Since Vedic times, the auspicious festival of Raksha Bandhan has a significant list of rituals and traditions to be followed for the completion of the Rakhi festival. One such ritual is Rakhi Puja. The Rakshabandhan Puja ceremony is performed to get rid of ghosts & fear of ghosts, vampires, and even bad spirits. The ceremony of Puja is needed to perform in the house to get rid of all the diseases and bad omens. The auspicious occasion of Raksha Bandhan is performed during the Shravana Purnima.

There are also some who believe that whosoever worships Raksha on Shravana Purnima gets happiness and prosperity throughout the year. As on Raksha Bandhan, sisters tie Rakhi to their brother’s wrist, and brothers protect them throughout their life. In the context of the Vedic times, brothers play the role of “Raksha” – the divine power and protects the sisters from all the evils and bad things.

As per Vratraj, the Raksha Bandhan Puja can be performed during the Aparahna time. The main ritual of Rakhi Puja is to worship Raksha and tying it to the brother’s wrist as a Raksha Potli or Raksha bundle. Raksha Potlu is made up of unbroken rice, a piece of Golden thread, and some white mustard. The potli is made up of cotton or woolen fabric and kept on the Rakhi Puja Thali during the Raksha Bandhan Puja ceremony. As per history, it is believed Shachi, the God Indra’s wife, was the first one to create the Raksha to protect her husband from demons. Since then, devotees worship Raksha as a power of victory, wealth, health, and comfort.

Raksha Bandhan Puja Vidhi

• On Shravana Purnima, take a full ritualistic bath during Pratahkal, i.e., before sunrise.
• After taking a bath, perform Deva and Pitra Tarpan, a ritual to pacify Gods and ancestors.
• The next thing to do is perform Upakarma, also known as Avani Avittam, in the morning.
• The next ritual to perform is the Bhudeva Puja by offering new clothes and preparing the Arti Puja Thali.
• After completing the Bhudeva Puja, worship the Raksha and tie a Raksha Potli to the brother’s wrist along with Mantra chanting.

Rakhi Puja Thali Preparation

• Coconuts and Dry coconut
• Gur for Sister-in-Law
• Sweets
• Aarti Puja Thali with Roli, rice, water, sweets, and Deepak

Raksha Bandhan Ceremony

• To begin with the Raksha Bandhan celebration in a ritualistic way, the first Rakhi should be offered to the Lord Ganesha.
• Sisters apply tilak to the brother’s forehead.
• Next, she ties Rakhi on her brother’s right wrist
• Sisters offer a coconut to their brothers and offer him some sweets
• The next thing to perform is the gift exchanging ceremony.
• After this, sisters will apply tilak to their sister-in-law
• Sisters tie a Lumba on the left bangle of their sister-in-law’s hand.
• The next thing to do is to offer Bhabhi some gur and sweets to eat.
• The sisters-in-law give Pagalagai to the sisters as a gift for Raksha Bandhan.
• Next, sisters apply tilak to their nephews and nieces and offer them some sweets