What to Buy on Dhanteras 2026: Traditional Buys and Puja Samagri

Dhanteras is on Friday, 6 November 2026. See the muhurat and timings for your city

Dhanteras opens the five days of Diwali, and it is the one day the festival itself sends the family to the market.

Amazon links on this page are affiliate links: as an Amazon Associate, Bhakti Angan earns from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you.

Tick items off as you go. To keep a paper copy, print this page: the checklist prints on its own.

Traditional Dhanteras buys

Metal brought home on Dhanteras is held auspicious in every form, so buy what suits your budget: gold or silver where possible, otherwise brass, copper or steel, or simply a new broom and a packet of coriander seeds.

• Gold coin1, of any weightFind on Amazon ↗

  Gold is the classic Dhanteras purchase, brought home as a form of Lakshmi and often placed in the Diwali Lakshmi Puja before it is put away with the family savings.

• Silver coin1 or moreFind on Amazon ↗

  Silver is the most common alternative to gold, and a plain coin is an easy way to keep the custom of bringing precious metal home.

• Silver Lakshmi-Ganesh coin1Find on Amazon ↗

  Many families buy this coin on Dhanteras, worship it at the Diwali Lakshmi Puja and keep it with their puja things through the year.

• New steel utensils1 piece or a small setFind on Amazon ↗

  Dhanvantari rose from the ocean holding a pot of amrita, so a new vessel for the kitchen is one of the oldest Dhanteras purchases.

• Brass or copper vessel1, such as a lota, kalash or thaliFind on Amazon ↗

  Brass and copper are the traditional puja metals, so many families choose a lota or kalash that will serve the Diwali puja and the home altar afterwards.

• Phool jhadu (the Dhanteras broom)1Find on Amazon ↗

  A new broom is welcomed as Lakshmi entering the home, because it keeps the house clean for her arrival at Diwali.

• Whole coriander seeds (sabut dhaniya)a small packetBuy fresh locally

  Dhaniya echoes dhan, so a packet of whole seeds is bought on the day, offered with jaggery in the puja, and in some homes a few seeds are sown in a pot afterwards.

• Gomti chakra11, where the family keeps themFind on Amazon ↗

  Where families keep this custom, these small natural spiral shells are placed in the Lakshmi Puja and then kept with the household money as a token of her presence.

For the altar: Dhanvantari, Lakshmi and Kubera

The evening puja begins with Ganesha, honours Dhanvantari for the health of the household, and then Lakshmi with Kubera, the treasurer of the gods; a picture serves as well as a murti.

• Dhanvantari picture or murti1Find on Amazon ↗

  Dhanteras is the appearance day of Dhanvantari, the physician of the gods and an avatar of Vishnu, so the household prays to him for health before wealth.

• Lakshmi-Ganesh murti for Diwali1 pair, or a single murti of bothFind on Amazon ↗

  Many families bring home the new Lakshmi-Ganesh murti on Dhanteras so that it is welcomed into the house before the Diwali Lakshmi Puja.

• Kubera yantra or picture1Find on Amazon ↗

  Kubera, keeper of the treasury of the gods, is worshipped beside Lakshmi in many homes on Dhanteras evening as the guardian of what the family already has.

• Red or yellow cloth for the chowki1 piece, about a metreFind on Amazon ↗

  Red is the colour of Lakshmi and yellow the colour of Vishnu, so either is right for an altar that holds Dhanvantari and Lakshmi together.

• Red bahi khata (account book)1, where the family keeps accountsFind on Amazon ↗

  Trading families buy the new account book around Dhanteras and worship it at Lakshmi Puja before the first entry is written.

Puja thali and bhog

One thali serves both the Dhanvantari and the Lakshmi-Kubera puja; buy the fresh items on the day.

• Brass diya set1 diya for the puja, more for the homeFind on Amazon ↗

  A diya filled with ghee from the kitchen burns through the puja as the witness of the offering, and a brass one serves again every year.

• Roli and haldia small packet of eachFind on Amazon ↗

  Roli and haldi mark the tilak on the deities and on the new coins and utensils as they are offered.

• Akshat (unbroken rice)a handfulFrom home

  Unbroken rice mixed with a little roli is offered at every step as a sign of wholeness.

• Dhoop or agarbatti1 packetFind on Amazon ↗

  Fragrance is one of the classic offerings and fills the puja space as the deities are invited.

• Camphora few tabletsFind on Amazon ↗

  Camphor is lit for the closing aarti and burns away completely, leaving nothing behind, as the ego is meant to.

• Tulsi leavesa few leavesBuy fresh locally

  Dhanvantari is a form of Vishnu, so tulsi is placed on his bhog, as on every offering to Vishnu.

• Flowers and a garland1 garland and a handful of loose flowersBuy fresh locally

  Marigold is the everyday choice, and a lotus, where you can find one, is the flower most closely tied to Lakshmi.

• Jaggerya small pieceBuy fresh locally

  Coriander seeds mixed with jaggery make the simple naivedya kept in Maharashtra and in many other homes.

• Sweets and fruit for prasada small plateBuy fresh locally

  A plate of sweets and seasonal fruit is offered to the deities and then shared with the family as prasad.

For the Yama deepdan and the first lamps

The Yama deepdan is a single lamp lit in the evening and set outside the main door facing south, the direction of Yama, and many keep it as the most important act of the day. For timing, check the muhurat for your city on our Dhanteras guide.

• Four-wick clay diya (chaumukha)1Find on Amazon ↗

  One lamp with four wicks, lit facing south, is offered to Yama with a prayer that untimely death stays away from the household.

• Mustard or sesame oilenough to fill the lampFrom home

  The Yama lamp is traditionally filled with oil rather than ghee, mustard oil in most homes and sesame oil in many others.

• Long cotton wicks4 for the Yama lamp, plus sparesFind on Amazon ↗

  Four wicks laid so that one points each way give the chaumukha lamp its four flames.

• Clay diyas for the doorway5, 11 or moreFind on Amazon ↗

  Dhanteras is the evening the first row of Diwali lamps is lit at the entrance and along the ledges of the house.

• Rangoli coloursa small setFind on Amazon ↗

  A rangoli at the cleaned entrance, often with small footprints walking in, welcomes Lakshmi into the home.

What many families avoid buying

These are customs, not rules, and they differ from family to family; follow what your elders keep.

• Knives, scissors and sharp toolsFrom home

  Many families avoid bringing sharp things home on Dhanteras and buy them on another day instead.

• Plain iron goodsFrom home

  Many families avoid buying iron on the day, though stainless steel utensils are widely bought and held auspicious.

• Black clothes and black itemsFrom home

  Many families keep black out of the festive purchases and prefer bright colours such as red, yellow and gold.

• A new vessel carried in emptyFrom home

  Many families avoid carrying a new vessel in empty and fill it with water, rice or sweets as it crosses the threshold.

Dhan means wealth and teras is the thirteenth lunar day, yet the day belongs first to Dhanvantari, the physician of the gods who rose from the ocean of milk carrying the pot of amrita, and only then to Lakshmi. Gold and silver are the classic buys, but any metal brought home is held auspicious, from a brass lota to a steel spoon, and so is a new phool jhadu. This list covers what families traditionally buy, the samagri for the Dhanvantari and Lakshmi-Kubera puja, the items for the Yama deepdan, and what many families prefer not to buy on the day. Most families shop in the evening Pradosh window; check the muhurat for your city on our Dhanteras guide.

Setting it up

1. Clean the house, above all the entrance, and draw a rangoli at the door with small footprints walking in.
2. Set a chowki in the puja corner, spread the red or yellow cloth, and place Ganesha, Dhanvantari, Lakshmi and Kubera on it as murtis, pictures or a yantra.
3. Wash and wipe the new coins, utensils and other purchases, and set them on a plate in front of the deities with the packet of coriander seeds.
4. Arrange the thali: the brass diya with ghee, roli, haldi, akshat, flowers, tulsi, dhoop, camphor, and coriander with jaggery as naivedya.
5. Light the diya and dhoop, worship Ganesha first, then Dhanvantari for the health of the family, then Lakshmi and Kubera, marking the new purchases with roli and akshat.
6. Offer tulsi on the bhog of Dhanvantari, sweets and fruit to all, and close with the camphor aarti.
7. Fill the four-wick clay diya with oil, light it and set it outside the main door facing south as the Yama deepdan, with a short prayer for the family.
8. Light the clay diyas at the entrance and on the ledges, the first lamps of Diwali, and share the prasad.

Tips

• Order coins, murtis, diyas and wicks a week or two ahead so they arrive in time, and buy flowers, tulsi, sweets and coriander fresh on the day.
• Buy gold that carries a hallmark and silver marked with its purity, and keep the bill with the coin.
• Soak new clay diyas in water for a few hours and let them dry, so they drink less oil and burn steadily.
• On a small budget, a packet of coriander seeds, a phool jhadu or one small steel vessel keeps the custom in full; the tradition values bringing something new home with devotion, not its price.
• Set the Yama lamp on a plate or a brick, away from curtains and dry leaves, and keep children and pets clear of the flame.
• For a greener Dhanteras, prefer clay diyas, a broom of natural grass and rangoli made from rice flour, flower petals or natural colours.

Across regions

In Maharashtra the day is Dhanatrayodashi, and the naivedya of coriander seeds with jaggery is part of the puja in many homes. The trading families of Gujarat and Rajasthan weigh and worship their wealth, wash and worship their coins, and bring home new account books for the Chopda Puja at Diwali. Across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi and Punjab the market is the heart of the day, with utensils, a phool jhadu and the new Lakshmi-Ganesh murti for Diwali, and in some homes the Yama lamp is shaped from wheat flour dough. In much of South India the day is quieter, kept by many as Dhanvantari Jayanti, with the larger celebration on Naraka Chaturdashi, though buying gold on Dhanteras is now common there too. Ayurveda practitioners everywhere worship Dhanvantari on this day, which is also observed as National Ayurveda Day. Gomti chakra, kauri shells and the custom of sowing coriander seeds belong to some family traditions and not to others.

Questions

What is the best thing to buy on Dhanteras?

Gold or silver is the classic choice, often as a coin, but any metal brought home is held auspicious, including brass, copper and steel utensils, and so is a new phool jhadu.

What can I buy on Dhanteras on a small budget?

A packet of whole coriander seeds, a new broom, a clay diya or a small steel bowl all keep the custom. The tradition values bringing something new home with devotion, not the price.

When should I shop on Dhanteras?

Most families buy in the evening Pradosh window, when the Trayodashi prevails after sunset. The exact window depends on your city, so check the muhurat for your city on our Dhanteras guide.

Why do people buy a broom on Dhanteras?

A new broom is welcomed as Lakshmi entering the house, because it keeps the home clean for her at Diwali. When to start using it varies, so follow your family custom.

What do I need for the Yama deepdan?

One clay lamp with four wicks, mustard or sesame oil and a safe spot outside the main door. It is lit in the evening and set facing south, the direction of Yama, with a prayer that untimely death stays away from the household.

The full Dhanteras 2026 guide
More samagri lists: Karwa Chauth · Diwali · Chhath Puja