TAXILA, Aug 2:  The Hindu religious festival Rakhi observed every year to mark the bond of love between brother and sister concluded here at the Gurdawara Punja Sahib on Thursday.

Over three thousand followers of Hindu and Sikh religion participated in the ‘Raksha Bandhan’ commonly known as Rakhi in which young girls and women tie Rakhis to the wrists of their brothers and exchanged greetings. As there is no major Hindu temple in this Potohar region, this festival is celebrated by the Hindus at the Punja Sahib.

On Thursday, a large number of girls tied a holy thread to boys and men, binding them in the sacred relationship of brotherhood.

After Rakhi ceremony and Pooja, the brother presents his sister with presents.

According to Hindu religion, Rakhi is a prominent Hindu festival that celebrates the relationship between brother and sister.

Hindus dress up for the occasion and sisters tie Rakhi (a holy thread) on their brothers’ wrists, usually at the time prescribed by the pundits.

The history of the festival dates back to the Vedic period. Deities and demons were fighting on a poornima (full-moon) day of the Hindu month of Shravan. Lord Indra, the king of the deities, was worried because the demons were in a stronger position, so his wife Indrani (also known as Shashikala) prepared a magical thread using her religious power and tied it to Indra’s right wrist.

The thread protected him and the deities won the battle eventually.

The magic was initially called Raksha Sutra, and renamed over time to Raksha Bandhan. The Hindu festival takes place on a poornima day in Shravan every year. Special security measures had been taken by the police and law enforcement agencies for the people gathered at the Gurdwara to mark the festival.—Correspondent