(With which was tied King Bali, the Lord of Giants, of great strength, with the same I tie you: be protected: Do not go, do not go).

The custom is still in vogue in some parts of India.

According to the Bhavishya Purana, the practice of tying rakhi began when Maharani Shachi, Lord Indira’s wife, who possessed occult powers, tied a protective knot containing rice and sarson (rape seed) on the right wrist of her husband to help him in his crusade against the demons. Lord Indira succeeded in crushing his foes.

Still another account says that Rakhi is celebrated to commemorate the event of Bali’s great sacrifice in surrendering his celestial kingdom to Vamana.

The word rakhi is derived from the sanskrit word rakshika (an amulet or charm worn as a preserver). Words such as raksha, rakshti and rakshit, which mean "to protect, guard or take care of"often appear in Kalidasa’s works such as Hitopadesha, and allied literature. Literally, raksha bandhan means the bond of protection.

Rakhi Purnima is noteworthy because of several rituals connected with it. In one such ceremony known as Pavitropana, a few twisted filaments of cotton are soaked in panchagavya (mixture of cow’s ghee, milk, curd,urine and excreta) and then fastened around a shivalinga worn on the neck of some deity or laid at the feet of Lord Vishnu.

Another ritual enjoins on the Brahmins renewal of their investiture. On this occasion, they take a pledge to rededicate themselves to the cause of vedic dharma and to rise above mundane pursuits.

Rakhi is known by many names such as Baldev, Naliyeri Purnima or Coconut Day. It is believed that Lord Rama proceeded towards Lanka along the bridge constructed by his vanar sena, on this day. People living on sea shores commemorate this event by worshipping Varuna, the Lord of Water. They throw coconut into the sea or a nearby river to propitiate the deity. Coconut is sacred to the Hindus because its three eyes symbolise the three-eyed god, Shiva. Breaking the nut is considered to be auspicious before beginning any work. Even ships are ceremonially launched by breaking a coconut on the bows.Many people begin their voyage on Naliyeri Purnima. There is sufficient historical evidence to prove that even the English and the Parsi seafarers observed this ritual in the past.

In ancient times, rakhi was more or less a talisman which symbolised the good wishes of a person for the wellbeing of the object of his or her affection. However, in medieval times, its manner and style changed as it got confined to sister-brother relationship. With the onslaught of foreign invaders, the practice of tying a rakhi extended beyond the bounds of family and sometime became an intra-family or even an inter-racial affair. For example, Rani Karmavati of Chittor sent a rakhi to Humayun, soliciting his help against Bahadurshah, the ruler of Gujarat.

It is said that Humayun pledged himself to her service. But as the Mughal Emperor was busy fighting against Sher Shah Suri, he could not help Karmavati in time. The Rani committed jauhar (self-immolation ) along with thousands of women to save her honour. Humayun was much perturbed after learning about this incident.

Lt Col James Tod, the celebrated author of Annals and Antiquities of Rajasthan, made some interesting observations on the nature and mode of
Raksha Bandhan, as it was observed in the central and western Rajput states of India. According to him, the festival of the bracelet happened to be "one of the few when an intercourse of gallantry of the most delicate nature is established between the fair sex and the cavaliers of Rajasthan". The bracelet was usually sent by maidens on occasions when they required urgent help.

It would be interesting to note that Colonel Tod received such bracelets from a number of prominent Rajput women, among them the queens of Udaipur, Boondi and Kotah and Chand Bai, the maiden sister of the Rana.

Rakhi became a national festival during the reign of Akbar. From Al Badaoni’s account in Muntakhabut-Tawarikh, we learn that rakhi meant an amulet formed out of twisted linen rags and the festival was celebrated by almost everyone in the emperor’s court. On the day of the festival, the courtiers and others adorned the Emperor’s wrist with beautiful strings of silk, bejewelled with rubies, pearls and gems of great value. Jahangir described the festival as "Nighadasht" and celebrated it like his father. Even Aurangzeb addressed the Queen mother of Udaipur as "dear and virtuous sister" in one of his letters.

The "rakhi" system of misldars is said to have laid the foundations of Sikh political authority in Punjab and it paved the way for the establishment of a national monarchy under Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Under this system, protection was guaranteed to the people from zamindars, government officials and dacoits in return for the payment of one-fifth of their income to the Sikhs twice a year.

The Bengali nationalists regarded rakhi as a symbol of harmony and strength.

They revived the festival along with the Ganapati festival, imparting to it a religio-mystical outlook and used it to neutralise the divisive tendencies in the Indian society. Prominent nationalists like B.G.Tilak, S.N.Bannerji, Aurobindo Ghosh, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and others received innumerable rakhis from the people as a token of their love. To this they reciprocated by way of sweet words, gestures or promises.

The tradition of tying rakhi continues. But the ideals of love and unity which it has symbolised through the ages seem to have been consumed if not fully obscured by the smoke of greed and conceit. The need of the time is to understand the message of Rakhi and calmly recite with vedic seers:

"O ye mankind, let the object of your thought be the same: Let your mind be of one accord and let your hearts be united together." (Rigveda, X, 191)