Shubh Labh Door Hangings — Set of 2

A pair of door hangings in German Silver — शुभ on one and लाभ on the other, each 4.5 inches square, each with a swastika below the lettering and a cast loop at the top to hang it by.

They go either side of the main door. That is the whole idea: the words are not decoration, they are an address written on the entrance.

What the words do

Shubh is auspiciousness. Labh is gain. Written together at a threshold they are an invitation — the house asking for both, in that order, because the tradition puts the good before the profitable rather than the other way round.

The pairing is oldest in trading households, where Shubh Labh is written on the gaddi and the account books at Diwali, and it has moved outward from there to the front door of ordinary homes. Most families hang them once, at Diwali or at griha pravesh, and leave them up all year.

Which goes where

The usual convention is Shubh on the left and Labh on the right as you stand facing the door from outside. Practice varies by region and by family, and nobody will correct you — if your household does it the other way, do it the other way.

What you are looking at

• The lettering is raised well clear of the ground, not etched into it — which is what lets it read from across a room and from an angle.
• Behind the letters, a field of chased floral scrollwork runs right to the edge, then a beaded border, then a scalloped rim.
• The hanging loop is part of the plaque, not a ring soldered on afterwards. It is the part that takes the weight for twenty years.
• The back is plain and unfinished. These are made to sit against a wall or a door, and we photographed the back so you can see exactly that.

Size and weight

• Each plaque — 4.5 inch wide, 4.5 inch tall, plus the loop
• Two plaques in the set
• These are light. They hang from a small nail, a hook or a thread — you do not need a wall plug or a drill.

Where people hang them

Either side of the main door, on the mandir door, above a shop counter or gaddi, or on the almirah at Dhanteras. Inside or under a covered entrance — not in open weather. Rain and direct sun on bare metal is the one thing that will age them quickly.

Material and care

German Silver is an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc. There is no silver in it — the name describes the colour, not the content.

They will darken over a few months, and on a piece like this the darkening is doing you a favour: the shadow in the recesses is what makes the letters and the scrollwork stand up. Wipe the raised surfaces with a dry cotton cloth and leave the low points alone. No metal polish, no scrubbing — you will flatten the relief. The care guide has the full method.

In the box

• Two plaques — one Shubh, one Labh, 4.5 inch each
• Green velvet gift box with a brass clasp

Price includes GST. Prepaid only — we do not offer cash on delivery. Dispatched within 48 hours, shipped anywhere in India. Free shipping above Rs 1,999.