8 Fascinating Stories About Raksha Bandhan That You Probably Didn't Know
The festival of Raksha Bandhan is a true manifestation of the bond of love, care, and affection shared between brothers and sisters. Every year, the Hindu community of India, observe this festival by adhering to all its traditional rituals. Although the present day Rakhi celebration revolves around a sister tying a sacred thread around her brother’s wrist, the history of this festival is actually rooted in the Indian mythology and folklore. Yes, you all know that Raksha Bandhan is celebrated on the full moon day of Shravana month but do you know why? Or do you know how was Raksha Bandhan celebrated for the first time?
All your curiosity will come to cease with the following narration of 8 interesting and unknown stories about Raksha Bandhan:
1.When Indrani Tied A Sacred Thread On Indra’s wrist
It was during the war between the Hindu Gods and the Asuras or demons when the first Raksha Bandhan was celebrated between a husband and a wife. It was then when Lord Krishna gave a protective thread to Lord Indra's wife and asked her to tie that around Lord Indra's wrist to protect him against all evils. This entire incident took place on the day of Shravan Purnima which is why Raksha Bandhan is celebrated on this day.
2.When Yamaraja Visited Her Sister After A Long Time
Yamaraja or the God of Death went to visit her sister, the river Yamuna on the festival of Raksha Bandhan after a long time. Yamuna then tied a sacred thread on Yamaraja's wrist following the tradition of Raksha Bandhan. It was after this, the God of Death announced that every brother who promises to protect his sister on the occasion of Raksha Bandhan will stay immortal.
3.When Subh And Labh Wished To Have A Sister
Once Lord Ganesha was celebrating the festival of Raksha Bandhan wherein his sister tied a sacred thread around his wrist for his protection. Seeing this, Lord Ganesha’s sons, Subh and Labh asked him for a sister so that they could also celebrate Raksha Bandhan. Later, Lord Ganesha fulfilled their wish by creating a daughter out of the fire, who came to be worshiped as Santoshi Ma.
4.When Lord Krishna Promised To Protect Draupadi
One of the significant incidents from the epic Mahabharata narrates that once when Lord Krishna was flying a kite, his finger got cut with the cane, Drapaudi tore a piece of cloth from her saree and tied it on Lord Krishna's finger. It was then when Lord Krishna promised to protect her against all odds throughout the lifetime which was evident during the incident of Chirharan.
5.When King Porus Withdrew From Killing Alexander
During the battle of Hydaspes (326 Bc) between Alexander the great and King Porus, Alexander's wife Roxana sent a rakhi to Porus as a request to not hurt her husband in the battle. It was because of this sacred thread king Porus withdrew from killing Alexander in the battlefield.
6.When Rani Karnavati Sent A Rakhi To Humayun
History reveals that Rani Karnavati of Chittor sent a rakhi to Humayun seeking protection of her kingdom when it was attacked by Bahadur Shah-the Sultan of Gujarat. Sadly, Humayun got too late to reach Chittor and couldn't save the Rani who performed Jauhar or self-immolation to save her dignity. However, Humayun later defeated Bahadur Shah Zafar and handed the kingdom of Chittor back to Rani Karnavati's son.
7.When Maharani Jindan Sought Refugee In Nepal
The queen of the Sikh Empire Maharani Jindan had a good tie with Nepal through the festival of Raksha Bandhan. This bond that was built through a sacred thread saved Maharani when the Sikh empire fell to the British in 1849 as she was given refuge by Jung Bahadur of Nepal.
8.When Raksha Bandhan Stood For Hindu-Muslim Unity
113 years ago, during the partition of Bengal, the Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore weaved a rakhi sangeet and popularised Raksha Bandhan to strengthen the unity between Hindus and Muslims of Bengal. Although the partition may have divided the state, this tradition of celebrating Raksha Bandhan continued to follow in West Bengal.
