A dhan potli is a small cloth bundle of sacred Lakshmi offerings - kauri, gomti chakra, kamalgatta, supari and haldi - that is worshipped during the Diwali Lakshmi puja and then kept in the family tijori for the year. The idea is simple: the blessings you invite on Diwali night stay close to where your money lives, and you refresh the potli every Diwali.
Many families tie one on Dhanteras or Diwali night, and the custom is especially loved by business families, who keep the potli in the cash drawer or shop locker. This guide explains what goes inside a dhan potli and why, how to do the dhan potli puja at home, and where to keep it once the puja is done.
What is a dhan potli?
"Dhan" means wealth and "potli" is a small drawstring bundle, usually in red cloth because red is Lakshmi's colour. Each item inside is a traditional Lakshmi offering with its own meaning, and together they represent every kind of abundance a household hopes for in the coming year.
The potli is not opened or spent. It is worshipped once, sealed, and kept as a quiet reminder that the home's prosperity is a blessing rather than something earned alone. When Diwali comes round again, the old offerings are respectfully released and fresh ones go in.
Why Lakshmi and Kuber together?
Mahalakshmi brings wealth into the home, and Kuber, the treasurer of the gods, guards and keeps it. Worshipping them together asks for both: that prosperity arrives, and that it stays. Ganesh is always worshipped first, so that it comes without obstacles. You can read more about how the two deities differ in our guide to Maa Lakshmi and Kubera Dev, and about Kuber's own worship in Kubera Dev: the Hindu god of wealth.
What goes inside a dhan potli, and why
Every family has its own version, but these are the offerings most commonly placed in a Lakshmi Kuber dhan potli.
- Kauri (cowrie shells) - born of the ocean like Lakshmi herself and once used as money, kauri are her favoured symbol of wealth. Eleven is the traditional count.
- Gomti chakra - natural shells from the Gomti river carrying a spiral like Vishnu's Sudarshan Chakra, kept to protect the household's wealth and peace. Our guide covers how to tell a real gomti chakra from a fake.
- Kamalgatta (lotus seeds) - from the lotus Lakshmi sits on, offered for her lasting grace.
- Supari (betel nut) - worshipped as Ganesha in pooja, so prosperity comes without obstacles.
- Haldi gaanth (whole turmeric) - for purity, good fortune and every sacred beginning.
- Panchratna - the five precious elements, offered as the earth's complete wealth.
- Ratti (lal gunja) - the red seeds once used by jewellers to weigh gold, offered so the household's gold and wealth stay steady.
- Akshat - unbroken rice, for blessings that stay whole and complete.
Many families also offer the potli in a small brass soop (a miniature winnowing fan, also called murum or supa). The soop separates grain from husk, so it stands for keeping what nourishes the home, and one engraved with the Shree Yantra becomes Mahalakshmi's own vessel for the offerings.
For your dhan potli
Genuine offerings and the brass Shree Yantra soop.
How to do the dhan potli puja at home
The dhan potli is worshipped as part of your Diwali Lakshmi puja, so it fits into whatever puja you already do. If you are new to the full Lakshmi puja, our step-by-step Lakshmi puja vidhi walks through it.
1. Prepare your space
Clean your mandir or pooja corner. Place your Lakshmi, Kuber or Shree Yantra on the mandir, and set a puja thali or clean plate in front of it. If you have a brass soop, place it at the centre of the thali.
2. Offer
At your Lakshmi puja muhurat, place one kauri, one gomti chakra and one kamalgatta in the soop with a pinch of akshat. This is your first offering. Arrange the rest of the offerings on the thali around it.
3. Puja
Apply a tilak of kumkum, or chandan and kumkum, to the yantra and the offerings. Light your Diwali diya, offer a flower, and chant the Ganesh, Mahalakshmi and Kuber mantras 11 times each, in that order. Leave everything in place overnight.
ॐ गं गणपतये नमः
Om Gan Ganapataye Namah
ॐ श्रीं ह्रीं श्रीं कमले कमलालये प्रसीद प्रसीद श्रीं ह्रीं श्रीं ॐ महालक्ष्म्यै नमः
Om Shreem Hreem Shreem Kamale Kamalalaye Praseed Praseed Shreem Hreem Shreem Om Mahalakshmyai Namah
ॐ यक्षाय कुबेराय वैश्रवणाय धनधान्याधिपतये धनधान्यसमृद्धिं मे देहि दापय स्वाहा
Om Yakshaya Kuberaya Vaishravanaya Dhanadhanyadhipataye Dhanadhanyasamriddhim Me Dehi Dapaya Swaha
Chant each mantra 11 times, or 108 times with a mala, in this order: Ganesh, then Mahalakshmi, then Kuber.
4. The next morning
Close any boxes, place the soop and all the offerings in a red potli, draw it closed and tie it with three knots. Keep the yantra on your mandir for daily darshan.
Where to keep your dhan potli
The potli belongs wherever the household's wealth is kept: the tijori, a locker, a cash drawer, or the locker section of a wardrobe. Business owners often keep it in the shop's cash drawer or office safe. Once it is tied, leave it closed through the year. Some families offer a diya to the yantra on Fridays, Lakshmi's day, as a small way of keeping the connection.
Refreshing the potli every Diwali
When the next Diwali comes, open the potli before your puja and refresh it.
- Place the old haldi, supari, kamalgatta and akshat in a plant pot or under a tree. They are natural offerings and go back to the earth with respect.
- Wash the kauri, gomti chakra and panchratna and offer them again, or replace them with fresh ones.
- Keep the soop and the yantra - they are meant for every year.
- Keep the ratti in its closed box.
Dhan potli puja in Dubai and the UAE
For families in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah and Ajman, putting a dhan potli together usually means visits to several shops in the busiest week of the year, and genuine gomti chakra and kamalgatta can be hard to find at short notice. Many UAE apartments also have a compact mandir shelf rather than a full pooja room, so a small soop and a single thali suit the space well.
To save the running around, our Lakshmi Kuber Dhan Potli brings every offering together in one gift box, with a gold-plated Kuber Lakshmi Yantra, the brass Shree Yantra soop, pyrite Ganesh and Lakshmi, a Shubh Labh coin card and a vidhi card with all three mantras. Browse our Diwali specials for diyas, rangoli and pooja boxes too.
Ready for your Diwali puja
The complete dhan potli kit, and a Kuber diya for Dhanteras.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make a dhan potli on Dhanteras instead of Diwali?
Yes. Many families bring the offerings home and begin on Dhanteras, then complete the puja and tie the potli on Diwali night. Both are traditional.
What colour cloth should a dhan potli be?
Red is the most common choice because it is Lakshmi's colour. Yellow is also used in some families. What matters most is that the cloth is new and kept only for the potli.
I do not have a tijori. Where should I keep it?
Any place where you keep money or valuables works: a locker, a cash drawer, the locker section of your wardrobe, or your office safe. Choose somewhere clean where it can stay undisturbed through the year.
Can I open the potli during the year?
It is best to keep it closed until the next Diwali. If you need to move it, for example when shifting home, handle it respectfully and keep it tied.
What do I do with the old offerings next Diwali?
Natural offerings like haldi, supari, kamalgatta and akshat go into a plant pot or under a tree. Kauri, gomti chakra and panchratna can be washed and offered again. Ratti stays sealed in its box and is never put into soil.
Can I gift a dhan potli?
Yes, it is a meaningful Diwali gift for family, a new home or a new business. The person receiving it does the puja and ties the potli in their own home.
Do I need a pandit for the dhan potli puja?
No. It is a simple home puja you can do yourself as part of your Lakshmi puja, with the three mantras and the steps above.
Is it the same as a shagun potli?
No. A shagun potli is a gift pouch used for shagun, sweets and return gifts at weddings and festivals. A dhan potli holds sacred Lakshmi offerings that are worshipped and kept in the tijori. You can read more in our guide to the shagun potli.
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