ruchi's

Legend of Raksha Bandan

Dates : According to Hundi Calendar it is celebrated on 'Poornima' the full moom night every year.Raksha Bandhan is celebrated on the fifteenth day of Shravan, in July / August.

Landmark : Surendranath Banerjee an illustrious son of India, raised this tradition to the level of a national festival!

Legend 1 : The origin of Raksha Bandhan is not really known but there is a popular legend which says that once there was a fierce battle between the Gods and the demons in which the demons seemed to be in a winning position.

Indra, the king of gods, went to Bruhaspathi and asked for help. Meanwhile, Indrani (wife of Indra) came out with an idea and she assured them of turning the battle in the gods' favor. Next day was the Sravan Poornima.

She consulted some old scriptures and prepared a string which she tied to her husband's wrist. Indra went to the battle field and defeated the demons who were so powerful. Ever since, on Sravan Poornima day, the tradition of tying the thread began and it was believed that the persons would be blessed with health, wealth, happiness and victories.

Legend 2 : This practice was also conspicuous with the Rajputs. At the time of war when the brave Rajput soldiers prepared to go to the battle field, the women folk followed the ritual of tying a thread around their wrist after applying Teeka "a dash of vermilion powder" on their forehead.

According to a popular story, the queen of Mewar, Maharani Karmavati, had to face the threat of Governor Bahadur Shah who laid seige on her kingdom. Unable to fight the army, she had sent a rakhi to the Mughal king, Humayunm (the muslim emperor ).

Humayun reached Mewar at the nick of time when the queen was preparing for Sati"self- immolation". He chased Bahadur Shah and his men and restored the kingdom back to the queen of Mewar. Over time however, the significance of rakhi moved on from battle fields to personal relations reflecting the bond of affection.

Sisters tied rakhi to their brothers asking for protection. While the sisters also prayed for their brothers' welfare, the latter vowed to take care of them even if it called for some sacrifice on their part.This was considered a sign of good omen and the ladies believed that it would protect their men from the enemy's blow and bring them victory.