What it means to worship sakshat Lakshmi on Diwali (Getty image)

Lakshmi 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.…