Monsoon festival · Vishnu, Lakshmi and Indra (traditional stories)

Raksha Bandhan (Rakhi)

A thread of protection and affection between brothers and sisters.

Raksha Bandhan, or Rakhi, falls on Shravana Purnima, the full Moon of the monsoon month of Shravana. Sisters tie a sacred protective thread (rakhi) on their brothers' wrists, pray for their wellbeing, and brothers in turn promise care and support. The traditional stories behind the day involve Vishnu, Lakshmi and Indra, and the thread is tied in the Rakhi Muhurat, after the Bhadra period has ended.

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Raksha Bandhan

Date: Tue, 17 Aug, 2027
Tithi: Shravana Purnima
Rakhi (Bhadra-free): 05:51 AM – 12:58 PM
Deity: Vishnu, Lakshmi and Indra (traditional stories)

Times for New Delhi. Change the city below.

When to do the puja

Raksha Bandhan muhurat and timings

Timings for New Delhi, Delhi

Date

Tue, 17 Aug, 2027

Tithi at sunrise

Purnima (Shukla)

Sunrise

05:51 AM

Sunset

06:59 PM

Best time for Raksha Bandhan

Rakhi Muhurat (Bhadra-free)

05:51 AM – 12:58 PM

Duration 7 h 7 min

Tithi, nakshatra and key moments

Purnima tithi
10:29 AM, 16 Aug – 12:58 PM
Abhijit Muhurat
11:58 AM – 12:51 PM
Amrit Kaal
02:51 PM – 04:39 PM

Inauspicious times: avoid starting the puja

Varjyam
04:04 AM – 05:51 AM
Yamaganda
09:08 AM – 10:46 AM
Gulika Kaal
12:25 PM – 02:03 PM
Rahu Kaal
03:42 PM – 05:20 PM

Choghadiya for the day and night

Day

Rog05:51 AM – 07:29 AM
Udveg07:29 AM – 09:08 AM
Chal09:08 AM – 10:46 AM
Labh10:46 AM – 12:25 PM
Amrit12:25 PM – 02:03 PM
Kaal02:03 PM – 03:42 PM
Shubh03:42 PM – 05:20 PM
Rog05:20 PM – 06:59 PM

Night

Kaal06:59 PM – 08:20 PM
Labh08:20 PM – 09:42 PM
Udveg09:42 PM – 11:03 PM
Shubh11:03 PM – 12:25 AM, 18 Aug
Amrit12:25 AM, 18 Aug – 01:46 AM, 18 Aug
Chal01:46 AM, 18 Aug – 03:08 AM, 18 Aug
Rog03:08 AM, 18 Aug – 04:30 AM, 18 Aug
Kaal04:30 AM, 18 Aug – 05:51 AM, 18 Aug

Calculated for New Delhi, Delhi, India (sidereal Lahiri, local sunrise). Regional and family traditions can differ by a day or in the exact window; follow your family priest where they differ.

Meaning

Significance of Raksha Bandhan

Raksha means protection and bandhan means a bond. The thread is a prayer for protection, tied with love; in older tradition it was also tied by priests on the wrists of kings and patrons, and by wives on husbands going to battle. Over time it has become above all a celebration of the bond between brothers and sisters, including cousins and those who choose to be siblings.

The festival is about mutual care rather than one-way duty. Many sisters tie rakhi to each other, brothers tie rakhi to sisters, and people tie rakhi to soldiers, friends, neighbours and even trees, as a promise to look after one another and the world around them.

Shravana Purnima is also sacred for other reasons. In South India it is the day of renewing the sacred thread (Upakarma), on the west coast fishing communities honour the sea, and in parts of eastern India it ends the swing festival of Radha and Krishna.

The story

In one story from the Puranas, the gods were losing a long war against the demons. Indra's wife Shachi (Indrani), on the advice of the teacher Brihaspati, tied a thread empowered with prayers on Indra's wrist on Shravana Purnima, and Indra went on to win. This is the origin of the mantra recited while tying the rakhi. Another story tells of King Bali, who won Vishnu's promise to stay with him as his guard. To bring Vishnu home, Lakshmi tied a thread on Bali's wrist as his sister, and when he offered her a gift, she asked for Vishnu's return.

A popular story from the Mahabharata tells that when Krishna cut his finger, Draupadi tore a strip from her sari and tied it around the wound. Krishna promised to protect her, and kept that promise when she was humiliated in the Kaurava court, by miraculously making her sari endless. The story is often told to show that the rakhi bond is one of love and protection given freely.

One festival, many traditions

How Raksha Bandhan is celebrated across India

North and West India (Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh)

Known as Rakhi

Sisters prepare a thali with roli, rice, a lamp, sweets and rakhis, apply tilak on the brother's forehead, tie the rakhi on his right wrist, do a small aarti and feed him a sweet. Brothers give a gift and a promise of support. Married sisters often travel to their parents' home for the day, and in many families a rakhi is first offered to the household deity.

Why it matters there: For many families this is the main family reunion of the monsoon season, keeping married daughters connected with the home they grew up in.

South India (Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana)

Known as Avani Avittam (Upakarma), Jandhyala Purnima

Men of many Brahmin and other communities who wear the sacred thread (yajnopavita, called poonal in Tamil) gather, often near a temple or water tank, to bathe, perform rites led by a priest, offer water to the sages, and change to a new sacred thread. The ritual marks the traditional start of the year's Vedic study, and Gayatri mantra recitation (Gayatri Japam) is done the following day. In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana the day is called Jandhyala Purnima.

Why it matters there: Upakarma renews a person's commitment to learning and right living, and seeks forgiveness for lapses during the past year.

West India (Maharashtra, coastal Konkan)

Known as Narali Purnima

Fishing communities, especially the Koli community, offer a decorated coconut to the sea with prayers to Varuna, the god of the waters, and then take their boats out again after the monsoon break in fishing. Coconut-based sweets such as narali bhat (coconut rice) are prepared, and rakhi is also tied in families.

Why it matters there: Narali Purnima marks the end of the rough monsoon seas and the start of the new fishing season, with thanks and a prayer for safety at sea.

East India (West Bengal)

Known as Jhulan Purnima and Rakhi Bandhan

In temples and homes, Radha and Krishna are placed on decorated swings for several days in Shravana, ending on the Purnima, with devotional singing and small displays. Rakhi is tied among family members and friends. In 1905, Rabindranath Tagore called on people of all communities to tie rakhis to one another as a sign of unity against the partition of Bengal, and community rakhi-tying is still held in his memory in some places.

Why it matters there: In Bengal the day joins devotion to Radha and Krishna with a wider message of brotherhood and unity across communities.

East India (Odisha)

Known as Gamha Purnima

Shravana Purnima is celebrated as the birthday of Balabhadra, the elder brother of Jagannath, with special worship at Jagannath temples. Cattle are bathed, decorated and worshipped in villages, and sweet cakes are prepared and shared. Rakhi is also tied in families.

Why it matters there: Balabhadra is linked with farming and the plough, so the day honours both him and the cattle that support farming families.

North India (Kumaon, Uttarakhand)

Known as Janopunyu

Men change their sacred thread (janeu) on this day after bathing and worship, and rakhi is tied by sisters. At the Barahi Devi temple in Devidhura, in Champawat district, a traditional fair called Bagwal is held on Raksha Bandhan, in which groups from local clans take part in a ritual exchange of fruit and stones under the watch of temple elders.

Why it matters there: Janopunyu reflects the same Upakarma tradition as in the South, while the Devidhura fair is a centuries-old local custom tied to the goddess Barahi.

Step by step

Raksha Bandhan puja vidhi

1
Check the Bhadra timings and the Rakhi Muhurat (after Bhadra) shown above for your city, and plan the ceremony accordingly.
2
Brother and sister bathe and wear clean or new clothes. Many sisters keep a light fast until the rakhi is tied; this is optional.
3
Prepare the thali: rakhi, roli or kumkum, rice grains (akshat), a small lamp, sweets, a little water in a small pot, and flowers.
4
First offer a rakhi to Ganesha, Krishna or your family deity, with a flower and a sweet, and light the lamp.
5
Seat the brother comfortably, ideally facing east or north. In many families he covers his head with a handkerchief or cap.
6
In the Rakhi Muhurat shown above, preferably during Aparahna (the best time), apply tilak of roli on the brother's forehead and press a few grains of rice on it.
7
Tie the rakhi on his right wrist while reciting the rakhi mantra or a simple prayer for his wellbeing.
8
Perform a small aarti by moving the lamp in circles before him, and feed him a sweet.
9
The brother offers a gift or token of love and a promise of support, and the sister takes the blessings of the brother if he is older, or gives hers if he is younger.
10
If Aparahna is not available after Bhadra, the Pradosh (alternative) window shown above can be used. Siblings who live apart can tie the rakhi in their own time zone or city in the same way.

Yena Baddho Bali Raja Danavendro Mahabalah, Tena Tvam Pratibadhnami Rakshe Ma Chala Ma Chala

With this thread, by which the mighty Bali, king of the demons, was bound, I bind you. O protection, do not waver, do not waver. Recited while tying the rakhi.

What you need

Puja samagri (items)

Rakhis, plus one for the family deity
Puja thali
Roli or kumkum
Rice grains (akshat)
Small earthen or brass lamp, ghee and cotton wick
Sweets such as laddoo, barfi or ghevar
Small pot of clean water
Flowers
Sacred red thread (mauli), as a simple alternative to a decorative rakhi
Incense stick
Handkerchief or cap for the brother's head (as per custom)
Coconut (in some families, given along with the rakhi)
Gift or token from the brother

Do's and don'ts

What to do, and what to avoid

Do

Tie the rakhi during the Rakhi Muhurat shown above, preferably in Aparahna, the best time.
Offer the first rakhi to Ganesha, Krishna or your family deity.
Tie the rakhi on the right wrist, with tilak, rice, a lamp and a sweet.
Keep in touch with siblings who live far away; sending a rakhi by post with a call on the day is a full observance.
Extend the spirit of the day by tying rakhi to sisters, cousins, friends or those who protect the community.
Give gifts thoughtfully and within your means; the bond matters more than the value.

Avoid (inauspicious)

Avoid tying the rakhi during Bhadra; check the Bhadra timings shown above and wait for the Rakhi Muhurat (after Bhadra).
Avoid Rahu Kaal, Yamaganda and Gulika, which this page lists as times to avoid, for the main rakhi ceremony where possible.
Do not use a torn or broken rakhi; keep a spare in the thali.
Avoid plastic-heavy or glitter rakhis that are hard to dispose of; cotton, silk or seed rakhis are good alternatives.
Do not throw old rakhis carelessly; many families remove them after some days and place them in a plant pot or near a tree.
Avoid quarrels and comparisons over gifts on the day.

Common questions

Raksha Bandhan FAQs

What is Bhadra and why is rakhi not tied during it?

Bhadra (also called Vishti karana) is a half-tithi period that tradition considers unsuitable for beginning auspicious ceremonies. On Shravana Purnima it often covers part of the day, so families wait for it to end. The site shows the Bhadra timings and the Rakhi Muhurat after Bhadra for your city.

What is the best time to tie rakhi?

Traditionally the afternoon period called Aparahna is considered the best time, provided it is free of Bhadra. If Bhadra continues through the afternoon, the evening Pradosh window is used as an alternative. Both are shown above for your city.

On which wrist should rakhi be tied?

The rakhi is traditionally tied on the right wrist, which is used for most ritual actions. For sisters tying rakhi to each other, the same custom applies.

Can sisters tie rakhi to each other, or to someone who is not a blood relative?

Yes. The rakhi is a thread of protection and affection, and many people tie it to sisters, cousins, close friends and people they regard as family. The intention is what matters.

What if my brother lives in another city or country?

You can send the rakhi in advance and he can tie it himself or have someone tie it during the Rakhi Muhurat in his own location, while you pray at your end. A video call during the ceremony is a common and fully meaningful way to share the moment.

How long should the rakhi be kept on?

Customs vary. Some keep it at least until Krishna Janmashtami, some for a few days, and some until it falls off by itself. When removing it, place it respectfully in a plant pot, under a tree or in flowing water rather than in the bin.