The night marks the arrival of Kojagari Lakshmi Puja. Every year, people invite relatives and friends to their homes, and arrangements are made for the festive offerings (bhog) after the rituals.
This year, however, you may have decided to worship Goddess Lakshmi at your own home. You’ve decorated your house with flowers and garlands and even brought the idol. But you may be unsure what to include on the bhog plate besides fruits.
Goddess Lakshmi is the deity of wealth and prosperity. To ensure her blessings remain with the family, payesh (rice pudding) is a must on the offering plate, as it is a favorite of the goddess.
It is said that Goddess Lakshmi resides in grains, so dishes made from rice or paddy are ideal. You can include khichuri, pushpanna (sweetened rice), plain vegetarian fried rice, or coconut/moti pulao.
If rice dishes are included, you can accompany them with labra or dishes made from chhena (cottage cheese) or lentils (dalna). The goddess also favors dishes prepared with chhena or lentils. Potato curry (aloo dum) is also acceptable.
In many households, offering rice dishes is not mandatory. In such cases, you can serve luchi, five types of fried items, suji halwa, or simui’er payesh.
No puja is complete without fruits. It is recommended to offer five types of fruits, including coconut, banana, and sugarcane, though more is acceptable.
Another favorite of Goddess Vishnupriya is taler fopur, made from the sap of palm trees purchased during Janmashtami. Many families save the palm sap while making traditional sweets, which is then used in offerings.
Among dry offerings, the goddess favors puffed rice (muri), muri-mixed snacks (murki), flattened rice (chire), coconut ladoo, sesame ladoo, kadma, and jaggery sweets (batasas). These items are considered essential offerings during Kojagari Lakshmi Puja.
