Spread the love

Kathmandu, October 20: On the third day of Yamapanchak — Laxmi Puja (Festival of Lights) – is being observed.

Today, the third day of Yamapanchak (also known as Tihar), people worship Goddess Laxmi — the goddess of wealth, fortune, and prosperity — in the evening by performing Laxmi Puja.

According to popular belief, Goddess Laxmi does not dwell in untidy or unclean homes. Therefore, people clean and decorate their houses early in the morning, applying fresh mud or paint and lighting oil lamps to invite the goddess. Every part of the house — including windows, doors, rooms, courtyards, rooftops, attics, and staircases — is thoroughly cleaned and illuminated.

The night of the new moon during the month of Kartik, when Laxmi Puja is performed, is also known as Sukharatri (the Night of Prosperity). To welcome Laxmi, from the courtyard to the main entrance and up to the worship room, the floor is smeared with cow dung and red clay. Footprints of Laxmi are drawn using rice flour and vermilion powder to symbolize her arrival path. Along this path, oil lamps made of clay or banana stems are lit, creating a beautiful glow of light.

After lighting lamps, devotees install images or idols of Goddess Laxmi, along with Lord Ganesh and a sacred water vessel (Kalash), in the worship room. They offer ornaments, money, grains, fruits, traditional sweets (sel roti), and flower garlands during the ritual. After performing the puja, young girls and daughters are worshipped as embodiments of Goddess Laxmi and are given gifts or money as offerings.

It is believed that after performing Laxmi Puja, no wealth or valuable items should be taken out of the house, as doing so may cause the goddess to leave the home.

According to Hindu mythology, the cow is considered an incarnation of Goddess Laxmi; therefore, it is worshipped during the Laxmi Puja. This year, due to the fluctuation in Tithi, the cow puja is performed on Tuesday morning (October 21).

This morning, the second day of the Tihar festival, the dog, considered to be the messengers and guardians of Yama (God of Death), is being worshipped.

People’s News Monitoring Service.