Rakhsa Bandhan - Rakhi A Bond of Security

Rakhi is a festival which is celebrated all over the India. We celebrate it on Full Moon Day of the Hindu month of Shravan and the dates varies every year. In the year 2008 Rakhi or Raksha Bandhan will be celebrated on 16th August and in 2009 it will be celebrated on 5th August.

Basically the word Raksha Bandhan means a thread that reminds a brother to always take care of her sister. This is an Indian festival meant for brothers and sisters. There are many stories about the origin of this festival in ancient granths, puranas and history books several incidents throw light on the origin and early customs related to Raksha Bandhan.

A famous incident is about queen Karmawati of Chittor. When the king of Gujarat attacked Chittor, the widow queen knew she wont be able to save the honour of the womenfolk. She immediately sent a horse-rider with a bejewelled raakhi to Mughal emperor Humayun in Agra seeking protection from the invader. Humayun was so touched by this appeal of sisterly sentiment that he lost no time in rushing to her help with a large army. But it was too late by the time he reached Chittor. All he found was the burning pyres of the brave queen and thousands of women.

In deep repentance that he could not save his sister, Humayun is said to have picked up a pinch of ashes from Karmawati's pyre and put it on his forehead as a mark of affection and esteem for her.

This piece of thread means a lot for brothers and sisters in India.

Please refer following links for more information:

http://festivals.iloveindia.com/rakhi/
http://www.whenisrakhi.com/historical-stories-on-rakhi/
http://www.raksha-bandhan.com/legends-of-rakhi.html