There are various legends behind the celebration of Dhanteras. According to one, the son of King Hima was doomed to die on the fourth day of his marriage by snake bite. When his wife came to know of the prediction, she didn`t let him sleep on the fourth day of their marriage and heaped all her ornaments and gold coins in front of the door and sang songs.
When Lord Yama, the god of death, reached their doorstep in the form of a serpent, he was so blinded by the dazzle of the ornaments that he couldn`t get past the door. He sat on the heap of the ornaments and stayed there all night listening to the songs. In the morning, he quietly went away.
It is also believed that buying new metal on Dhanteras brings good luck. Let's have a look at five best buys of Dhanteras.
Physical Gold
Dhanteras is traditionally the country's busiest gold buying period. You can buy jewellery from shops which sell hallmarked ornaments, gold coins or gold bars. Coins can be brought either from jewellers or from banks.
Gold ETFs
Gold ETFs are considered auspicious to buy valuables like gold on occasions like Dhanteras, Diwali and Akshay Tritiya in India.
Gold ETFs, where returns are linked to the domestic price of physical gold but spare the investors trouble of buying and keeping the yellow metal in physical form, have been gaining ground among investors in past few years.
The gold ETFs enable investment in the precious metal on the stock exchange platform in an electronic mode.
So this Dhanteras, if you are not very keen on spending on physical gold, this could be a good option.
Silver
Precious metals normally register maximum sales on this festival, considered to be an occasion for making token purchases in Hindu mythology. Silver coins are mostly used for `Laksmi Puja` and gifting purposes during Dhanteras, Diwali and Bhaidooj. So if you want to buy the precious metal for Danteras, but are low on budget, then Silver could be your preferred metal.
Steel Utensils
For many, the price of gold and silver would seem too high while for others, buying ornaments just for the sake of it is a waste. Yet, to celebrate the occasion, buying utensils could be a good choice. It can be either steel or silver utensils which are not a strain on the pocket and make for a decent enough customary ritual.
Appliances
Last but not the least, in the recent times the sales of housing appliances have also picked up during dhanteras. Many modern households prefer buying electronic appliances during dhanteras to buying expensive gold, silver items.
Moreover the popularity of electronic goods is perhaps second only to the craze for gold jewellery. Home appliances like television, refrigerator, microwave, washing machine and even gadgets like mobile phones, tablets, laptops have become the new favourite.
With lucrative offers on display both in physical market as well as online shopping portals, buying electronic appliances could be a good option.
Compilation: Reema Sharma