Mahalaxmi Vrat Katha is based on an incident supposed to have happened in the Mahabharata. Story of 16 Day Goddess Lakshmi Vrat is listened to by women performing the puja. You can read the story in Hindi and English below: Mahalaxmi Vrat Katha Gandhari, the queen of Hastinapura and mother of Kauravas, decided to perform the 16 Day Goddess Lakshmi Vrat. Gandhari performed the vrat and offered food to the royal elephants to show her might and influence. She purposefully did not invite Kunti, mother of Pandavas, for the ceremony. On the main puja day, the 100 Kauravas made a beautiful life-size clay elephant and placed in the middle of the palace courtyard. All women in the palace went to attend the puja of Gandhari. Kunti was saddened by this behavior of Gandhari. Arjuna who came to know about this brought Airavatha (Indira’s white elephant) to earth, through a ladder made of arrows. On hearing about the arrival of Airavatha, all the women abandoned Gandhari’s puja an