Return gifts for a Durga Puja gathering: for a home pujo, a society pandal and Bijoya visitorsReturn gifts for a Durga Puja gathering: for a home pujo, a society pandal and Bijoya visitors

Three gatherings, three kinds of return gift

"Durga Puja gathering" covers three quite different occasions, and the return gift changes with each:

1. A pujo at home, where family and close friends come for anjali, bhog and the evening aarti. A small number of guests, often elders; the gift is for their own thakur ghar.
2. A housing society or para pujo, where the committee thanks volunteers, cultural programme performers and sponsors. Larger numbers, a fixed budget, and one gift for all.
3. Bijoya visits after Dashami, when relatives and neighbours call on each other. The host traditionally offers sweets; some families add a small keepsake.

On the Navratri side (golu visitors and garba guests), our Navratri return gifts page covers it. This page is about pujo.

What families and committees give

Asked in October 2026, ChatGPT and Gemini named pooja kit brands, gifting portals, return-gift sellers and brass and silver gift stores. In general terms:

1. Sweets from the para mishti shop. The Bijoya standard. Eaten the same week.
2. Brass or bell-metal pieces. Traditional and lasting; heavier on the budget.
3. Pooja kits. Useful, a little impersonal.
4. Sarees or stoles for elders. Generous, for close family only.
5. Pujo-shaped handmade candles. This is where Raajkosh fits, with soy wax candles hand-poured in Jalandhar:
   • Shankh Candle, Rs 799: a cream and caramel shankh with pink wax lotuses. The shankh is heard at every pujo aarti; this one is decorative, for the shelf, not for blowing.
   • Lotus Candle, Rs 349, in green and red or coral pink. The lotus is offered to Ma Durga at Sandhi Puja; this one sits beside the thakur.
   • Diya Candles, Rs 449 for six terracotta-red diyas holding wax instead of oil.
   • Matki Candles, Rs 599 for four red pots, for a committee's thank-you to performers.

Choosing by gathering

• Home pujo, 10 to 30 guests: the Lotus Candle per guest, or the Shankh Candle for elders. Red and white is the pujo palette; the green-and-red Lotus sits well in it.
• Society pujo volunteers, 30 to 100 people: one Diya Candles set per volunteer family, with the committee's name on the tag.
• Sponsors and chief guests: the Shankh Candle with a card from the committee.
• Bijoya visitors: keep the sweets, add a single Lotus Candle for close family.

Pujo return gifts by cost

Shop prices per piece, GST included. For 10 or more, your quote confirms the final price per gift with tags and delivery.

A Lotus Candle and a Shankh Candle together come to Rs 1,148 at shop prices, for the eldest couple at a home pujo.

Ordering for pujo

Pujo dates are fixed by the panjika, so plan back from Shashthi. For 10 or more, or names on the tags, ask for a quote at raajkosh.com/corporate: from 10 gifts, no minimum order value; your committee's name or logo on the tag, the note card or a wax seal; delivery across India to one address or every address on a list, Kolkata included; a GST invoice for a committee that needs one; prepaid as set out in the quote, no cash on delivery. The quote confirms the timeline for your quantity and date; we do not promise a date before it. Personalised gifts cannot be returned unless damaged, defective or wrong. Our terms: minimum order, tags and GST invoice.

For fewer than 10, order from the Pooja and Mandir chamber: dispatch 24 to 48 hours, delivery 2 to 7 days after dispatch, free shipping from Rs 999.

When pujo needs something other than a candle

If your family keeps a strict brass-and-clay thakur ghar, a bell-metal piece or clay pradip fits the custom better. For a pandal crowd, never light candles near the decoration or the dhunuchi dancers; give them as take-home gifts only. If Shashthi is a few days away and the date cannot move, the para shop is safer than any courier. And for children at the pujo, give sweets, not candles.

For anyone who lights theirs at home: a stable, heat-proof surface away from flowers and cloth, never unattended, and keep each burn to 3 to 4 hours.