Regional Names of Raksha Bandhan — One Festival, Many Names Across India
India is one of the most linguistically and culturally diverse countries in the world. What is celebrated in one state under one name may carry a completely different name in another — shaped by language, local tradition, and the particular meaning a community draws from the same sacred occasion. Raksha Bandhan is a perfect example of this diversity.
The festival falls on Shravana Purnima — the full moon of the Hindu month of Shravan — and is observed across India on the same day. But the name by which it is known, and the specific significance it carries, varies considerably from region to region. In North India it is Raksha Bandhan or Rakhi Purnima. In Tamil Nadu it is Avani Avittam. In Maharashtra it is Narali Purnima. In Gujarat it is Pavitropana. Each name reflects a distinct cultural lens through which the same auspicious full moon is understood.
This page covers the major regional names of Raksha Bandhan across India — what each name means, where it is used, and what it tells us about the community that uses it.
Raksha Bandhan
Raksha Bandhan is the most widely used name for the festival across India, particularly in North India, Central India and among Hindi-speaking communities nationwide. The name is Sanskrit in origin: Raksha means protection, and Bandhan means bond or tie. Together, Raksha Bandhan means the bond of protection — a name that captures the essential meaning of the ceremony in which a sister ties a thread on her brother's wrist and he pledges to protect her.
The name Raksha Bandhan is used in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Bihar and across most of North and Central India. It is also the name most widely used in Indian diaspora communities worldwide — in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia and UAE — making it the most internationally recognized name for the festival.
Rakhi Purnima
Rakhi Purnima is an alternate name for the festival used widely across North India, particularly in communities where the lunar calendar significance of the occasion is emphasized alongside the sibling ritual. The name combines Rakhi — the sacred thread — with Purnima, the Sanskrit word for full moon. Together it means the full moon of the Rakhi — a name that grounds the festival in its position in the Hindu lunar calendar.
Shravana Purnima, the full moon of the month of Shravan, is considered one of the most auspicious full moon days of the Hindu year. The name Rakhi Purnima reflects the understanding that the festival is not only a sibling celebration but also a sacred lunar occasion — a day on which fasting, prayers and ritual bathing in sacred rivers are performed alongside the Rakhi tying ceremony. In regions where this broader spiritual dimension is emphasized, Rakhi Purnima is the preferred name over Raksha Bandhan.
Shravana Purnima
Shravana Purnima is the pan-India sacred name for the full moon day of the Hindu month of Shravan — the lunar occasion on which Raksha Bandhan and all other co-occurring festivals are observed. While not a name for the sibling festival specifically, Shravana Purnima is used across India to refer to the sacred day itself, distinct from any particular regional celebration that falls on it.
The month of Shravan holds deep significance in Hindu tradition — it is considered the most sacred month of the year, associated with Lord Shiva and characterized by fasting, prayer and pilgrimage. Mondays of Shravan (Shravan Somvar) are particularly auspicious and widely observed across India. The Purnima — the full moon — that closes this sacred month carries the accumulated auspiciousness of the entire month, which is why so many different festivals and observances have coalesced around this single day across different regions and traditions.
Upakarma and Avani Avittam
Upakarma and Avani Avittam are two names for the same observance — the ceremony in which Brahmin men change their sacred thread (Yajnopavita or Janeyu) on Shravana Purnima. Upakarma is the Sanskrit name, meaning beginning or commencement — specifically the beginning of a new cycle of Vedic study. Avani Avittam is the Tamil name for the same ceremony: Avani refers to the Tamil month that typically coincides with Shravan, and Avittam is the name of the nakshatra (lunar star) under which the ceremony is traditionally performed.
The ceremony is observed primarily in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and among Tamil and Malayali Brahmin communities worldwide. During Upakarma, Brahmins perform the Kamokaarshit Japa — a recitation seeking forgiveness for transgressions committed in the past year — and change their sacred thread as an act of spiritual renewal. The following day, Gayatri Japam is performed — a sustained recitation of the Gayatri Mantra as an act of purification and devotion.
The linguistic connection to Raksha Bandhan is meaningful: both ceremonies involve the tying of a sacred thread on the same auspicious full moon day. The Yajnopavita of Upakarma and the Rakhi of Raksha Bandhan are different threads serving different purposes, but they share the same sacred occasion and the same underlying impulse — renewal, protection and the acknowledgment of bonds that matter.
Jandhyam Purnima
Jandhyam Purnima is the name used in Telugu-speaking communities in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for the Shravana Purnima observance. Jandhyam is a Telugu word for the sacred thread — the Yajnopavita — and the Purnima refers to the full moon occasion on which the thread-changing ceremony is performed. The name is therefore the Telugu equivalent of what Tamil communities call Avani Avittam — a regional name that places the sacred thread at the center of the day's significance rather than the sibling ritual.
In Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the day is understood through this name as a ceremony of spiritual renewal — the changing of the sacred thread accompanied by Vedic recitations and prayers. In many Telugu-speaking households, Jandhyam Purnima and Raksha Bandhan are observed together on the same day, the two sacred threads — one changed, one newly tied — both marking the same auspicious Purnima from different directions.
Kajari Purnima
Kajari Purnima is the name for the Shravana Purnima observance in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Jharkhand. The name comes from Kajari — a genre of traditional folk songs sung by women during the monsoon season in these regions, characterized by their themes of longing, rain and the rhythms of agricultural life.
Kajari Purnima is particularly significant for women who have sons. The celebration begins nine days after Shravana Amavasya on Kajari Navami, when women who have a son perform a special pooja. The Purnima marks the culmination of this period of fasting and prayer — women break their fast with specific rituals, offering prayers to Bhagwati (the goddess) and receiving blessings for their children's long life and prosperity.
In regions where Kajari Purnima is observed, the day carries dual significance — Raksha Bandhan as the festival of sibling love and Kajari Purnima as the festival of a mother's prayers for her children, both observed on the same sacred full moon.
Narali Purnima
Narali Purnima is the name for the Shravana Purnima celebration along the western coast of India — particularly in Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala among coastal and fishing communities. The name comes from Narali or Nariyal — the Marathi and Hindi words for coconut — and the coconut is the central offering of the day's ceremony.
Narali Purnima marks the end of the monsoon season and the beginning of the fishing season — the point in the year when the seas calm sufficiently for boats to go out safely. Fishermen offer coconuts to Varuna, the god of the sea and water, in a ceremony that expresses gratitude for the past year's protection and requests safe and plentiful fishing in the season ahead. Coconuts are decorated with flowers, moli threads and auspicious items before being offered to the sea. Boats are decorated, community prayers are held at the waterfront, and traditional coconut-based sweets and dishes are prepared and shared.
The name Narali Purnima reflects a coastal and agricultural understanding of the same auspicious full moon — one in which the renewal of the sea's relationship with the community is the central theme rather than the sibling bond. In Maharashtra, both Raksha Bandhan and Narali Purnima are observed on the same day.
Jhulan Purnima
Jhulan Purnima — also known as Jhulan Yatra or Jhulna — is the name for the Shravana Purnima celebration in Vaishnava communities, particularly in West Bengal, Odisha, Bihar and Vrindavan. The name comes from Jhulan, meaning to swing — the festival celebrates the divine swinging of Lord Krishna and Radha in the forests of Vrindavan.
During Jhulan Purnima, images of Radha and Krishna are placed on beautifully decorated swings and gently swung by devotees as an act of love and devotion. Swings are decorated with colorful flowers, leaves and garlands. Devotees sing devotional songs (bhajans) that recount the stories of Krishna and Radha's divine love. Jhulan Yatra typically extends across five days in the month of Shravan, culminating on Shravana Purnima. In Vrindavan, the celebrations attract thousands of pilgrims and are among the most visually spectacular festival observances of the year.
The name Jhulan Purnima reflects a distinctly Vaishnava understanding of the same sacred full moon — one centered on devotion to Krishna rather than the sibling ritual. In West Bengal, both Raksha Bandhan and Jhulan Purnima are observed on the same day, giving the occasion a layered character within Bengali Hindu households.
Pavitropana
Pavitropana — also known as Pavitrotsav or Pavitrotsava — is the name for the Shravana Purnima celebration in Gujarat, particularly among Vaishnava communities. The name comes from Pavitra, meaning pure or sacred, and the festival is understood as a time of purification, devotion and the seeking of divine blessings.
On Pavitropana, families come together for a grand Pooja in honor of Lord Shiva, praying for happiness, health and prosperity for their families and communities. A central ritual of the festival involves the consecration of sacred threads known as Pavitras or Pavitrams. These threads are tied around the wrist as symbols of protection and divine blessings — a practice that carries a direct connection to the Rakhi thread of Raksha Bandhan. In Gujarat, the day is considered one of the most holy of the entire year.
The purification rituals of Pavitropana extend to water — specially consecrated water called Pavitram is used for bathing and religious purposes during the festival. The name itself — Pavitropana, the occasion of the Pavitra — reflects a Gujarati understanding of the same sacred full moon as a day of spiritual cleansing and renewal, distinct from the sibling ritual but sharing the same auspicious calendar position.
Explore More About Raksha Bandhan
The many names of Raksha Bandhan across India reflect the remarkable diversity of a country that observes the same sacred occasion through dozens of different cultural lenses. To explore more about the festival and its traditions, visit our related pages: