When to shop on Dhanteras 2026
Dhanteras is on Friday, 6 November 2026. The Trayodashi tithi runs from 10:30 am on 6 November to 10:47 am on 7 November (New Delhi), and purchases are made within it — most families shop on the afternoon of the 6th and bring everything home before the evening puja (6:02–7:57 pm). For the puja itself see Dhanteras 2026: muhurat and vidhi.
What is traditionally bought — and why
| Item | What it stands for |
|---|---|
| Gold or silver — a coin, a small piece of jewellery | Lakshmi herself; a silver coin with Lakshmi-Ganesha is placed in the Diwali puja |
| Brass, copper or silver vessel | Dhanvantari rose from the ocean holding a pot of amrit — a new pot recalls it |
| Broom (jhadu) | Lakshmi’s own symbol: it sweeps out poverty and dirt |
| Whole coriander seeds (dhaniya) | Dhan — wealth; kept in the puja and later sown or kept with savings |
| Lakshmi-Ganesha idol | Bought now for the Diwali puja two days later |
| Gomti chakra, cowries, a Kuber yantra | Kept with the family’s savings in many homes |
| Clay diyas | For the Yam Deepdaan and the lamps of the five days |
If the budget is small
The custom asks for something new, not something costly. A broom, a packet of whole coriander, a steel spoon or a single clay diya kept the tradition in most homes for generations. A family that buys one broom and worships it with sincerity has kept Dhanteras as fully as one that buys gold. Whatever is bought is placed before Lakshmi in the evening puja.
What not to buy on Dhanteras
Many families avoid these as the Dhanteras purchase:
- Iron — iron is associated with Shani; buy it on another day.
- Glass and ceramics — fragile, and linked in belief with Rahu.
- Knives, scissors and other sharp objects.
- Black items — black clothes, black utensils.
- Plastic and aluminium as the main purchase.
- An empty vessel — any new pot is filled with water, rice or sweets before it is brought inside.
After you buy — what to do with it
- Bring it home before dusk; enter with the right foot first.
- Fill a new vessel before it goes in — water, rice, or kheer for the puja.
- Place it before Lakshmi, Ganesha and Kuber in the evening puja and offer roli and akshat to it.
- Gold or a silver coin goes into the Diwali puja on 8 November; coriander seeds are kept and later sown in a pot.
- Use the new broom from the next morning — see why a broom is bought on Dhanteras and how to keep it.
A Lakshmi Puja in your name
For a Maa Lakshmi Puja performed by our pandits in Ujjain with the sankalp in your name and gotra — the video sent to you afterwards — book before Diwali on 8 November. For the full list of what to do through the day, see what to do and not do on Dhanteras.