Bengali Hindus will celebrate Lakshmi Puja today (Sunday), worshipping Goddess Lakshmi and praying for wealth, prosperity and good fortune.
The festival, also known as Kojagari Lakshmi Puja, falls on the full-moon night of the Bengali month of Ashwin, following Durga Puja, the largest religious festival of the Hindu community.
According to the Vishuddha Siddhanta Panjika, a Hindu almanac, the puja will be observed on Sunday. However, the full-moon lunar period, or Purnima Tithi, will begin at 11:55am on Monday and end at 9:41am on Tuesday, according to the almanac.
Hindus believe Goddess Lakshmi visits the homes of her devotees on Kojagari Purnima to bless them with abundance and prosperity. Bengali Hindu families traditionally arrange worship in their homes, using an idol or a consecrated pot known as a ghat. The puja may be performed individually or collectively.
In Hindu tradition, Lakshmi is regarded as the goddess of wealth and prosperity. She is also associated with good fortune, knowledge, fertility, generosity, courage and beauty. Her divine vehicle is an owl.
According to Hindu belief, Lakshmi accompanied Lord Vishnu in his incarnations as Rama and Krishna, appearing as Sita and Radha, respectively.
The observance includes traditional rituals and offerings. Essential items for the puja include vermilion, rice, mango leaves, flowers, durva grass, tulsi leaves, sandalwood, incense, lamps, water and food offerings.
Households often decorate their courtyards with alpona, traditional patterns drawn with rice flour. These designs frequently feature footprints symbolising the arrival of the goddess. A sacred pot and sheaves of paddy may also be placed as part of the decoration. Some women observe a fast during the puja.
Reciting Lakshmi’r Panchali, a collection of traditional narrative verses about the goddess, is another customary practice in Bengali households.
Staying awake throughout the night is also associated with the festival. The word Kojagari is traditionally linked to the question, “Who is awake?” According to popular belief, the goddess visits those who remain awake on the full-moon night.
Besides the annual Ashwin observance, some Hindu families worship Goddess Lakshmi every Thursday. In certain regions, special worship is also held on Dipanwita Amavasya, the new-moon night associated with Diwali.