Dhanteras falls today, opening the five-day Diwali festival. Diwali's Lakshmi Puja follows on Sunday, November 8. For many people, wishes now travel as WhatsApp statuses and Instagram stories rather than printed cards, and AI image generators make it easy to produce a custom one in a minute. The quality of the result depends on the prompt. The seven prompts below work in most image tools like ChatGPT, Grok, or Gemini. Change the details to suit your family, shop or audience.
Why AI prompts matter
Dhanteras marks the worship of Goddess Lakshmi, Lord Kubera and Lord Dhanvantari, and it is traditionally a day for buying gold, silver and utensils, according to HinduTone and SmartPuja. A prompt that names these specific visual elements, along with lighting, style and format, usually gives better results than a vague request for a 'Dhanteras image'.
1. The classic diya and rangoli greeting
"Square 1:1 festive greeting image for Dhanteras: a hand-drawn rangoli with marigold petals at a home entrance at dusk, rows of lit clay diyas, warm golden light, soft blurred background, empty space at the top for a message, no text in the image." This is the safest all-purpose option for family groups.
2. The puja thali
"Overhead photo-realistic shot of a Dhanteras puja thali: a brass kalash, gold coins, a lit diya, roli, rice grains and fresh marigolds on red silk, soft evening light, shallow depth of field." Using symbols such as the kalash and diya instead of deity figures keeps the image respectful and avoids the odd faces AI often produces.
3. A gold and silver shopping post
"Elegant flat-lay of gold and silver coins, a small brass utensil and a diya on dark maroon velvet, soft studio lighting, premium jewellery-advertisement look, no logos or brand names." This suits jewellers and anyone announcing a Dhanteras purchase.
4. A vertical WhatsApp status
"Vertical 9:16 flat vector illustration of a family lighting diyas together on a balcony at dusk, saffron, maroon and gold palette, cheerful mood, clear space at the bottom for a caption." Naming the aspect ratio matters, because stories and statuses crop square images.
5. A greeting for small businesses
"Modern shopfront decorated for Dhanteras with marigold torans, string lights and a rangoli at the entrance, evening glow, welcoming and festive, wide 16:9 composition, no readable signage." Shop owners can add their name and offers afterwards in a design app.
6. A minimalist corporate card
"Minimal festive card: a single glowing diya centred on a deep navy background with fine gold line-art, generous empty space, elegant and understated, no text." Many offices prefer this look for client and employee greetings.
7. A folk-art version
"Dhanteras illustration in Madhubani folk-art style: lotus motifs, diyas, coins and peacocks in bold outlines with a red, ochre and green palette, decorative border." Naming a specific art tradition gives the image a distinctive look instead of a generic festive one.
