Raksha Bandhan, also Rakshabandhan, or Rakhi,
is a popular, traditionally Hindu, annual
rite, or ceremony, which is central to a festival
of the same name, celebrated in parts of South
Asia, and among people influenced by South
Asian culture around the world. On this day,
sisters of all ages tie a talisman, or amulet,
called the rakhi, around the wrists of their
brothers, symbolically protecting them, receiving
a gift in return, and traditionally investing
the brothers with a share of the responsibility
of their potential care.Raksha Bandhan is
observed on the last day of the Hindu lunar
calendar month of Shraavana, which typically
falls in August. The expression "Raksha Bandhan,"
Sanskrit, literally, "the bond of protection,
obligation, or care," is now principally applied
to this ritual. Until the mid-20th-century,
the expression was more commonly applied to
a similar ritual, also held on the same day,
with precedence in ancient Hindu texts, in
which a domestic priest ties amulets, charms,
or threads on the wrists of his patrons, or
changes their sacred thread, and receives
gifts of money; in some places, this is still
the case. In contrast, the sister-brother
festival, with origins in folk culture, had
names which varied with location, with some
rendered as Saluno, Silono, and Rakri. A ritual
associated with Saluno included the sisters
placing shoots of barley behind the ears of
their brothers.Of special significance to
married women, Raksha Bandhan is rooted in
the practice of territorial or village exogamy,
in which a bride marries out of her natal
village or town, and her parents, by custom,
do not visit her in her married home. In rural
north India, where village exogamy is strongly
prevalent, large numbers of married Hindu
women travel back to their parents' homes
every year for the ceremony. Their brothers,
who typically live with the parents or nearby,
sometimes travel to their sisters' married
home to escort them back. Many younger married
women arrive a few weeks earlier at their
natal homes and stay until the ceremony. The
brothers serve as lifelong intermediaries
between their sisters' married and parental
homes, as well as potential stewards of their
security.
In urban India, where families are increasingly
nuclear, the festival has become more symbolic,
but continues to be highly popular. The rituals
associated with this festival have spread
beyond their traditional regions and have
been transformed through technology and migration,
the movies, social interaction, and promotion
by politicized Hinduism, as well as by the
nation state.Among women and men who are not
blood relatives, there is also a transformed
tradition of voluntary kin relations, achieved
through the tying of rakhi amulets, which
have cut across caste and class lines, and
Hindu and Muslim divisions. In some communities
or contexts, other figures, such as a matriarch,
or a person in authority, can be included
in the ceremony in ritual acknowledgement
of their benefaction.
== Etymology, meaning, and usage ==
According to the Oxford English Dictionary,
Third Edition, 2008, the Hindi word, rākhī
derives from the Sanskrit rakṣikā, a join:
rakṣā protection, amulet ( < rakṣ- to
protect + -ikā, diminutive suffix.)
1829 The first attested use in the English
language dates to 1829, in James Tod's, Ann.
& Antiq. Rajasthan I. page: 312, "The festival
of the bracelet (Rakhi) is in Spring ... The
Rajpoot dame bestows with the Rakhi the title
of adopted brother; and while its acceptance
secures to her all the protection of a ‘cavaliere
servente’, scandal itself never suggests
any other tie to his devotion."
1857, Forbes: Dictionary of Hindustani and
English Saluno: the full moon in Sawan at
which time the ornament called rakhi is tied
around the wrist.
1884, Platts: Dictionary of Urdu, Classical
Hindi, and English راکهي राखी
rākhī (p. 582) H راکهي राखी
rākhī [S. रक्षिका], s.f. A
piece of thread or silk bound round the wrist
on the festival of Salūno or the full moon
of Sāvan, either as an amulet and preservative
against misfortune, or as a symbol of mutual
dependence, or as a mark of respect; the festival
on which such a thread is tied;:—rākhī-bandhan,
s.f. The festival called rākhī. 1899 Monier-Williams:
A Sanskrit-English dictionary Rakshā: "a
sort of bracelet or amulet,any mysterious
token used as a charm, ... a piece of thread
or silk bound round the wrist on partic occasions
(esp. on the full moon of Śrāvaņa, either
as an amulet and preservative against misfortune,
or as a symbol of mutual dependence, or as
a mark of respect".
1990, Jack Goody "The ceremony itself involves
the visit of women to their brothers ... on
a specific day of the year when they tie a
gaudy decoration on the right wrists of their
brothers, which is at once a defence against
misfortune, a symbol of dependence, and a
mark of respect."
1965–1975, Hindi Sabd Sagara: राखी
१ "राखी १— संज्ञा
स्त्री० [सं० रक्षा]
वह मंगलसूत्र जो
कुछ विशिष्ट अवसरों
पर, विशेपतः श्रावणी
पूर्णिमा के दिन
ब्राह्मण या और लोग
अपने यजमानों अथवा
आत्मीयों के दाहिने
हाथ की कलाई पर बाँधते
हैं । (That Mangalsutra (lucky or
auspicious thread) which on special occasions,
especially the full moon day of the month
of Shravani, Brahmins or others tie around
the right wrist of their patrons or intimates.)
From: Dasa, Syamasundara. Hindi sabdasagara.
Navina samskarana. Kasi: Nagari Pracarini
Sabha, 1965-1975. 4332 pp.
1976, Adarsh Hindi Shabdkosh रक्षा
(संज्ञा स्त्रीलिंग):
कष्ट, नाश, या आपत्ति
से अनिष्ट निवारण
के लिए हाथ में बंधा
हुआ एक सूत्र; -बंधन
(पुलिंग) श्रावण शुक्ला
पूर्णिमा को होनेवाला
हिंदुओं का एक त्यौहार
जिसमे हाथ की कलाई
पर एक रक्षा सूत्र
बाँधा जाता है. Translation:
raksha (masculine noun): A thread worn around
the wrist for the prevention of distress,
destruction, tribulation, or misfortune; -bandhan
(masculine): "a Hindu festival held on the
day of the full moon in the month of Shravana
in which a raksha thread is tied around the
wrist.
1993, Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary रक्षा
बंधन: m. Hindi, the festival of Rakshabandhan
held on the full moon of the month of Savan,
when sisters tie a talisman (rakhi q.v.) on
the arms of their brothers and receive small
gifts of money from them.
2000, Samsad Bengali-English Dictionary রাখি
rākhi: a piece of thread which one ties round
the wrist of another in order to safeguard
the latter from all evils. ̃পূর্ণিমা
n. the full moon day of the month of Shravan
(শ্রাবণ) when a rakhi is tied
round the wrist of another. ̃বন্ধন
n. act or the festival of tying a rakhi (রাখি)
round the wrist of another.
2013, Oxford Urdu-English Dictionary راکھے
ra:khi: 1. (Hinduism) (i) rakhi, bracelet
of red or yellow strings tied by a woman round
the wrist of a man on a Hindu festival to
set up brotherly relations. بندھن- -bandhan:
festival of rakhi.
== Traditional regions of observance ==
Scholars who have written about the ritual,
have usually described the traditional region
of its observance as north India; however,
also included are: central India, western
India and Nepal, as well other regions of
India, and overseas Hindu communities such
as in Fiji. Anthropologist Jack Goody, whose
field study was conducted in Nandol, in Gujarat,
describes Rakshabandhan as an "annual ceremony
... of northern and western India."
Anthropologist Michael Jackson, writes, "While
traditional North Indian families do not have
a Father's or Mother's Day, or even the equivalent
of Valentine's Day, there is a Sister's Day,
called Raksha Bandhan, ..." Religious scholar
J. Gordon Melton describes it as "primarily
a North Indian festival." Leona M. Anderson
and Pamela D. Young describe it as "one of
the most popular festivals of North India."
Anthropologist David G. Mandelbaum has described
it as "an annual rite observed in northern
and western India." Other descriptions of
primary regions are of development economist
Bina Agarwal ("In Northern India and Nepal
this is ritualized in festivals such as raksha-bandhan."),
scholar and activist Ruth Vanita ("a festival
widely celebrated in north India."), anthropologist
James D. Faubion ("In north India this brother-sister
relationship is formalized in the ceremony
of 'Rakshabandhan.'"), and social scientist
Prem Chowdhry ("... in the noticeable revival
of the Raksha Bandhan festival and the renewed
sanctity is has claimed in North India.").
== Evolution of Raksha Bandhan: the great
and little traditions ==
Sociologist Yogendra Singh has noted the contribution
of American anthropologist McKim Marriott,
to an understanding of the origins of the
Raksha Bandhan festival. In rural society,
according to Marriott, there is steady interplay
between two cultural traditions, the elite
or "great," tradition based in texts, such
as the Vedas in Indian society, and the local
or "little," based in folk art and literature.
According to Singh, (Marriott) has shown that
Raksha Bandhan festival has its "origin in
the 'little tradition'." Anthropologist Onkar
Prasad has further suggested that Marriott
was the first to consider the limitations
within which each village tradition "operates
to retain its essence."
In his village study, Marriott described two
concurrently observed traditions on the full
moon day of Shravana: a "little tradition"
festival called "Saluno," and a "great tradition"
festival, Raksha Bandhan, but which Marriott
calls, "Charm Tying:" On Saluno day, many
husbands arrive at their wives' villages,
ready to carry them off again to their villages
of marriage. But, before going off with their
husbands, the wives as well as their unmarried
village sisters express their concern for
and devotion to their brothers by placing
young shoots of barley, the locally sacred
grain, on the heads and ears of their brothers.
(The brothers) reciprocate with small coins.
On the same day, along with the ceremonies
of Saluno, and according to the literary precedent
of the Bhavisyottara Purana, ... the ceremonies
of Charm Tying (Rakhi Bandhan or Raksha Bandhan)
are also held. The Brahman domestic priests
of Kishan Garhi go to each patron and tie
upon his wrist a charm in the form of a polychrome
thread, bearing tassel "plums." Each priest
utters a vernacular blessing and is rewarded
by his patron with cash, ... The ceremonies
of both now exist side by side, as if they
were two ends of a process of primary transformation."
Norwegian anthropologist, Øyvind Jaer, who
did his fieldwork in eastern UP in the 1990s
noted that the "great tradition" festival
was in retreat and the "little tradition"
one, involving sisters and brothers, now more
important.
== Precedence in Hindu texts ==
Important in the Great Tradition is chapter
137 of the Uttara Parva of the Bhavishya Purana,
in which Lord Krishna describes to Yudhishthira
the ritual of having a raksha (protection)
tied to his right wrist by the royal priest
(the rajpurohit) on the purnima (full moon
day) of the Hindu lunar calendar month of
Shravana). In the crucial passage, Lord Krishna
says, "Parth (applied to any of the three
sons of Kunti (also, Pritha), in particular,
Yudhishthira): When the sky is covered with
clouds, and the earth dark with new, tender,
grass, in that very Shravana month's full
moon day, at the time of sunrise, according
to remembered convention, a Brahmin should
take a bath with perfectly pure water. He
should also according to his ability, offer
libations of water to the gods, to the paternal
ancestors, as prescribed by the Vedas for
the task required to be accomplished before
the study of the Vedas, to the sages, and
as directed by the gods carry out and bring
to a satisfactory conclusion the shradh ceremony
to honor the deceased. It is commended that
a Shudra should also make a charitable offering,
and take a bath accompanied by the mantras.
That very day, in the early afternoon (between
noon and 3 PM) it is commended that a small
parcel (bundle or packet) be prepared from
a new cotton or silk cloth and adorned with
whole grains of rice or barley, small mustard
seeds, and red ocher powder, and made exceedingly
wondrous, be placed in a suitable dish or
receptacle. ... the purohit should bind this
packet on the king's wrist with the words,'I
am binding raksha (protection) to you with
the same true words with which I bound Mahabali
King of the Asuras. Always stay firm in resolve.'
In
the same manner as the king, after offering
prayers to the Brahmins, the Brahmins, Kshatriyas,
Vaishyas and Shudras should conclude their
Raksha Bandhan ceremony."
== 
Relation to territorial exogamy ==
Of special significance to married women,
Raksha Bandhan is rooted in the practice of
territorial- or village exogamy, in which
a bride marries out of her natal village or
town, and her parents, by custom, do not visit
her in her married home. Anthropologist Leo
Coleman writes: Rakhi and its local performances
in Kishan Garhi were part of a festival in
which connections between out-marrying sisters
and village-resident brothers were affirmed.
In the "traditional" form of this rite, according
to Marriott, sisters exchanged with their
brothers to ensure their ability to have recourse—at
a crisis, or during childbearing—to their
natal village and their relatives there even
after leaving for their husband's home. For
their part, brothers engaging in these exchanges
affirmed the otherwise hard-to-discern moral
solidarity of the natal family, even after
their sister's marriage.
In rural north India, where village exogamy
is strongly prevalent, large numbers of married
Hindu women travel back to their parents'
homes every year for the ceremony. Scholar
Linda Hess writes: Their brothers, who typically
live with the parents or nearby, sometimes
travel to their sisters' married home to escort
them back. Many younger married women arrive
a few weeks earlier at their natal homes and
stay until the ceremony. Folklorist Susan
Wadley writes: "In Savan, greenness abounds
as the newly planted crops take root in the
wet soil. It is a month of joy and gaiety,
with swings hanging from tall trees. Girls
and women swing high into the sky, singing
their joy. The gaiety is all the more marked
because women, especially the young ones,
are expected to return to their natal homes
for an annual visit during Savan. The brothers
serve as lifelong intermediaries between their
sisters' married- and parental homes, as well
as potential stewards of their security.
== Urbanization, and mid-20th century transformations
==
In his village study (1955), anthropologist
McKim Marriott noted transformations of ritual
that had begun to take place: A further, secondary
transformation of the festival of Charm Tying
is also beginning to be evident in Kishan
Garhi, for the thread charms of the priests
are now factory-made in more attractive form
... A few sisters in Kishan Garhi have taken
to tying these ... charms of priestly type
onto their brothers' wrists. The new string
charms are also more convenient for mailing
in letters to distant, city-dwelling brothers
whom sisters cannot visit on the auspicious
day. Beals reports, furthermore, that brothers
in the electrified village of Namhalli near
Bangalore tuned in to All India Radio in order
to receive a time signal at the astrologically
exact moment, and then tied such charms to
their own wrists, with an accompaniment of
broadcast Sanskrit mantras."
In urban India, where families are increasingly
nuclear, and marriages not always traditional,
the festival has become more symbolic, but
continues to be highly popular. The rituals
associated with these rites, however, have
spread beyond their traditional regions and
have been transformed through technology and
migration, According to anthropologist, Leo
Coleman: In modern rakhi, technologically
mediated and performed with manufactured charms,
migrating men are the medium by which the
village women interact, vertically, with the
cosmopolitan center—the site of radio broadcasts,
and the source of technological goods and
national solidarity.
Hindi movies have played a salient role. According
to author Vaijayanti Pandit, Raksha Bandhan
traditionally celebrated in North India has
acquired greater importance due to Hindi films.
Lightweight and decorative rakhis, which are
easy to post, are needed in large quantities
by the market to cater to brothers and sisters
living in different parts of the country or
abroad." More social interaction among India's
population has played a role in the increased
celebration of this festival. According to
author Renuka Khandekar: But since independence
and the gradual opening up of Indian society,
Raksha Bandhan as celebrated in North India
has won the affection of many South Indian
families. For this festival has the peculiar
charm of renewing sibling bonds."
The festival has also been promoted by Hindu
political organizations. According to authors
P. M. Joshy and K. M. Seethi. The RSS employs
a cultural strategy to mobilise people through
festivals. It observes six major festivals
in a year. ... Till 20 years back, festivals
like Raksha Bandhan' were unknown to South
Indians. Through shaka|shakha's intense campaign,
now they have become popular in the southern
India. In colleges and schools tying `Rakhi'—the
thread that is used in the 'Raksha Bandhan'—has
become a fashion and this has been popularised
by the RSS and ABVP cadres.
Similarly, according to author Christophe
Jaffrelot, This ceremony occurs in a cycle
of six annual festivals which often coincides
with those observed in Hindu society, and
which Hedgewar inscribed in the ritual calendar
of his movement: Varsha Pratipada (the Hindu
new year), Shivajirajyarohonastava (the coronation
of Shivaji), guru dakshina, Raksha Bandhan
(a North Indian festival in which sisters
tie ribbons round the wrists of their brothers
to remind them of their duty as protectors,
a ritual which the RSS has re-interpreted
in such a way that the leader of the shakha
ties a ribbon around the pole of the saffron
flag, after which swayamsevaks carry out this
ritual for one another as a mark of brotherhood),
Finally, the nation state in India has itself
promoted this festival. as Leo Coleman states:
... as citizens become participants in the
wider "new traditions" of the national state.
Broadcast mantras become the emblems of a
new level of state power and the means of
the integration of villagers and city dwellers
alike into a new community of citizens.
More recently, after enactment of more gender-neutral
inheritance laws in India, it has been suggested
that in some communities the festival has
seen a resurgence of celebration, which is
serving to indirectly pressure women to abstain
from fully claiming their inheritance. According
to author Prem Chowdhry, Rural patriarchal
forces have been anxiously devising means
to stem the progressive fallout of this Act
through a variety of means. One way has been
to oppose the inheritance rights of a daughter
or a sister to those of the brother. Except
in cases where there are no brothers, the
sisters either sign away their in favour of
their brother or sell it to him at a nominal
price. This code of conduct is observed knowingly
by both the natal and conjugal families. Brother-sister
bonds of love have also been greatly encouraged,
visible in the noticeable revival of the Raksha
Bandhan festival and the renewed sanctity
it has claimed in north India.
== Voluntary kin relations ==
Among women and men who are not blood relatives,
there is also a transformed tradition of voluntary
kin relations, achieved through the tying
of rakhi amulets, which have cut across caste
and class lines, and Hindu and Muslim divisions.
In some communities or contexts, other figures,
such as a matriarch, or a person in authority,
can be included in the ceremony in ritual
acknowledgement of their benefaction. According
to author Prem Chowdhry, "The same symbolic
protection is also requested from the high
caste men by the low caste women in a work
relationship situation. The ritual thread
is offered, though not tied and higher caste
men customarily give some money in return."
== 
Regional variations in ritual ==
While Raksha Bandhan is celebrated in various
parts of South Asia, different regions mark
the day in different ways.
In the state of West Bengal and Odisha, this
day is also called Jhulan Purnima. Prayers
and puja of Lord Krishna and Radha are performed
there. Sisters tie rakhi to brothers and wish
immortality. Political parties, offices, friends,
schools to colleges, street to palace celebrate
this day with a new hope for a good relationship.In
Maharashtra, the festival of Raksha Bandhan
is celebrated along with Narali Poornima (coconut
day festival). Kolis are the fishermen community
of the coastal state. The fishermen offer
prayers to Lord Varuna, the Hindu god of Sea,
to invoke his blessings. As part of the rituals,
coconuts were thrown into the sea as offerings
to Lord Varuna. The girls and women tie rakhi
on their brother's wrist, as elsewhere.In
the regions of North India, mostly Jammu,
it is a common practice to fly kites on the
nearby occasions of Janamashtami and Raksha
Bandhan. It's not unusual to see the sky filled
with kites of all shapes and sizes, on and
around these two dates. The locals buy kilometres
of strong kite string, commonly called as
"gattu door" in the local language, along
with a multitude of kites.In Haryana, in addition
to celebrating Raksha Bandhan, people observe
the festival of Salono. Salono is celebrated
by priests solemnly tying amulets against
evil on people's wrists. As elsewhere, sisters
tie threads on brothers with prayers for their
well being, and the brothers give her gifts
promising to safeguard her.In Nepal, Raksha
Bandhan is referred to as Janai Purnima or
Rishitarpani, and involves a sacred thread
ceremony. It is observed by both Hindus and
Buddhists of Nepal. The Hindu men change the
thread they wear around their chests (janai),
while in some parts of Nepal girls and women
tie rakhi on their brother's wrists. The Raksha
Bandhan-like brother sister festival is observed
by other Hindus of Nepal during one of the
days of the Tihar (or Diwali) festival.The
festival is observed by the Shaiva Hindus,
and is popularly known in Newar community
as Gunhu Punhi.
== Depictions in movies and popular history
==
The religious myths claimed Raksha Bandhan
are disputed, and the historical stories associated
with it considered apocryphal by some historians.
=== Jai Santoshi Maa (movie) ===
Ganesha had two sons, Shubha and Labha. The
two boys become frustrated that they have
no sister to celebrate Raksha Bandhan with.
They ask their father Ganesha for a sister,
but to no avail. Finally, saint Narada appears
who persuades Ganesha that a daughter will
enrich him as well as his sons. Ganesha agreed,
and created a daughter named Santoshi Maa
by divine flames that emerged from Ganesh's
wives, Riddhi (Amazing) and Siddhi (Perfection).
Thereafter, Shubha Labha (literally "Holy
Profit") had a sister named Santoshi Maa (literally
"Goddess of Satisfaction"), to tie Rakhi over
Raksha Bandhan. According to author Robert
Brown ... in Varanasi the paired figures were
usually called Rddhi and Siddhi, Ganeea's
relationship to them was often vague. He was
their malik, their owner; they were more often
dasis than patnis (wives). Yet Ganesha was
married to them, albeit within a marriage
different from other divine matches in the
lack of a clear familial context. Such a context
has recently emerged in the popular film Jai
Santoshi Ma. The film builds upon a text,
also of recent vintage, in which Ganesha has
a daughter, the neophyte goddess of satisfaction,
Santoshi Ma. In the film, the role of Gane§a
as family man is developed significantly.
Santoshi Ma's genesis occurs on Rasa bandan.
Ganesha's sister is visiting for the tying
of the rakhi. He calls her bahenmansa — his
"mind-born" sister. Ganesha's wives, Rddhi
and Siddhi, are also present, with their sons
Subha and Labha. The boys are jealous, as
they, unlike their father, have no sister
with whom to tie the rakhi. They and the other
women plead with their father, but to no avail;
but then Narada appears and convinces Ganesha
that the creation of an illustrious daughter
will reflect much credit back onto himself.
Ganesha assents and from Rddhi and Siddhi
emerges a flame that engenders Santoshi Ma.
=== Sikandar (movie, 1939) ===
Film historian Arthur Pomeroy describes the
manufacture of a modern and widespread Indian
legend in the 1939 movie Sikandar:
In Sikandar a very daring Roxane follows Alexander
incognito to India and manages to gain admission
to King Porus (in the Indian version: Puru),
a conversation with a young, friendly Indian
village woman named Surmaniya, Roxane learns
about the Indian feast of Rakhi which is being
celebrated at that very moment with the purpose
of strengthening the bond between sister and
brother (0:25-0:30). On this occasion, sisters
tie a ribbon (i.e. rakhi) to their brothers'
arms to symbolize their close relationships,
and brothers offer presents and assistance
in return. Besides, Roxane is also told that
the relationship need not be one of consanguinity;
every girl can choose a brother. Therefore,
she decides to offer the rakhi to King Porus,
who accepts the relationship after some hesitation,
because he feels the need to apologize to
Roxane, Darius's (a.k.a. Dara's) daughter,
for not having helped her father when he asked
for assistance against Alexander. As a result
of their bond, he offers her gifts befitting
her rank and promises not to harm Alexander
(0:32-35). Later, when Porus comes into hand-to-hand
combat with the Greek king, he stands by his
promise and spares him (1:31). Interestingly,
the rakhi episode with Porus is still to this
day very popular in India and is cited as
very early historical evidence for the origin
of the authentic Hindu festival called Raksha
Bandhan. Although examples of that legend
can be traced in internet forums, Indian newspapers,
a children's book and an educational video,
I was not able to find its ancient origin.
=== Rani Karnavati and Emperor Humayun ===
Another controversial historical account is
that of Rani Karnavati of Chittor and Mughal
Emperor Humayun, which dates to 1535 CE. When
Rani Karnavati, the widowed queen of the king
of Chittor, realised that she could not defend
against the invasion by the Sultan of Gujarat,
Bahadur Shah, she sent a rakhi to Emperor
Humayun. The Emperor, according to one version
of the story, set off with his troops to defend
Chittor. He arrived too late, and Bahadur
Shah had already captured the Rani's fortress.
Alternative accounts from the period, including
those by historians in Humayun's Mughal court,
do not mention the rakhi episode and some
historians have expressed skepticism whether
it ever happened. Historian Satish Chandra
wrote, ... According to a mid-seventeenth
century Rajasthani account, Rani Karnavati,
the Rana's mother, sent a bracelet as rakhi
to Humayun, who gallantly responded and helped.
Since none of the contemporary sources mention
this, little credit can be given to this story
... Humayun's own memoirs never mention this,
and give different reasons for his war with
Sultan Bahadur Shah of Gujarat in 1535.
== See also ==
India portal
Hinduism portal
Bhau-beej
Other festivals observed on the day of Raksha
Bandhan
Siblings Day
Friendship bracelet
== Footnotes ==
== References ==
=== Notes ===
=== Works cited ===
== External links ==
Raksha Bandhan Know India – Festivals, Government
of India
Raksha Bandhan Government of Odisha, India
