In our country the festival of Raksha Bandhan (Rakhi) has huge significance just like Diwali. It is celebrated to accentuate the bond of a sister and brother. The festival holds immense importance in Hinduism; Raksha Bandhan is made up of two words Raksha (Protection) & Bandhan (Relation). On this day, a sister ties ‘Rakhi – a sacred thread’ around her brother’s wrist, while the brother takes an oath to protect his sister until death. He also vows to stand by her through thick & thin in life. The act of sister trying the thread around the brother’s wrist is a symbol of attachment & bond of the love the siblings share.

The History of Festival:

The history related to this festival dates back to Indian Mythological & Historical characters of:

1. Shri Krishna and Draupadi (The wife of Pandavas) The story goes on like this, On Makar Sakranti while handling sugarcane Krishna cut his finger, Rukmani sent a servant to get bandage. Draupadi who was there quickly tore a piece of cloth from her saree and tied it around Krishna’s finger. In return Krishna promised to help her in time of need.
2. Yama and Yamuna There is another legend behind this ritual, where Yamuna (the river) ties rakhi to Yama (the god of death). In return he granted her immortality. He was so moved by this gesture that he announced that any bother who gets a rakhi tied from his sister and promises to protect her, the brother will become immortal.
3. Santoshi Maa was born on this day On Raksha Bandhan, when Lord Ganesha’s sister Manasa visits him to tie rakhi. On seeing this ritual his sons start insisting that they too want a sister. The kids were so adamant that he had to give in their demand. So, Ganesha created goddess Santoshi who emerged from the divine flames of his wives Riddhi & Siddhi. 
4. Roxana and Porus  Alexander’s wife Roxana sent a sacred thread to Porus asking him not to harm Alexander on the battle field, when Alexander invaded India. Honouring her request, Porus refuses to kill Alexander when he confronts him. The stories are many and never ending, but the crux of all of them is that they emphasize on the love, respect and bond between a brother and a sister. The relation typically doesn’t have to be a relation of blood; it can be born out of respect & honour.  In most of the stories we see that a woman looks up to a man as a brother in time of need and he in return promises to protect her dignity and honour. In today’s time wish we could have such respectable relationships were a man respects a woman and her dignity rather than performing acts of molestation and rape. At Shubhpuja, we perform pujas for special occasions like Karwa Chauth, Dussehra, Diwali, Raksha Bandhan etc...

The puja for Rakhi is for the long life and prosperity of the brother, in this puja Lord Ganesh, Shiva, Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi are worshipped. On the day of Raksha Bandhan the sisters keeps a fast and it continues until she ties the rakhi on her brother’s wrist. The ritual begins with lighting a diya or earthen lamp which represents the fire deity and aarti is performed by the sister. Both brother & sister say a short prayer for each other’s well-being. Then the sister applied ‘tilak’ on the brother’s forehead, along with a potion of sweet (mithai) is fed by the sister to her brother & vice versa.

Finally the rakhi is tied around the wrist of brother’s wrist. After this the brother hands over a gift to his sister(s). The entire ceremony is very heart-warming and strengthens the bond of love. All sisters wait for an year to celebrate this festival. To know more about the ‘RAKSHA BANDHAN’ puja performed by us or to make a booking visit us at http://shubhpuja.com/product-category/pujas/festival-puja/raksha-bandhan-puja/