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Raksha Bandhan was observed across India on Friday, 28 August 2026, the full moon day (Purnima) of the Hindu month of Shravana.
The Purnima tithi ran from about 9:08 am on 27 August to about 9:48 am on 28 August; because the tithi held at sunrise on 28 August, panchang calculations fixed the observance on that day.
The auspicious window for tying the rakhi in Delhi was roughly 5:57 am to 9:48 am on 28 August, after the inauspicious Bhadra period of 27 August had ended.
The same tithi carries other observances: World Sanskrit Day in India and Janai Purnima in Nepal.
Exam-relevant history: Rabindranath Tagore turned the festival into a political instrument in 1905, calling on Hindus and Muslims to tie rakhis on each other against the Partition of Bengal.
Observed on Shravana Purnima, and therefore on the same day as Raksha Bandhan in 2026 (28 August).
On the same full moon, the sacred thread (janai) worn by Hindu men is changed and a protective thread is tied on the wrist.
The Bihar government has observed Raksha Bandhan as Tree Protection Day since 2012, tying rakhis to trees along with plantation drives.
Tagore's 1905 Rakhi Bandhan is a standard illustration of cultural symbols being used for political mobilisation, alongside the boycott of foreign goods and national education.
GS Paper I > Modern Indian History: Swadeshi movement and Partition of Bengal; Indian culture
General Awareness > Indian festivals, art and culture, modern history
General Awareness > Festivals of India
General Awareness > Static GK and festivals
The full moon day of the Hindu month of Shravana, on which Raksha Bandhan, World Sanskrit Day and Janai Purnima fall.
A period in the panchang considered inauspicious, during which the tying of the rakhi is traditionally avoided.
Tagore's call to tie rakhis across religious lines on the day the Partition of Bengal took effect, as a protest against the division.