Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi is a beautiful bond of love, trust, and togetherness commemorated with zeal and festivities. Celebrated all over the country, this festival is marked on a full moon day of the Shravan maas ( Monsoon month) and is symbolic of the bond of protection. Sisters tie Rakhi to their brothers, who promise to stand as shields and protect them. There is an exchange of gifts and sweets and a ceremonial pooja followed by feasting with family and relatives who drop by.
The Celebrations
The celebrations begin with decorating the temple area at home and everyone dressing up. Sweets like barfi, Ghevar, Katli, etc., are made, and Aloo-puri is the staple lunch with Raita and other vegetables. Aarti thali is adorned with Rakhi, Roli, Chawal, Diya, and sweets. Sisters tie Rakhi on their brother's wrist and do tilak, and Aarti, followed by an exchange of gifts and sweets.
Married women visit their maternal homes with kids or have their brothers come over, and those who cannot pay a visit send the rakhi by post. In many homes, sisters tie Rakhi to their brother's wife as a special bond of protection. Those who don't have brothers tie Rakhi to Lord Krishna or Lord Ganesha and seek supreme blessing and protection.
What makes the festival interesting are the stories and myths behind how it originated. Let us look at the most popular and intriguing stories about this widely celebrated festival.
Mythical Saga of the Gods
Every Hindu festival's origination in India somewhere resonates back with the Gods and the Goddesses. There are exciting stories about how the festival or a ritual came into existence. These mythical stories have been told to us by our Grandmothers and we may or may not believe them but we can certainly not ignore them. Let's read on to some of these stories that make these festivals special in a unique way.
Lord Krishna & Draupadi
If the epic story of Mahabharata is to be believed, on one such occasion, Lord Krishna got his finger cut, and the blood started oozing out. Seeing this, everyone there including his wife ran to escort a bandage. Draupadi, on the other hand, was quick enough to tear a piece of cloth from her saree and wrapped it around Krishna's finger. Moved by the gesture, he blessed Draupadi by saying "Akshyam" meaning unending. This is why and how the piece of saree around her during Vastraharan never concluded.
Ganga & Immortality
Yama, the "God of death," has not visited her sister "Ganga" for a long time. Ganga was upset, and she shared the dismay with her brother Yama. Ganga began with preparations soon after Yama promised to visit her. Yama was overjoyed seeing all the labor put by her sister for him. She tied rakhi thread on her brother's wrist, who was overwhelmed by the love and blessed her with immortality.
Shiva Parvati Marriage
When Parvati expressed her desire to marry Lord Shiva, it was Lord Vishnu who had to intervene and convince him to marry Parvati. The story goes as, after the demise of Sati, Shiva left worldly desires and refused Parvati's marriage proposal. Parvati then tied Rakhi to Vishnu and asked him to help her. Lord Vishnu not only helped her but also performed all the marriage rituals and poojas as her brother and it has been a tradition since then.
Santoshi Ma Existence
Mansa, sister of Lord Ganesha, visited him on an auspicious day to tie rakhi. Seeing this bond between the two, Lord Ganesha's sons insisted on having a sister who would tie them a rakhi and celebrate the festivities. After being convinced by Narad, Ganesha created a daughter from flames, and Santoshi Mata was born.
Legendary Stories of the Rulers
Besides the fascinating stories of Gods and Goddesses, the Rakhi festival has its roots in ancient history. Let's read and unfold how some of these historic events rolled the dice for the present-day Raksha Bandhan festival.
Queen Ratnavati & Emperor Humayun
The kingdom of Chittor was under attack by Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. Widowed queen Ratnavati sought help from Emperor Humayun by sending a letter and a thread of protection(Rakhi). Humayun was in the middle of a battle and left immediately for Chittor after receiving the letter but couldn't make it on time. After the hostile takeover by Bahadur Shah, Rani Ratnavati performed Jouhar. Humayun kept the promise, defeated Bahadur Shah, and restored Karnavati's son to the Kingdom.
Roxana & Porus
During one of the battles, the wife of Alexander Roxana send a holy thread to King Porus to not harm her husband in the war. King Porus tied the rakhi around that refrained himself from attacking Alexander personally. He lost the battle but gained trust and respect from Alexander, who assigned him as Governor and gave him more land to govern.
Maharani Jindan & Ruler of Nepal
The Sikh territories were conquered by British rulers, and they had no place to go. Maharani Jindan, the wife of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, sent a Rakhi to the ruler of Nepal seeking help. Jung Bahadur, the ruler of Nepal, responded to the thread and provided her refugee and gave protection.
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