Raksha Bandhan (Rakhi) will be celebrated on Saturday, August 9, 2025. The most auspicious time to tie the rakhi is 5:47 AM to 1:24 PM IST on August 9. The Purnima tithi runs from 2:12 PM on August 8 to 1:24 PM on August 9.
What the festival signifies
Raksha Bandhan is a joyful celebration of sibling bonds. Sisters ceremonially tie a rakhi on their brothers’ wrists (and many now exchange rakhis among siblings and cousins of all genders), and brothers pledge love, support, and protection. Families mark the day with prayers, sweets, and gifts.
When is Rakhi in 2025?
Although Purnima begins the previous afternoon, there’s often confusion when the lunar date straddles two solar dates. For 2025, authoritative panchang calculations place Rakhi on August 9 (Saturday), aligning the key rituals with the ideal window after sunrise.
Shubh muhurat to tie the rakhi (IST)
Auspicious window: 5:47 AM – 1:24 PM, Saturday, August 9
Duration: 7 hours 37 minutes
Purnima tithi (IST)
Starts: 2:12 PM, Friday, August 8, 2025
Ends: 1:24 PM, Saturday, August 9, 2025
Note on Bhadra
Rituals for Raksha Bandhan are traditionally avoided during Bhadra, which typically occupies the first half of the Purnima tithi. In 2025, Bhadra ends before sunrise on August 9, so the morning–early afternoon muhurat is clear for the ceremony.
City-wise Raksha Bandhan muhurat (IST)
(Morning start times vary slightly by location; all end at 1:24 PM.)
New Delhi: 5:47 AM – 1:24 PM
Mumbai: 6:18 AM – 1:24 PM
Gurgaon: 5:48 AM – 1:24 PM
Noida: 5:46 AM – 1:24 PM
Bengaluru: 6:07 AM – 1:24 PM
How to observe the rituals (quick guide)
Perform a short puja to Lord Vishnu or Ganesha.
Apply tilak, tie the rakhi, offer sweets, and exchange blessings/gifts.
If a sibling is far away, a video call with a rakhi sent in advance (or tied to a photo/idol) is a heartfelt alternative.
Raksha Bandhan 2025
A short Raksha Bandhan story to warm your heart
“The Last Seat on the 6:10”
Meera had sworn she wouldn’t cry this year. Her new job had taken her to another city, and the Friday before Raksha Bandhan was chaos—presentations, traffic, and a ticket waitlist that refused to budge. By evening, her brother Aarav texted a single line: “6:10 local. Last seat. Just come.”
She made it to the platform breathless, clutching a tiny box with a rakhi she’d chosen months ago. The train lurched; she wove through the crowd to find him—same lopsided grin, same ridiculous backpack. Somewhere between two stations, as the morning sun lit up the compartment, Meera tied the rakhi and dabbed tilak with a cotton swab from her wallet.
Aarav handed her a bar of chocolate wrapped in notebook paper. “Emergency gift,” he joked. The announcement chimed—their stop was next. They stood by the door, and for a quiet minute the world shrank to just the two of them: a promise renewed, a thread tied not just to a wrist, but to every shared memory.
They stepped onto the platform at 7:02 AM—comfortably inside the shubh muhurat—and headed home for hot poori and halwa. Work could wait. Rakhi couldn’t.
When is Rakhi in 2025?
Although Purnima begins the previous afternoon, the recommended time for the ceremony is after sunrise when Bhadra has passed. For 2025, panchang calculations align Rakhi with Saturday, August 9.
Raksha Bandhan