Raksha Bandhan, also Rakshabandhan
Raksha Bandhan
Raksha Bandhan, also Rakshabandhan, is
a popular, traditionally Hindu, annual rite, or ceremony, which is central
to a festival of the same name, celebrated in South Asia, and among people
around the world influenced by Hindu culture. 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.
|
Official name |
Raksha
Bandhan |
|
Also called |
Rakhi
Purnima, Rakhi, Saluno, Ujjwal Silono, Rakri, Jhulan Purnima, Gamha Purnima,
Narali Pournima, Janai Purnima |
|
Observed by |
Hindus, Jains traditionally |
|
Type |
Religious,
Cultural |
|
Date |
Purnima (full
moon) of Shrawan |
|
2021 date |
21 August (Sat)[1] |
|
2022 date |
11 August (Thurs)[2] |
|
Related to |
Bhai
Duj, Bhai Tika, Sama Chakeva |
"Mayer's (1960: 219)
observation for central India would not be inaccurate for most communities in
the subcontinent: A man's tie with his sister is accounted very close. The two
have grown up together, at an age when there is no distinction made between the
sexes. And later, when the sister marries, the brother is seen as her main
protector, for when her father has died to whom else can she turn if there is
trouble in her conjugal household.
The parental home, and after the
parents' death the brother's home, often offers the only possibility of
temporary or longer-term support in case of divorce, desertion, and even
widowhood, especially for a woman without adult sons. Her dependence on this
support is directly related to economic and social vulnerability."
— Bina
Agarwal in A Field of One's Own: Gender and Land Rights in South
Asia (1994), quoting Adrian C. Mayer, Caste and kinship in
Central India (1960)
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. p.
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.
o
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".
o
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 it has claimed
in North India.").
Evolution of Raksha Bandhan: the
great and little traditions
Nazeer Akbarabadi (1735–1830) wrote one of the first nazms (poems) in Hindustani language on Rakhi. This is the last "band" (stanza), the poet fantasizes that he (a Muslim) would like to dress up as a "Bamhan" (Brahmin priest), with sacred thread and mark on forehead, so that he too can tie the threads on the wrists of all the beautiful people around him.
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."
"August 26, '44 My dear Lachi-Raja, After all your letter has come,
and I feel greatly relieved. ... The Raksha and Janeoo mentioned
in your present communication of 17th which you had sent on the occasion of
Rakshabandhan got stranded somewhere, and have not yet arrived. There is little
chance of their being recovered now. "
From a letter written by Indian
nationalist Govind Ballabh Pant, to his children Laxmi Pant (nickname
Lachi) and K. C. Pant (Raja), from Ahmednagar Fort prison
on 26 August 1944.
— Govind
Ballabh Pant, from Selected Works of Govind Ballabh Pant, Oxford
University Press, 1998.
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 Snow 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
Journal entries of a
newly-married, English-speaking, urban Indian woman around the time of Raksha
Bandhan, August 1951. The Hindu lunar calendar dates are below the
English ones.
In his 1955 village study 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 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, 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, among the Koli
community, the festival of Raksha Bandhan/Rakhi Pournima is celebrated along
with Narali Pournima (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 (1975 film)
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 Raksha bandhan. 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 (1941 film)
Film historian Anja Wieber describes the
manufacture of a modern and widespread Indian legend in the 1941 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.
Bound by a sacred gift, in happier hours,
To prove a brother's undecaying faith;
Now when the star of Kurnivati lowers,
He rushes on to danger or to death.
He came to the beleaguered walls too late,
Vain was the splendid sacrifice to save;
Famine and death were sitting at the gate,
The flower of Rajasthan had found a grave.
— From poem, "The
Rakhi," in Oriental scenes, dramatic sketches, and tales (1832),
by Emma Roberts, p. 125
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