Varalakshmi Pooja

Varalakshmi Pooja and Vratham is one of the most important festivals celebrated on a Friday of Sravan month. It is considered more auspicious if there is a full moon also on that day.  We have different customs  traditions and dialects in India and so naturally women in various parts of India may celebrate this festival in different methods or according to their family customs.  This is also important because this is one of the few festivals where mother-in-law and daughter-in-law perform the pooja together.

1. Preparation of the Pooja Mantap - We have an old mantap made from rose wood that has been used for Varalakshmi Pooja and Ganesh Chathurthi for many decades in our family.  The mantap is washed so that it becomes clean.  It is then decorated with rangoli borders on all four sides and at the centre we draw an auspicious rangoli - Hridaya Kamalam or Aishwarya Kolam with a kaavi border. To the front columns of the mantap are attached plantain plants and a maavilai thoranam.  If they are not easily available replicas made from brass are used.

How to draw  Aishwarya kolam. The videos below is from my YouTube channel.


Hridaya kamalam kolam and other rangoli are  available in simple rangoli for Pooja rooms

2. We place a plantain leaf  inside the mantap with  rice on it.  Then we place the khalasam on which the face of Goddess Lakshmi is carved.  We fill it with silver, gold, dry fruits, picholai and karugamani. The mouth of the khalasam is decorated with maavilai and  thazhampoo alternately.  Then we place a coconut on the top smeared with turmeric powder.  Kumkum is also applied on the coconut.



This is then decorated with five types of flowers and gold ornaments.  We also use a poo jadai for the Goddess. How to make the poo jadai - see the video above.


Also, readily strung flowers are available in the market ( in India) stringing the flowers ourselves and using them for pooja gives a lot of satisfaction.  Hence I share my video on how to string flowers like sampangi .

Rangoli is drawn around the mantap and in the front. The image below I have drawn for this festival.  A simple free hand design with similar motifs on four sides with four more between  them.  Start with a spiral pattern at the centre surrounded by four more on four sides.  Expand the rangoli from here with three curved lines and around them draw the wing like designs. The easier method to follow would be to view the video!







A simple rangoli is also drawn at the doorway on the right hand side, a azhakku ( a vessel used to measure rice) is filled with rice and jaggery is placed on the top.  Above this the khalasam is placed.  Aarthi is performed to the Goddess welcoming her into the house. A song on Lakshmi is played in the background and the pooja is performed placing the khalasam in the mantap.

Neivedhiyam for this pooja includes, five types of fruits, idli, kozhukattai, amavadai and payasam etc.

Kheer or payasam is also important in celebrating this festival.  I have given below an uncommon poori or pappad payasam in the form of a video