What is Dhanteras and Foods offered for Goddess Lakshmi

Also known as ‘Dhanatraodoshi’ or ‘Dhanvantri Trayodashi’, this is a festival celebrated just two days before Diwali and holds a lot of importance for the traders or business people. This day falls on the 13th day of Krishna Paksha in the Kartika month as per the Hindu calendar and that’s why the word ‘teras’ is added to this festival. As Diwali is a festival of lights and positivity, all kinds of negativity are removed on this day by cleaning homes and offices. This day is celebrated by worshipping Goddess Lakshmi and lighting diyas in the name of the God of Death - Yama, thus this day also came to be known as Yamadeepdan. (Image courtesy - istock images)

Dhanteras is considered an important festival in Hinduism, as many people look forward to it to purchase precious metals - like gold and silver and new steel utensils. People believe that by purchasing these metals and steel utensils this day, Goddess Lakshmi comes home and keeps the negative energy at bay. Also, as per Hindu scriptures, there is a mention of Goddess Lakshmi coming out of the Samundra Manthan along with Lord Kuber, who is also worshipped on this day.

It is a known fact that Dhanteras starts the Diwali celebration and thus all the cleaning and decoration is done before this day. As this day is associated with the starting of Lakshmi Pujan, people start making sweet dishes like phirni, rice kheer, laddoo, halwa and what not! All the sweet dishes prepared on this day are offered to Goddess Lakshmi as part of the puja in the evening. In order to please Goddess Lakshmi, it is important that she is offered food made of rice and saffron. You can also offer food that’s yellow in colour. Here is a list of all such foods offered to Goddess Lakshmi on Dhanteras.

This is a traditional laddoo and is super easy to make. All you need to prepare this laddoo is grated coconut, cardamom powder, milk and sugar. Some people also make it by adding khoya to the laddoo mixture. Also, if you are a novice and do not know how to make this laddoo is, here is one of the simplest methods. Take equal quantities of petha and grated nariyal and mash them together. Take a small part and make it into laddoo. It will taste just like the usual nariyal laddoo.

It is considered one of the favourite sweets of Maa Lakshmi. It is prepared by frying semolina or suji in ghee and then cooking it in jaggery syrup. Some people also add cardamom powder and saffron to this sweet dish. To increase the flavour, you can also add milk while stirring the halwa. Garnish with dry fruits and offer to Maa Lakshmi.

This is one of the popular foods offered to Goddess Lakshmi and is prepared by mixing together - milk, curd, sugar, honey and ghee. Panchamrit is also prepared on several other occasions and is popularly made on religious occasions as part of bhog.

This dessert is one of the popular delicacies prepared for festivals and special occasions and is considered one of the favourites of Maa Lakshmi. It is made by simmering rice in boiled milk with cardamom powder, saffron and sugar until it is of thick consistency. Chopped dry fruits are added to it to increase the flavour of this dessert.