Rakhi Purnima – It’s Significance across the Country

India is a land of festivals drenched in a spectrum of colors, lights, rituals and wishes. One such jewel in the garland of festivals is Raksha Bandhan interchangeably known as Rakhi Purnima or simply ‘Rakhi’. Since this falls on the auspicious full moon day of Hindu month Shravana, the word Purnima is attached to this. As the name Raksha Bandhan depicts, it is symbolic of the bond of protection, trust and well being.

Symbolic significance

On the occasion of Rakhi, sister puts tilak on brother’s forehead, ties a thread namely known as rakhi on his wrist and wishes for his good health, long life and wellness, in turn the brother ushers promise of protection and occasionally gifts for his sister. The ideology of rakhi has been extended to a broader multicultural aspect wherein rakhi is tied between close friends or to soldiers who are leaving their homes. In today’s socio-political environment, sometimes women also tie rakhi on political or social leaders as a notion of trust and prosperity.

Mythological significance

Indian mythology is replete with stories on Raksha Bandhan. One of the most popular story is of Lord Indra been tied rakhi by his wife to protect him.  Epics like Mahabharata also refer to the usage of rakhi between Lord Krishna and Draupadi.

Historical Significance

One of the legendary narratives from Indian history mention Alexander’s wife tying a rakhi on King Purushottam’s hand to protect her husband from getting slain. Another most popular theory is of widow queen Rani Karnavati sending a rakhi to Emporer Humayun seeking protection from Bahadur Shah who was about to conquer her kingdom, which Humayun honoured by defeating Bahadur Shah.

Rakhi as celebrated in different regions of India

Rakhi celebrations in different parts of India have been illustrated in details below:

1.    Kajari Purnima or Shravani (Chattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, , Madhya Pradesh)

Raksha Bandhan is celebrated with a lot of pomp and zest in central and northern India. It includes various worshipping of gods and goddesses along with the ceremony of tying rakhi and exchange of gifts and sweets. It is also very important for farmers as it marks the beginning of the monsoon season when they worship the goddess to seek blessings for good crop. Kajari Purnima means full moon and hence it is celebrated on the full moon day of August. It also holds special significance for women blessed with a son. They worship Mother Earth for a span of seven days, the final ritual being on the seventh full moon day.

      2.    Avani Avittam or Upakarmam (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa)

Avittam is one of the 27 stars and Avani is the Tamil month when the full moon occurs, hence the name. It is believed to be an auspicious day for Brahmins. They take the holy bath and change their holy thread called Janeyu or Yajnopavita, amid chanting mantras on this day and take vows to follow their traditions and duties. The pious ritual of Mahasankalpam on this day is believed to be taken for atonement of all past sins.
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      3.    Jhulan Purnima (West Bengal)

In parts of Bengal, Jhulan Purnima marks the conclusion of five day long ceremony of Lord Krishna and Radha swaying on a swing (jhula). The swing is usually decorated with flowers in myriad hues, ornaments and other embellishments. This festival is mainly to reminiscent the playful relationship between Lord Krishna, Radha and their friends. Sometimes schools, colleges or political parties in Bengal celebrate this occasion as a new hope of good relationship.

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4.    Nariyali Purnima (Maharashtra, Goa)

It is widely celebrated in the fisherman community specially the Koli, as this marks the end of monsoon and beginning of the fishing season. They worship the sea god Varuna and offer coconuts and celebrate by putting vermilion on each other’s forehead as a symbol of prosperity.

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5.    Pavitropana (Gujarat)

On this day, they worship Lord Shiva to pray for forgiveness for all past sins and wrong deeds. It is believed to rinse all past sins of a person in the ritual. As a part of the ceremony, a cotton thread soaked in a mixture of cow ghee, curd, milk, urine and excreta (panchagaivya) is wrapped around the deity to seek his divine blessings.

6.    Janaeu Purnima (Nepal)

Here, janaeu means sacred thread which is tied on the wrist by a senior family member or relatives. They enjoy this day with special food called Kwati which is a soup of sprouts of seven different grains.