Varalakshmi Vrat 2026: Nomba Saradu, Tamboolam and Kozhukkattai — the Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana Vidhi
Varalakshmi Vrat — Varalakshmi Nonbu in Tamil, Varamahalakshmi Vrata in Telugu and Kannada — is South India's biggest Lakshmi festival. It falls on the Friday of Shravana that comes immediately before Shravana Purnima.
"Vara" means boon, so Varalakshmi is the Lakshmi who grants boons. This guide brings the vidhi (kalasham, nomba saradu, tamboolam) and the samagri (kozhukkattai, sundal, the coconut and mango leaves for the kalasham) together in one place.
Varalakshmi Vrat 2026: the date rule and the legend
Varalakshmi Vrat is kept on the Friday of Shravana that falls immediately before Shravana Purnima. Some families observe it on the second Friday of Shravana instead, so check your household's practice.
The legend: in the Puranic tradition, the vrat was first performed by Parvati at Shiva's instruction. In the folk telling, a virtuous woman named Charumati was visited by Lakshmi in a dream and told to keep the vrat on this Friday of Shravana. Charumati observed it properly and invited the women of her neighbourhood, and every household was filled with wealth and grain.
That is why Varalakshmi Vrat is less a solitary puja than a shared one — women invite each other and give tamboolam.
- Date = the Friday immediately before Shravana Purnima
- Some families keep it on the second Friday of Shravana
- Kept mainly by married women — for the husband's long life and the household's prosperity
- In many homes unmarried women keep it too, seeking a good husband
Open the complete checklist
Vidhi 1: kolam, the kalasham and the face of Varalakshmi
After bathing in the morning, a kolam (rangoli) is drawn in the courtyard and at the shrine. A brass or copper kalasham is filled with water and turmeric, kumkum and a coin are added, mango leaves are placed around its neck, and a coconut is set on top.
The kalasham is draped in new cloth and the face of Varalakshmi is placed on it — in some homes a silver or brass face plate, in others the face is drawn on the pot itself with turmeric and kumkum. This is how Lakshmi is installed.
Some households install a silver Lakshmi image or a plate bearing the Varalakshmi face instead of a kalasham. Both forms are considered authentic.
- Kolam / rangoli at the courtyard and the shrine
- Kalasham — water, turmeric, kumkum, a coin, mango leaves, coconut
- New cloth over the kalasham and the Varalakshmi face (metal plate or drawn with turmeric and kumkum)
- Lamps, camphor, incense, flowers, fruit, tulsi dal
Vidhi 2: the nomba saradu, the sacred thread
The most distinctive object of Varalakshmi Vrat is the nomba saradu (Tamil: நோம்பு சரடு) — a yellow thread dyed in turmeric, made of 9 or 11 strands and tied with knots. Many homes also tie a small knot of turmeric or a coin into the thread.
During the puja the thread is tied to the kalasham and then to the right wrist. Tying it carries the sankalp of the vrat — that it is kept for the household's prosperity and the husband's long life.
Many families wear it until the following year's vrat; others remove it the next morning. Both practices are common — follow your household's rule.
- Nomba saradu — a turmeric-yellow thread of 9 or 11 strands
- Tied first to the kalasham, then to the right wrist
- A turmeric knot or a coin tied in — a symbol of prosperity
- Worn until the next Varalakshmi, or removed the next morning, by family custom
Vidhi 3: Sri Suktam, the Ashtottara and the vrat katha
After the kalasham is installed, the Sri Suktam is recited, then the Lakshmi Ashtottara Shatanamavali (108 names), and finally the Varalakshmi vrat katha is heard. Listening to the katha is an essential part of the vrat — the woman keeping it and the women listening sit together.
The fast itself is usually one meal or a fruit diet — many families stay on fruit or take nothing until the puja is complete, and then take the naivedyam.
The puja closes with the Sumangali Puja: married women are invited and given kumkum, turmeric, bangles and tamboolam.
- Recitation of the Sri Suktam
- Lakshmi Ashtottara Shatanamavali — the 108 names
- The Varalakshmi vrat katha, heard together
- The fast: one meal or fruit, with the naivedyam after the puja
- Sumangali Puja — kumkum, turmeric, bangles and tamboolam for married women
Naivedyam: kozhukkattai, sundal and payasam
The signature naivedyam of Varalakshmi Vrat is kozhukkattai (modakam) — made from rice flour and steamed. It is made in two forms: sweet (filled with jaggery or sugar and coconut) and savoury (filled with a chana dal puran).
With it come sundal (boiled chana or black chana tempered with coconut and mustard), payasam (kheer), vadai, idli, puliyodarai (tamarind rice) and seasonal fruit. Many households prepare nine kinds of naivedyam.
The prasad also includes betel leaf and areca nut, banana, coconut and sweets, which are later distributed as tamboolam.
- Kozhukkattai — sweet (coconut and jaggery) and savoury (chana dal), steamed
- Sundal — boiled chana with coconut and a mustard tempering
- Payasam, vadai, idli, puliyodarai
- Seasonal fruit, banana, coconut, betel leaf and areca nut
- In many homes, nine kinds of naivedyam
Tamboolam and vayanam: the most distinctive southern tradition
What happens after the puja is the real signature of this festival — giving tamboolam. Married women are invited home and given a plate with betel leaves, areca nut, turmeric, kumkum, banana, coconut, sweets, bangles and a small gift (vayanam / வயனம்).
The vayanam is tied in a cloth bundle and often includes a blouse piece. It is believed that the more women you give tamboolam to, the greater the merit — which is why many homes invite 5, 9 or 11 women.
This tradition is what makes the vrat a collective one. If you are keeping Varalakshmi Vrat for the first time, put the tamboolam preparations at the top of your samagri list — many people forget it and end up rushing at the last minute.
- Tamboolam plate: betel leaves, areca nut, turmeric, kumkum, banana, coconut, sweets
- Vayanam — a gift tied in cloth, often including a blouse piece
- Bangles and kumkum given as a mark of respect to sumangalis
- Typically 5, 9 or 11 married women invited
How Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and other cities prepare
In Chennai, preparations for Varalakshmi Nonbu begin a week ahead. North Mada Street in Mylapore and the turmeric-and-kumkum shops get crowded, and the flower markets at Koyambedu are where most families buy their flowers. Kalashams, face plates and nomba saradu are bought there too.
In Bengaluru the flowers and betel come from the markets of Malleswaram and Basavanagudi as well as Kalasipalya and KR Market; households stock up on kozhukkattai ingredients in advance. In Hyderabad, Begum Bazaar and the Secunderabad markets sell the most turmeric, kumkum, bangles and tamboolam bags.
The festival is also kept on a large scale in Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Salem, Mysuru and Mangaluru. In parts of Maharashtra and Goa, some households also hold a Lakshmi puja on this Friday of Shravana.
- Chennai: Mylapore (North Mada Street), the Koyambedu flower market
- Bengaluru: Malleswaram, Basavanagudi, KR Market, Kalasipalya
- Hyderabad: Begum Bazaar, Secunderabad — turmeric, kumkum, bangles, tamboolam bags
- Coimbatore, Madurai, Tiruchirappalli, Salem, Mysuru, Mangaluru
- Some households in Pune, Mumbai and Goa also keep a Shravana Friday Lakshmi puja
How Varalakshmi Vrat differs from Diwali's Lakshmi Puja
Both worship Lakshmi, but they are different festivals. Diwali's Lakshmi Puja is held on Kartik Amavasya across India, with an emphasis on wealth and business. Varalakshmi Vrat is held on a Friday of Shravana in South India, and its focus is the husband's long life, marital wellbeing and the family's prosperity.
The vidhi differs too — here the Varalakshmi face on the kalasham, the nomba saradu and the tamboolam-vayanam are central, and none of these appear in the North Indian Lakshmi Puja.
- Diwali Lakshmi Puja: Kartik Amavasya, across India
- Varalakshmi Vrat: the Friday before Shravana Purnima, mainly South India
- Distinctive to Varalakshmi: the face on the kalasham, the nomba saradu, tamboolam-vayanam
Varalakshmi Vrat samagri
The full samagri — kalasham, coconut, mango leaves, the Varalakshmi face, turmeric, kumkum, nomba saradu thread, bangles, betel and areca nut for the tamboolam, and the ingredients for kozhukkattai, sundal and payasam — is listed with quantities and estimated prices in our Varalakshmi Vrat samagri list.
For the other Lakshmi festivals see the Lakshmi Puja samagri list, and for the Shravana festivals the Raksha Bandhan samagri list. Check timings with the Muhurat Finder and estimate costs with the budget calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is Varalakshmi Vrat 2026?
Varalakshmi Vrat falls on the Friday of Shravana that comes immediately before Shravana Purnima. Some families observe it on the second Friday of Shravana, so check your household's practice.
What is the nomba saradu?
The nomba saradu is a turmeric-yellow thread of 9 or 11 strands tied with knots. It is tied first to the kalasham during the puja and then to the right wrist — it carries the sankalp of the vrat.
What is the main naivedyam for Varalakshmi Vrat?
Kozhukkattai (modakam) — a steamed dumpling made from rice flour, in both a sweet form (coconut and jaggery) and a savoury one (chana dal). Sundal, payasam, vadai, idli and puliyodarai are offered with it.
What are tamboolam and vayanam?
Tamboolam is a plate of betel leaves, areca nut, turmeric, kumkum, banana, coconut, sweets and bangles given to married women. Vayanam is the gift tied in a cloth bundle, often including a blouse piece.
Who can keep Varalakshmi Vrat?
It is kept mainly by married women for their husband's long life and the household's prosperity. In many families unmarried women also keep it, seeking a good husband.
What is the difference between Varalakshmi Vrat and Diwali's Lakshmi Puja?
Diwali's Lakshmi Puja is held on Kartik Amavasya across India and centres on wealth and business. Varalakshmi Vrat is held on a Friday of Shravana in South India and centres on the husband's long life and family prosperity — with the Varalakshmi face on the kalasham, the nomba saradu and the tamboolam unique to it.
How is the fast observed on Varalakshmi Vrat?
Usually as one meal or a fruit diet. Many families stay on fruit, or take nothing at all, until the puja is complete, and then take the naivedyam.
Related Articles
Diwali 2026 Complete Guide: 6–10 November, Lakshmi Puja Muhurat, Rangoli & City-Wise Celebrations
All five days from Dhanteras to Bhai Dooj, the Lakshmi Puja muhurat, rangoli and diya decoration, and celebrations in Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Bengaluru — a city-wise Diwali 2026 guide.
Diwali 2026: Complete Lakshmi Puja Samagri List, Muhurat & Preparation Guide
From Dhanteras to Bhai Dooj — the complete Diwali 2026 samagri list, puja vidhi, muhurat and budget tips in one place.