Legends associated with Raksha Bandhan

There are numerous stories and legends associated with the festival of Raksha Bandhan. In fact almost every festival in India has a mythological origin.  A legend surrounding the festival comes from the epic Mahabharata. Yudhishthira, the eldest son of Pandavas was advised by Krishna to observe the rituals of Raksha Bandhan to ensure his safety in the battle against the Kauravas. He did so and despite the fact that Pandavas had lesser manpower and resources, they won the war.

It is also believed that Yamuna used to tie a rakhi on the wrist of Lord Yama, the god of Death, as a talisman for safeguarding. She used to do this on every Shravan Poornima. And ever since, it has become the custom for sisters to tie rakhis on their brother’s wrists on this day.

Raksha Bandhan means “the bond of protection.” The main traditions of the festival is the tying of the sacred thread known as rakhi, and the vow of protection taken by the person on whose hand it is tied on. Another important tradition is the custom of rakhi return gifts which brothers give to their sisters in return for the rakhis. And with Raksha Bandhan just around the corner, people can be seen thronging marketplaces to buy rakhis and gifts. But in this age of computers people prefer to shop for their Raksha Bandhan gifts online. An added advantage of online rakhi shopping is that they can buy fancy rakhi online and have them delivered to their siblings in faraway places.