Here is your paragraph on Rakhi Purnima:

This festival is celebrated on the full moon day (Rakhi Purnima) of the Hindu month Shravan (July-August).

On this auspicious day, the deity Varuna is worshipped. Fairs are held on the seashore or river banks to which people gather in large number to have ceremonial bath and offerings to the sea god ‘Varuna’.

The Jhigher caste renew their sacred threads on this day. This day is also called the ‘Narali’ (coconut-full moon) offerings. The devotees throws coconuts into the sea as offerings which in turn are picked up by the labourers who hawk them and eventually ply a vigorous trade.

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Solono is a festival performed in honour of the good geni when Durvasa, the sage, instructed Salone (the genius or nymph presiding over the month of Sravana) to bind on Rakhis, or bracelets, as charms to overt evil. The occasion is also known as Rishi Tarpani ‘the day on which to please the gods’.

Twenty-five km from the Poonch town is situated an ancient temple of Lord Shiva on the left bank of Pulstya stream. The area, which is two km above Mandi village, is known as Rajpura Mandi. This is a unique Shiva Temple because it is located on the foothill and not on the hilltop and secondly the Shivling of white stone is not self made.

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The stream which flows nearby is called Loran stream but it is believed by the local people that Ravana’s grandfather Pulastya Rishi performed his tapasya and thus is known as Pulastya stream. Thousands of people visit on Raksha Bandhan day. Before Partition, many people used to visit this shrine from areas now in Pakistan.

Rakhi Purnima is a special full-moon day and is observed as Raksha Bandhan Day when sisters tie the protective thread around their brother’s wrists. It is often linked with the thread that Draupadi had tied around Sri Krishna’s wrist as narrated in the great epic ‘Mahabharata’. For all castes, the full-moon of Shravana is anticipated for its more popular custom ‘Raksha Bandhana’.

For over a week before hand the Rakhis (Armlets) some elaborately decorated with tinsel and or­naments, are for sale in the markets and if one’s protector is far away, the rakhis are sent by mail. Celebrated mainly in northern and western India, on Raksha Bandhan day colourful stalls spring up everywhere. Most striking feature of this festival is the tying of armlets made of ‘silk-thread, silver wire, gold wire, corals, pearls, jewels or gold beads according to means’ on the wrists of men by their sisters.

Even women who wish to honour strangers and recognize them as their brothers also tie amulets on the wrists of such persons. Colonel Cod claims, he was once thus honoured by a Rajput Princess. Legend tells us that in the day when Indra, the mythical king of the heavens, warred with demons, his consort tied a Rakhi or a silken amulet, around his wrist. This, it is believed, helped him win his celestial abode.

According to Rajput usage, by dispatching or presenting an amulet, a Rajput maiden conferred, on any one whom she so adorned with it, the title and respect of an adopted brother. It such a gesture of affection was recognized, it entitled her to all the protection of what has been called “a cavalier servente” and no scandal was attached to it. Humayun received such a rakhi from queen Karnavati of Chittor when her kingdom was invaded and leaving aside his conquests in Bengal, he rushed to her rescue and drove away her foes. Akbar and Jahangir also followed this practice, which had been introduced into the Mughul court by Hindu ladies.

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