Dhanteras is a Great Time to Buy Several Things, for the Home or as Gifts: Here are 10 Dhanteras Gift Ideas for This Festive Season (2019)

Dhanteras, also known as ‘Dhanvantri Trayodashi’ or ‘Dhantrayodashi’ is a Hindu festival that marks the first day of the five days long ‘Diwali’ festival in India as well as across the globe for Hindus. The meaning of Dhanteras is worship (or pooja) of wealth and is celebrated on the thirteenth lunar day of Krishna-Paksha or the Dark Fortnight of the Kartik month of the Vikram Samvat Hindu Calendar. As the legend goes, the horoscope prediction of the 16-year old son of King Hima mentioned the young boy’s death by snake-bite on the fourth day of his marriage.

On that particular fateful day, the Prince’s wife did not let him sleep and heaped lots of gold and silver ornaments and all her jewellery at the entrance of their bedroom and lit the entire place with many lamps. After this, she started narrating stories and sang songs to keep her husband awake. When King Yama (God of Death), arrived at their door in the guise of a serpent; his eyes were struck by the dazzle of the gold, silver and other ornaments and were sightless due to the reflection of the lamps on these shiny metals and gems. He was not able to enter the sleeping room of the Prince and sat on the top of the heap of gold coins and listened to the stories and songs for the entire night. In the morning, he simply left as he couldn’t take the life of the Prince at the designated time. In this way, the Princess saved the life of her husband and since then this day is celebrated as Dhanteras.

On Dhanteras, Hindus perform Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth) Pooja at home in the evening day and the entire house is either renovated, painted or some interior and exterior decoration is done before Dhanteras to welcome Goddess Lakshmi. On this festive day, there is a tradition of purchasing items made of gold or silver, jewellery, utensils or other home decoration items as it is considered auspicious and is believed to bring good luck and prosperity to the family. People in rural areas also decorate and worship their cattle as they are the primary source of income for them. Another God, Dhanvantri (God of Ayurveda) is also worshipped on the occasion of Dhanteras. Dhanvantri is believed to be the founder of Ayurveda, who imparted his wisdom of medicines to mankind to help them get rid of diseases and lead a healthy life. Also, the Government of India has announced to celebrate Dhanteras as the ‘National Ayurveda Day’ under Ministry of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy) and the first time it was celebrated as National Ayurveda Day was on October 28, 2016.

Gifting of gold, silver and ornaments is considered auspicious on the occasion of Dhanteras and is believed to bring blessings of Goddess Lakshmi (Goddess of Wealth and Prosperity). Also, gifting of sweets, dry fruits, utensils and kitchen appliances is considered favourable on this day. People visit each other’s homes in the evening after performing Pooja and greet each other for Diwali and exchange gifts. This year on Dhanteras, pick a gift from our recommendations and your friends, family, relatives or well-wishers will surely appreciate you for your great taste in selecting these gift items.

Crockery and utensils are one of the most purchased and gifted items during Dhanteras. We have picked a few beautiful serving sets which make a great gift item or exchange gift.

A perfect gifting option for a newly married couple or a nuclear family, this set of two designer glasses with a complementing serving tray looks more than just a simple set of utensils. The beautifully carved patterns on the body of the glasses as well as on the tray make them aesthetically appealing and also make for a nice showpiece in a glass cupboard. Crafted in German silver, you can purchase the set on giftalove.com for Rs.1,490.

The silver plated beautifully crafted bowl set is complemented with a round tray and a pair of spoons. The bucket shaped bowls are packed with 100 gm of cashews and the same quantity of almonds. This is a complete package and the dry fruits and silver plated serving set makes it a perfect gift. This Amazing Serving Set can be ordered for Rs.1,499 from giftalove.com.

This set of three ‘oven and microwave safe’ mixing bowls by Borosil looks excellent on the dining table and can be used safely in the fridge, freezer, microwave, oven and dishwasher. The scratch resistant, non porous glass doesn’t absorb odour or stains and the glass retains perfect clarity and will not turn cloudy with regular usage. You don’t have to worry about plastic particles mixing with your food while heating in a microwave as the glass utensil doesn’t leach any chemical into your food. This beautiful set of mixing bowls can be purchased from Amazon for Rs.1,160.

This set of three bowls along with the easy-to-hold tray in which the bowls fit perfectly; makes for a nice gifting option on Dhanteras. The mirror-finish food-grade stainless steel allows you to serve desserts, ice-cream, dry fruits or even curries in the elegant and hammer designed bowls. This set can be purchased for Rs.699 at Amazon.

Dhanteras marks the beginning of the Diwali festival and thus the commencement of different types of Pooja and prayers. Your well-wishers would love to get a Pooja related gift from you. Check out our picks under this category and you won’t be disappointed.

The craft on this Pooja Thali is simply exquisite and looks serene to the eyes, thus giving a calming effect even before starting a pooja. The set has all the necessary items to perform the required activities which are part of a routine pooja viz. Katora and Kalash, incense stand and the traditional bell. This Pooja Thali set comes packed in a red coloured box and the set can be kept safely after use in this box. This product can be purchased from giftalove.com for Rs.1,590.

This elegant and spectacular piece of art can change the aura of the entire room or the prayer room. This intricately carved designer hanging peacock diya is made of brass and comes with a chain length with a hook and can be easily hanged on the ceiling. The base beneath the peacock has nine small diyas and below each diya it has a small bell that adds grace to its beauty. This Peacock Hanging Brass Diya with Bells can be ordered from Amazon for Rs.1,295.

This Ganesha Hanging Diya portrays a beautiful Lord Ganesha shadow when the diya is lighted in a dark room. Made of brass, this diya is attached to a chain with a hook for hanging and the intricate carvings are mesmerising, thus making this a beautiful gift item for Dhanteras. This Ganesha Hanging Brass Diya can be purchased from Amazon for Rs.1,345.

This metal Diwali Pooja Thali with Kumkum Sindoor Bowl can be a good exchange gift item during Dhanteras. This handmade thali decorated with gemstones and the well-carved designs on the kumkum box makes this a gorgeous addition to your Mandir and can be used during almost all the Hindu festivals. This beautiful piece of art can be purchased from Amazon for Rs.498.

Most of the houses are decorated with Rangoli during the Diwali festive days. Many people want to decorate Rangoli but are unable to do so as they are either not good at making it themselves, or they are too busy to buy different colours and then take time out to chalk out the designs. Our next choices under the Rangoli Gifts segment will ease out the problem of making Rangoli on Dhanteras for your near and dear ones and will also make for a great gifting option.

This round shaped Rangoli made of velvet has a traditional design and is handmade. You have to simply spread it out on the desired place and after the festival, it can be put back safely for the next festive occasion as this Rangoli is reusable. This colourful Rangoli is available for Rs.579 on Amazon.

This Rangoli Tlite Diyas with Artificial Marigold Flower Mat on Canvas includes a total of 19 pieces. It has a 12 inch mat accompanied by eight 6 inch mats, 1 Tlite holder and 9 Tiles. The Rangoli looks attractive in contrast colours of dark orange and yellow and can be cleaned with a soft and dry cloth, which makes it reusable. This Rangoli mat can be purchased from Amazon for Rs.999.

Hindus primarily worship Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha during Dhanteras and Diwali; therefore, gifting idols of Gods is considered both auspicious as well as a nice gesture for your loved ones. Let’s take a look at our top picks for gifts related to Ganesha and Lakshmi idols.

Lord Ganesha embodied in a golden and silver plated colourful acrylic frame makes an ideal gift for Dhanteras and this beautifully framed Lord Ganesha can be worshipped in a Mandir or kept as a showpiece on your table. Lord Ganesha is believed to bring good luck and well-being in the home and life of everyone. This Ganesha Frame can be ordered for Rs. 675 on giftacrossindia.com.

This showpiece makes an ideal gift for students, working professionals and businessmen. The crystal frame of the silver-plated Laxmi Ganesh along with a pen holder and a clock is a religious as well as a daily use gift item. The multipurpose showpiece can be kept on a table or mounted on a wall as a wall hanging. The clock case is wooden and has a nice golden colour casing outside the dial of the clock and the pen holder can be used for keeping pens, pencils and visiting cards. This attractive showpiece can be purchased on giftacrossindia.com for Rs.1,349.

Crafted in white metal, this piece of elegant craftsmanship has the complete Laxmi-Ganesha-Saraswati family sitting together. This showpiece can be used as a home decor item as well as for performing Pooja and can be placed inside a temple. This elegant gift item can be purchased from Amazon for Rs.695.

Dhanteras is incomplete without light and music and why not to use modern technology to make our lives a little more entertaining and bright. If you fancy gifting a modern gift item this Dhanteras, then we have selected a few gift items which are modern yet in sync with the festive mood.

This new era, 3rd Gen Echo Dot is a glimpse of the knock of AI in our lives. This voice-controlled Bluetooth enabled speaker can change the way we perform our daily chores. Playing your favourite music, answering questions, reading the news, checking the weather, setting alarms, controlling compatible smart home devices like lights, plugs and even keeping a tab of your grocery items; you name it and Alexa will do it for you.

You can connect other speakers with a 3.5 mm audio cable or Bluetooth and can keep in touch with your loved ones by calling using the Echo device or Alexa app across the globe or maybe just a quick message or Skype calls, all hands-free. Alexa has 15,000 skills and is continuously improving with the latest updates. This device makes for an excellent gift item and can be purchased on Amazon for Rs.2,799.

Small, but elegant and useful is this bedside lamp with mushroom LED with green pot and pink roses. The light sensor turns on automatically when the room lights are off and switches off when the normal lights are lit in the room. This light can be used as a night light, corridor light, decoration light and makes for a pretty gift item. This light can be purchased from Amazon for Rs.240.