol or framed portrait of Goddess Lakshmi, spread a clean cloth on a wooden plank and pour a small mound of unbroken raw rice in the center. Place a washed silver coin or a whole betel nut (vakka) smeared with turmeric and kumkuma on the rice and invoke the Goddess into it.
What can NRI families use if fresh betel leaves or lotuses are unavailable?
If lotuses or marigolds are out of stock, use local roses, chrysanthemums, or any fragrant flowers; if you have no flowers at all, perform the archana with turmeric akshatalu. Thawed frozen betel leaves work well, or you can offer fruits, betel nuts, and akshatalu in place of fresh betel leaves.
Sources
Drik Panchang — Hyderabad Diwali Lakshmi Puja Timings 2026
Drik Panchang — Hyderabad Dhanteras Puja Timings 2026
Drik Panchang — Hyderabad Abhyang Snan Timings 2026
Information checked: 21 October 2026. Dates and times follow Drik Panchang; final check on 5 November.
