Jitiya Vrat Katha (जितिया व्रत कथा)

The story of Jitiya Vrat is related to the incident of the Mahabharat period. According to the legends, Ashwatthama entered the Pandavas' camp in the spirit of avenging the death of his father Guru Dronacharya in the Mahabharat war. Five people were able to sleep inside the camp, Ashwatthama killed them thinking them to be Pandavas, but they were the five children of Draupadi. After that Arjun took Ashwatthama captive and took out his divine gem from his forehead.

Ashwatthama again tried to take revenge by killing the child born in the womb of Abhimanyu's wife Uttara and he destroyed Uttara's womb with Brahmastra. Then Bhagwan Krishna revived the unborn child of Uttara. Because of being alive after death in the womb, then that child is also known as Jivitputrika. From that time, Jitiya's fast was kept for the long life of the child.