Author: MEHOLI SARKAR

Raksha Bandhan today is closely associated with the image of a sister tying a rakhi around her brother’s wrist. There are sweets, gifts and prayers for the brother’s well-being. But the protective thread itself has a much longer history, and it was not always part of a brother-sister ritual. Hindu ritual texts mention protective threads and amulets in different forms. They appear as rakṣā, pratisara, kautuka and rakṣāsūtra. They were tied to the body during rituals, used as amulets and sometimes attached to ritual objects. The basic idea was simple: the thread or object was meant to protect the person…