3 min readNew DelhiNov 7, 2026 04:22 PM ISTLakshmi Puja is at the heart of Diwali celebrations. That evening, people welcome the goddess of wealth into their homes. Ganesha, too, is worshipped. But, 71-year-old Gopal Seth and his family in Delhi continue yet another tradition. They venerate sakshat Lakshmi (the living embodiment of Lakshmi) through silver coins that have passed down their family for generations.Seth’s great-grandfather, Lala Mahesh Das, was a wealthy merchant and part of the first general committee of the Delhi Municipal Corporation in the early 1860s. “Since the coins have been with us for nearly 100-150 years, there is a variety of them, including silver ones. There is a bare-headed bust of King Edward VII, minted in India between 1903 and 1910,” says Seth. He talks about the oldest coin, which is embossed with the image of the Ram darbar (Lord Ram’s court). Seth’s family used to add a coin every year on Dhanteras. He adds,“I have coins that belong to the early 1940s.” Photo credit: Getty imagesAlso Read | From Diwali to Chhath Puja: How food and festivals bring India togetherSeth grew up in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk and now lives on Hailey Road. Today, along with guarding the coins, he runs the family’s charitable trusts and schools in Chandni Chowk.The idea behind worshipping the coins is like that of worshipping the sun, says Seth. “People do surya arghya, a morning ritual that involves offering water to the rising sun (Lord Surya). The sun is in sakshat form, visible in its physical form,” he says. Similarly, coins are the physical representation of wealth and prosperity, thus representing Goddess Lakshmi. “We bring the coins out on the day of chhoti Diwali, one day before Diwali. On Diwali, they are cleaned with water first then bathed in panchamrit, a mixture that includes milk, curd, honey, ghee and sugar.” Then they are washed again and offered vermilion and a sacred thread. “Since the puja used to be done at the house of the eldest, it was given to them for safe keeping,” he says, but now there is no hierarchy to it.Seth recalls how celebrating Diwali itself has changed over the years. Earlier, relatives would gather in one house at the time of worship. “Now it is just immediate family. Back then, exchanging gifts was limited. It included some sweets and each of us received a gold coin or two,” he says.