Chopda Puja

Chopda Puja is Gujarat's distinctive Diwali worship of new account books, ledgers and the tools of business. Traditionally, merchants closed the old year's books and opened fresh 'chopda' after worshipping Lakshmi for prosperity, Ganesha for an auspicious beginning and Sharda or Saraswati for the wisdom needed to use wealth responsibly. Symbols such as Shri, Shubh-Labh and the swastika are written on new ledgers, and business families pray that the coming year brings honest work, sound judgement and well-earned prosperity. Modern businesses may place laptops, registers or digital accounting records before the deities, but the underlying idea remains the same: financial success should begin with gratitude, discipline and ethical conduct. Because Gujarati New Year follows immediately after Diwali, Chopda Puja also acts as a spiritual closing of one business cycle and preparation for the next.

Chopda Puja is valued for devotion, family tradition and the spiritual or seasonal meaning attached to the day.

New chopdas are bought before the day. The cover is marked with kanku and rice, Shubh on one and Labh on the other, and the swastika between them. The first page is written by hand, in ink, and the muhurat for it is taken in the pradosh after sunset.