Dhanteras is celebrated on the thirteenth day of the month of Karthik according to the Hindu

calendar. This day falls two days prior to the Diwali. In 2012, Dhanteras will be celebrated on 11th of
November. Dhanteras comes from Dhan or wealth and Teras means thirteenth. Hindus worship
Lord Yama, the God of Death on this day so as to pray for his benevolence and seek prosperity. The
day is basically celebrated through the worship of wealth as people visit jewellery stores to buy gold
or silver on this occasion. People can also buy new utensils to mark Dhanteras.

STORIES BEHIND DHANTERAS

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Let us have a look at some stories behind Dhanteras celebration :

1) Story of king Hima The story of Dhanteras goes back to an ancient legend where the son of King Hima was predicted to
die due to snakebite on his sixteenth birthday, according to his horoscope. In order to protect the
prince, his newlywed wife did not let him sleep, and placed all her ornaments in a heap at the
entrance of the sleeping chamber. She placed all available treasuries of gold and silver coins too
along with those jewelleries. She lighted up the entire place with lamps so that every nook and
corner was visible and there was no darkness anywhere. She then began to sing songs and recite
poems in order to keep her husband from falling asleep. She feared that he may die if he falls
asleep.

The god of Death, Lord Yama arrived in the guise of a serpent as predicted by the princes
horoscope. But his eyes got blinded by the radiance of the numerous lamps and the brilliance of the
jewels and gold. Yama failed to enter the chamber and he climbed atop the heap of ornaments and
coins and began to listen to the songs and recitations of the princes wife. The night was spent in this
manner and it dawned, the serpent had no other option but to leave, as according to the horoscope,
the serpent was to bite the prince on that very night only. Since then the day has been celebrated
whereby the young prince was saved due to the love and intelligence of his wife.

Story of Goddess Parvati

Yet another legend has it that Goddess Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiva played dice with her husband
on this day and won. And so, it is also a custom followed by some Hindus, where businessmen play
dice or gamble so that wealth and prosperity is ensured for the entire year.

HOW IS DHANTERAS OBSERVED:

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The day is also observed as Yamadeepdaan, as the lady of the house lights earthen Deeps or lamps
throughout the night so as to appease Lord Yama, and ensure that their husbands and household is
protected from all deaths and obstacles.

It is a custom to buy jewellery of gold or silver on the night of Dhanteras and people from all walks of
life make it a point that they invest a little of their money or savings so that they can buy at least a bit
of gold or silver on this auspicious occasion. They also opt for buying a new utensil if there is any
problem in buying gold or silver. Puja is performed on the site where the wealth of the house is kept,
and Laxmi Puja is also performed along with that of Lord Ganesh.