About Dhanteras
Last updated:
- 🙏 Deity: Lord Dhanvantari, Goddess Lakshmi, Kubera
- 📅 Dhanteras 2026 date:
- ⏳ Duration: 1 day (evening puja)
- 🌙 Lunar month: Kartik
- 🗺️ Celebrated in: Pan-India — Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, UP, Haryana, Punjab, MP
Dhanteras, also called Dhanvantari Trayodashi or Dhantrayodashi, is the auspicious opening day of the five-day Diwali festival cluster. Observed on the thirteenth day (Trayodashi) of the Krishna Paksha in the month of Kartik, Dhanteras heralds the arrival of the goddess of wealth and is one of the most commercially and spiritually significant days in the Hindu calendar. The very word Dhanteras combines "Dhan" (wealth) and "Teras" (thirteenth), signifying that prosperity descends on this night.
On this day, three great themes converge. First, it is the birth anniversary of Lord Dhanvantari — the divine physician who emerged from the cosmic ocean during Samudra Manthan bearing a pot of Amrit (nectar of immortality) and the knowledge of Ayurveda. His worship on this day is a prayer for health, healing, and freedom from disease. Second, it is the most auspicious day of the year for purchasing gold, silver, and metal utensils — an act believed to multiply wealth thirteenfold and invite Lakshmi's blessings into the home. Third, the tradition of Yama Deepam — lighting a lamp facing south (the direction of Yama, the god of death) — is observed to ward off untimely death and invoke protection for all family members.
In the evening, homes and shops are cleaned, decorated with rangoli, and lit with diyas. The Lakshmi-Kubera puja performed on Dhanteras evening is believed to secure financial prosperity for the year ahead. Markets across India remain open late into the night as families purchase jewelry, coins, kitchen utensils, and new appliances. Dhanteras is celebrated with particular enthusiasm in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, UP, and across all of North and West India.
Significance of Dhanteras
Dhanteras is charged with layered significance across health, wealth, death, and cosmic myth:
Deities worshipped on Dhanteras
Follow the links to explore each deity’s mantras, stories, and temples on Temples.bio.
Goddess Lakshmi
Goddess of wealth worshipped on Dhanteras evening for prosperity and abundance
The Invincible Mother Goddess — Supreme Feminine Power who destroys evil, protects the righteous, and embodies the divine energy of the entire universe.
View deity →
Lord Vishnu
Lord Dhanvantari is an avatar of Vishnu who appeared during Samudra Manthan on this day
The Preserver of the Universe — the all-pervading Supreme Being who descends to Earth in divine avatars whenever righteousness declines and evil rises.
View deity →Dhanteras involves three principal deities whose roles are distinct and complementary:
Lord Dhanvantari: The divine physician of the gods and the father of Ayurveda, Dhanvantari emerged from the churning of the cosmic ocean (Samudra Manthan) on this Trayodashi tithi, bearing Amrit (immortality nectar) in a golden pot. He is worshipped on Dhanteras for health, healing, freedom from disease, and the wisdom of medicine. His four-armed form holds a conch, discus, leech bowl, and pot of Amrit.
Goddess Lakshmi: As the goddess of wealth, fortune, and prosperity, Lakshmi is the central deity of the Dhanteras evening puja. Families invite her into their freshly cleaned homes with lit diyas and rangoli, seeking her blessings for financial abundance throughout the coming year.
Kubera: The god of wealth and treasurer of the celestial realm, Kubera is worshipped alongside Lakshmi. His worship alongside Lakshmi is believed to stabilize and secure wealth, ensuring that Lakshmi's blessings remain permanent rather than fleeting.
How to celebrate Dhanteras 2026
1. Clean the entire house thoroughly during the day — Lakshmi is believed to enter only clean homes.
2. Draw rangoli at the entrance and doorways.
3. Purchase gold, silver, coins, or new metal utensils as the Dhanteras Dhan — this purchase is believed to multiply wealth.
4. In the evening, set up the puja sthal with idols or images of Lord Dhanvantari, Goddess Lakshmi, and Kubera.
5. Light 13 diyas (13 for Trayodashi) and place one diya facing south for Yama Deepam.
6. Offer flowers, kumkum, turmeric, and akshat to all three deities.
7. Offer kheel (puffed rice), batashe (sugar drops), and sweets — especially coriander seeds mixed with jaggery which is traditional Dhanteras prasad.
8. Light incense and perform aarti of Dhanvantari, then Lakshmi, then Kubera.
9. Recite or listen to the Dhanteras Katha and Lakshmi Chalisa.
10. Place newly purchased gold, silver, or utensils before the deity for blessing.
11. Distribute prasad to the family and light diyas across the entire home.
Rituals & regional traditions
Spiritual benefits
Mantras & sacred chants
1. Dhanvantari Mantra
Sanskrit: ॐ नमो भगवते वासुदेवाय धन्वन्तरये अमृत-कलश हस्ताय सर्व-भय-विनाशाय सर्व-रोग-निवारणाय त्रैलोक्य पतये त्रैलोक्य-निधये श्री महाविष्णु स्वरूप श्री धन्वन्तरि स्वरूप श्री श्री श्री औषधचक्र नारायणाय नमः
Meaning: Om, salutations to the divine Lord Vasudeva Dhanvantari, who holds the pot of Amrit, who destroys all fears, removes all diseases, and is the lord and treasure of the three worlds — the form of Vishnu, the form of Dhanvantari.
2. Lakshmi Mantra for Dhanteras
Sanskrit: ॐ श्रीं ह्रीं श्रीं महालक्ष्म्यै नमः
Meaning: Om, I bow to the great Lakshmi — this powerful seed-mantra invokes the full grace of Goddess Lakshmi for wealth, beauty, and abundance on Dhanteras evening.
3. Kubera Mantra
Sanskrit: ॐ यक्षाय कुबेराय वैश्रवणाय धनधान्याधिपतये धनधान्यसमृद्धिं मे देहि दापय स्वाहा
Meaning: Om, to Yaksha Kubera, son of Vishravana, lord of wealth and grain — grant me abundance of wealth and grain, fulfill this prayer — Svaha.
Dhanteras 2026 — FAQs
Dhanteras 2026 falls on Friday, November 6, 2026. It is observed on the Trayodashi tithi (13th day) of Krishna Paksha in the month of Kartik.
The most auspicious muhurat for purchasing gold and silver on Dhanteras 2026 will fall in the pradosh period — typically from around 5:30 PM to 8:00 PM on November 6, 2026. Check your local panchang for precise timings based on your city.
Buying gold, silver, or metal utensils on Dhanteras is considered auspicious because metal (dhan) represents material wealth. The purchase is believed to be blessed by Goddess Lakshmi and to multiply wealth thirteenfold over the coming year.
Lord Dhanvantari is the god of medicine and the divine father of Ayurveda. He emerged from the Samudra Manthan (churning of the cosmic ocean) on Dhanteras (Kartik Krishna Trayodashi) bearing a golden pot of Amrit. He is worshipped for health, healing, and protection from disease. National Ayurveda Day is observed on Dhanteras.
Yama Deepam is the ritual of lighting a single earthen lamp (diya) facing south on Dhanteras evening. South is the direction associated with Yama (the god of death). This lamp is lit to ward off untimely death (akaal mrityu) and to invoke Yama's protection for all family members.
Dhanteras is the first day of the five-day Diwali festival cluster, falling two days before the main Diwali night. While Dhanteras focuses on purchasing metals and worshipping Dhanvantari, Lakshmi, and Kubera, the main Diwali night (Amavasya) centers on Lakshmi puja, lighting the home, and celebrating the return of Lord Rama.
Auspicious purchases on Dhanteras include gold and silver jewelry, silver or gold coins, new kitchen utensils (steel, brass, copper), new appliances, brooms, and Lakshmi-Ganesh idols. Even a small silver coin is considered highly auspicious.
Traditional Dhanteras prasad includes coriander seeds (dhania) mixed with jaggery, kheel (puffed rice), batashe (sugar drops), and sweets. In Maharashtra, dhania-jaggery prasad is specifically offered to Goddess Lakshmi on this day.
