Ayudha Puja 2025: Date, muhurat, rituals, and spiritual significance

Ayudha Puja, also known as Shastra Puja, is a prominent festival celebrated on the Navami Tithi of Navratri, especially in South India. In 2025, Ayudha Puja falls on Wednesday, 1 October. This festival is widely observed in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Kerala. Traditionally dedicated to worshipping weapons, today it extends to tools, machinery, vehicles, books, and even modern equipment like laptops. Much like Vishwakarma Puja in other parts of India, Ayudha Puja honours skill, innovation, and the instruments that aid human effort.

Ayudha Puja 2025 Date and Shubh Muhurat

• Ayudha Puja 2025: Wednesday, 1 October 2025
• Navami Tithi Begins: 06:06 PM, 30 September 2025
• Navami Tithi Ends: 07:01 PM, 1 October 2025
• Ayudha Puja Muhurat: 02:12 PM to 03:00 PM

Observing the puja during this auspicious muhurat ensures maximum spiritual benefits, bringing prosperity, creativity, and protection in daily life.

The Significance of Ayudha Puja

Ayudha Puja is more than a ritual, it carries deep cultural and spiritual meaning. On this day, devotees show reverence to their tools, symbolising gratitude, humility, and respect. Every object, from household items to industrial machinery, is seen as an instrument of livelihood and progress.

Worshipping tools and weapons during Ayudha Puja is believed to invoke blessings for knowledge, creativity, prosperity, and success. The ritual strengthens the bond between individuals and their instruments, encouraging discipline, dedication, and devotion in one’s profession.

How Ayudha Puja is Observed

Preparations for Ayudha Puja begin with cleaning homes, workplaces, and vehicles. Some of the key rituals include:

• Cleaning and Decorating Tools and Vehicles: Tools, machinery, and vehicles are cleaned, decorated with flowers, and adorned with turmeric, sandalwood, and vermillion.
• Placing Books and Laptops for Worship: Devotees place books, writing instruments, and modern equipment like laptops in front of Goddess Saraswati and Devi Lakshmi.
• Offering Naivedyam: Fruits, pumpkins, puffed rice, jaggery, and peanuts are offered as prasad.
• Hanging Mango Leaf Torans: Doorways are decorated for auspiciousness and positive energy.
• Dressing Idols in Red and White Sarees: The idols of Saraswati and Lakshmi are dressed traditionally in red and white.
• Avoid Using Tools for the Day: Tools and instruments are left unused for the day to allow them to be filled with divine energy.

Post-Puja Traditions

After the rituals, it is customary to take vehicles for a short drive, symbolising blessings for protection and success. The day concludes with distributing prasad and expressing gratitude for the instruments that support daily life.

Ayudha Puja reminds us that every tool, no matter how simple or advanced, plays a vital role in human progress. Observing this festival with faith and respect strengthens our connection with our profession and the instruments that enable our work.

Why Ayudha Puja Matters in 2025

Ayudha Puja is not just a celebration of objects, it honours human effort, creativity, and devotion. By taking a moment to show respect for the tools that make life and work easier, devotees cultivate a sense of mindfulness, discipline, and gratitude, while also invoking divine blessings for continued success in their endeavours.