All You Need to Know about History of Raksha Bandhan

Have you ever wondered about the ritual of tying a rakhi on the brother’s hand i.e. what the story behind this ritual of Raksha Bandhan is? Or about the fact that why every year, all the women go crazy looking for the perfect rakhi for their brother or to buy rakhi online?

Well, you might have already guessed that there must be some stories in the Indian history which have mention about the rakhi festival. Yes, you’re exactly right, there are many stories about raksh bandhan however each of them are with similar morals but different contexts. 

Here we are going to discuss about most renowned stories behind this grand festival of Raksha Bandhan.

1. The Story of Krishna and Draupadi –

Undoubtedly, the most popular story in Indian mythology is that of “Lord Krishna and Draupadi”. One day on the festival of “Makar Sankranti”, Krishna cut his little finger when he was handling sugarcane. After seeing his finger, Lord Krishna’s Queen “Rukmini” sent an official to get bandages immidiately.

However, meanwhile Draupadi cut off a little bit of her Saree and tied that piece of cloth on finger to stop the bleeding. However, in return, Lord Krishna promised to help her out whenever she will require his help.

Well, this is the story behind the help that Krishna provided her during the unceremonious disrobing when Krishna made her saree never ending and saved her from the embarrassment by giving her protection at the time when she needed it the most.

2. The Story of Rani Karnavati and Emperor Humayun –

Another famous history of Rakhi is related to “Rani Karnavati and Emperor Humayun”. Rani Karnavati was the official of Mewar after the death of her husband Rana Sanga and after his husband’s death she ruled the kingdom in the name of her elder son “Vikramjeet”.

During her rule, Bahadur Shah of Gujarat attacked her kingdom Mewar for the second time and he defeated Vikramjeet. In such a situation, the Queen was looking for support from other kingdoms. Meanwhile, Karnavati wrote to Humayun for help and she sent him a rakhi and sought protection from. Howeverm, the Mughal emperor was in the middle of another military campaign when Humayun received the call for help. But, abandoning that war, he turned his attention to Mewar.

With the help of Humayun, the Bahadur Shah could not go any further and he had to turn away from Chittoor because the Mughal military reinforcements arrived soon. And, after that Humayun restored the kingdom to Karnavati's son, Vikramjit.

3. The Story of Yama and the Yamuna –

According to the Indian History, the ritual of Raksha Bandhan was followed by Yama and Yamuna. Well, the story goes like, when the river Yamuna tied a rakhi to Yama, the lord of death “Yama” granted Yamuna immortality.

4. The Story of the Birth of Santoshi Maa –

This story on the festival of rakhi is a version of the birth of Santoshi Maa. Well, as per this story, on an auspicious day, Lord Ganesha's sister Manasa visits him to tie him a rakhi and on seeing this, Ganesha's sons also started insisting on having a sister. 

And, for giving in to their demands, Ganesha created goddess Santoshi from the divine flames that have emerged from his consorts “Riddhi and Siddhi”.

5. The Story of Goddess Laxmi and King Bali –

For keeping a promise, “Lord Vishnu” had been protecting his devotee along with the demon “King Bali” while disguising himself as his doorman. However, in Vaikuntha which is “the abode of Vishnu”, his consort Devi Laxmi has been missing him. Well, by disguising herself as a woman seeking a shelter to live in because her husband has been away, Devi Laxmi approached Bali.

Well, the generous king Bali opens the doors of his palaces for the lady, and as “the goddess of wealth and prosperity” Devi Laxmi entered the household, Bali begins to prosper. And, on the full moon day of the holy month of Shravana, Devi Laxmi tied a thread of colored cotton on Bali's wrist and wished for her protection and happiness.

Bali asks her what she desires and promised to fulfill it. In her wishm Laxmi simply points to the gatekeeper who then revealed his real identity of being Lord Vishnu. And, to keep his promise, Bali requests Lord Vishnu to return to his home with his consort.

Well, these were the most popular stories behind the history of Raksha Bandhan. And, now when you know about the history, you might not want to miss out such a special occasion, right? So, but designer rakhi online and make this raksha bandhan even more special.