Raksha Bandhan: The Celebration of a Sacred Bond

Posted on : 2nd July 2016

Raksha Bandhan is the festival of joy and brotherhood. It brings about a ray of enjoyment among all the siblings that are connected to each other through this sacred thread. They come and rejoice about the fact that the bond that they share is eternal and pious. This festival embarks the celebration of this bond and makes it last forever in the hearts of the siblings. Rakhis are the perfect way of saying that they mean a lot and this bond is what will bind us together forever.

Raksha Bandhan – A Bond Reviving Since History

Raksha Bandhan is the festival that came into existence in medieval times and is being celebrated since then. Its fervor and joy has not reduced to even a bit since then. Furthermore, it is increasing day by day manifolds. The evidences in history show that this Rakhi thread held a great deal of importance and could be sworn upon the life of the individual. Some of the evidences in history that states the importance of Raksha Bandhan are:

The story of Rani Karnavati and Emperor Humayun is the most significant evidence in the history. During the medieval era, Rajputs were fighting Muslim invasions. Rakhi at that time meant a spiritual binding and protection of sisters was foremost. When Rani Karnawati the widowed queen of the king of Chittor realized that she could in no way defend the invasion of the Sultan of Gujarat, Bahadur Shah, she sent a Rakhi to Emperor Humayun. The Emperor touched by the gesture started off with his troops without wasting any time

The oldest reference to the festival of Rakhi goes back to 300 B.C. at the time when Alexander invaded India. It is said that the great conqueror, King Alexander of Macedonia was shaken by the fury of the Indian king Puru in his first attempt. Upset by this, Alexander's wife, who had heard of the Rakhi festival, approached King Puru. King Puru accepted her as his sister and when the opportunity came during the war, he refrained from Alexander.

These evidences along with some other make Raksha Bandhan rooted in people as the most sacred and important festival of all time.

Rakhi in its Different Forms:

Raksha Bandhan is the kind of festival that is celebrated throughout India and even in the world by all the Hindus. They celebrate it with their own customs and traditions but with the same feeling of love and affection for their loved ones. India is the land of diversity and it is reflected through the various dialects spoken by people here. There are a lot of different names given to this festival too by the different parts of the country.

Avani Avittam in South India:

In South India, Raksha Bandhan is called Avani Avittam. The festival is important for Brahmins. They first take a holy bath and then change their holy thread (Janeyu) amid chanting the mantras. They take a pledge to perform the brahmanik duties as prescribed in the holy books and adopt a good conduct and dignity. The Janeyu is a representation of the vow for adherence to Vedic culture, observance of Hindu traditions and service to humanity. The ceremony is called Shravani or Rishi Tarpan.

Kajari Purnima in North India:

Kajari Purnima is the name by which the festival of Rakhi is known in North India. The festival is celebrated when wheat and barley are sown in this region. Goddess Bhagwati is worshipped and farmers seek her blessings for a good crop. The name Baleva signifies the might of King Bali and his devotion to lord Vishnu and Goddess Laxmi.

This festival has been the most amazing and rejoicing festival of all time and this will always remain as the symbol of connectedness and binding love that brothers and sisters share. This festival is year marked for the future generations so that even if they are far away, they will always find a way to connect to each other through their hearts.

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