Festival

Raksha Bandhan

A festival of brothers and sisters on the full moon of Shravana. A sister ties a rakhi on her brother’s wrist, and he promises to protect her.

Raksha Bandhan 2027
Tuesday 17 August 2027
New Delhi

For New Delhi, Tuesday 17 August 2027

Purnima tithi

Begins
10:29 am, 16 Aug
Ends
12:59 pm
Sunrise
5:51 am
Sunset
6:59 pm
Moonrise
7:03 pm
Moonset
Not this day

Worked out for your city. Panchangs can differ by a minute or so.

Full panchang for this day →

Puja times

For New Delhi, Tuesday 17 August 2027

Time to tie the rakhi

5:51 am to 12:59 pm

Bhadra
Over before sunrise
Purnima begins
10:29 am, 16 Aug
Purnima ends
12:59 pm

Worked out for your city. Panchangs can differ by a minute or so.

How it is kept

Customs vary by region and family

  • Tie a rakhi and apply a tilak
  • Share sweets
  • Exchange gifts

What it remembers

Raksha Bandhan falls on the full moon of Shravana. A sister ties a rakhi, a thread of protection, on her brother’s wrist, marks his forehead with tilak and feeds him a sweet; he promises to stand by her and gives her a gift. The rakhi is tied while Purnima holds and once Bhadra has passed, best in the afternoon.

Indra and Indrani

The oldest telling, in the Bhavishya Purana, is of a battle the gods were losing. Indrani, Indra’s wife, tied a thread blessed with mantras on his wrist on the full moon of Shravana, and he won. The raksha was first a thread of protection tied by a wife, a priest or a sister.

Draupadi and Krishna

When Krishna cut his finger, Draupadi tore a strip from her sari and bound it. Krishna promised to repay every thread. Years later, when the Kauravas tried to strip her in the assembly, her sari grew endless and she was saved: the rakhi as a bond answered in need.

Bali and Lakshmi

Vishnu had gone to guard the asura king Bali in his kingdom below the earth. Lakshmi, alone, came to Bali disguised and tied a rakhi on his wrist. When he offered her a gift, she asked for her husband back, and Bali let Vishnu go. The day is also called Baleva for him.

Yama and Yamuna

The river Yamuna tied a thread on the wrist of her brother Yama, the god of death, and he blessed her with immortality, promising long life to every brother whose sister ties one. The same pair is remembered on Bhai Dooj.

Tying the rakhi

The rakhi is tied while Purnima holds, after Bhadra, from sunrise until the end of Pradosh in the evening, and best in Aparahna, the afternoon. The page shows the time for your city. Families keep it in many ways; follow your own tradition where it differs.

  1. Brother and sister bathe and dress in new or clean clothes; many sisters keep a fast until the rakhi is tied.
  2. Prepare the thali: a lamp, roli or kumkum, rice, the rakhi, and a sweet.
  3. Seat the brother facing east or north, with a cloth or handkerchief on his head.
  4. Light the lamp, apply the tilak of roli with a few grains of rice on his forehead, and do his aarti.
  5. Tie the rakhi on his right wrist, saying the raksha mantra or a prayer for his long life.
  6. Feed him a sweet; he gives her a gift and a promise of protection. Elders bless them both.
  7. Sisters far away send rakhis by post; brothers tie them on themselves, or ask a family member to. Many also tie rakhis on soldiers, on trees, or on each other, sisters to sisters.

What you need

  • Rakhis
  • A thali with a lamp, roli or kumkum and rice
  • Sweets: barfi, laddoos or ghevar
  • A handkerchief for the brother’s head
  • A gift for the sister

Across India

North and Central India

Rakhi in every home: ghevar and feni in Rajasthan, and in Haryana and Punjab the sisters’ songs; trees and soldiers get rakhis too.

Maharashtra and the Konkan

Narali Purnima: fisherfolk offer coconuts to the sea to open the fishing season after the monsoon, and rakhi is tied the same day.

Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka

Avani Avittam: Brahmins change their sacred thread (upakarma) on this full moon, with the Gayatri japa the next morning.

Gujarat

Pavitropana: Shiva is worshipped with threads soaked in panchagavya, and rakhi is tied as elsewhere.

Odisha

Gamha Purnima: cattle are worshipped and dressed, and Balabhadra’s birthday is kept at Puri.

Nepal

Janai Purnima: the sacred thread (janai) is changed and a yellow raksha thread tied by priests; at Gosainkunda pilgrims bathe in the lake.

When it falls

Purnima of Shravana. Kept on the day this tithi holds at sunrise.

These are the usual rules. A few days can differ by a day in your tradition, so check with your temple.

Raksha Bandhan in the coming years

New Delhi, India time

  1. 2027Tuesday 17 August 2027
  2. 2028Saturday 5 August 2028

Questions

When is Raksha Bandhan in 2027?

Tuesday 17 August 2027, in New Delhi. In a few places it can fall a day apart, so the date above is worked out for your city.

When does Raksha Bandhan fall?

Purnima of Shravana. Kept on the day this tithi holds at sunrise.

How is Raksha Bandhan kept?

Families tie a rakhi and apply a tilak, share sweets and exchange gifts. Customs vary by region and family.

Why is rakhi not tied during Bhadra?

Bhadra, the Vishti karana that covers the first half of Purnima, is held to be inauspicious for good beginnings. Tradition tells that Ravana’s sister tied his rakhi in Bhadra, and his fall followed. So the rakhi waits until Bhadra ends; the page shows when that is for your city.

What is the best time to tie the rakhi?

Aparahna, the afternoon (the fourth fifth of the day), while Purnima holds and Bhadra is over. If Purnima ends before the afternoon, any time after Bhadra while it holds will do. If Bhadra lasts into the evening, the rakhi is tied in Pradosh once it ends, or later that night if Bhadra outlasts Pradosh.

Why is Raksha Bandhan sometimes on the day before?

When Purnima is over within six ghatis (about two and a half hours) of sunrise, there is too little of it left to keep the day, so Raksha Bandhan is kept the day before, after Bhadra ends: in 2023 it was on 30 August, after 9:01 pm in New Delhi.

Can a rakhi be tied by someone who is not a sister?

Yes. The oldest raksha was tied by a wife and by priests; today sisters tie rakhis on sisters, friends on friends, and many on soldiers and trees. The thread is a bond of protection, given to anyone you would stand by.