Raksha Bandhan celebrated with traditional fervour in Jammu and Kashmir

JAMMU: The festival of Rakhsha Bandhan was today celebrated with traditional fervor with one of the attractions being the school girls tying 'rakhi' to the soldiers of the Border Security Force deployed on the International Border.

"Many school girls and other women visited several border posts along the International Border and tied the rakhi to the BSF jawans deployed on the border there", a BSF official said.

He said that they also distributed sweets and exchanged good wishes with the BSF soldiers.

Many social organisations from across the country had also sent large number of rakhis for the army jawans and officers who are serving the country on the Line of Control and the hinterland in Jammu and Kashmir.

"We have received large number of rakhis to be distributed amongst our soldiers who are deployed along the line of control (LoC) and the hinterland in the state", a defence spokesman said.

Meanwhile the festival in Jammu was marked with traditional fervour with sisters tying rakhis to their brothers' wrists and in return taking gifts from them.

"The auspicious time to start tying rakhis in Jammu started after 2 PM so the sisters had to wait till 2 PM to tie the sacred threat to their brothers", Pandit Anup Kumar a local priest said.

People were also seen flying kites to mark the festival.