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Top Reasons Why You Must Visit Kullu Dussehra At Least Once In Your Lifetime!
Kullu Dussehra: Dance of the Deities
The annual Dussehra festival of Kullu in Himachal Pradesh is one of the oldest and most-loved fairs of the country.
It’s perhaps the only Dussehra festival in the country which is celebrated without the good-over-evil triumph symbolism of burning down the effigies of Ravana or the staging of the Ramleelas but still is the most famous, even internationally.
So what is the secret behind the popularity of Kullu Dussehra and why you should also be part of the seven-day festivities at least once in your lifetime? Here is why:
1. To Witness The Dance Of The Deities
Kullu is also known as the ‘valley of the gods’ and if you want to know why it is called so then you must visit Dussehra. You can watch around 300 deities from all over the valley at one place, together, in a surreal godly dance as they meet each other and welcome the Rath procession during the Kullu Dussehra.
The deities come from all corners of the district and some from such far-flung areas that it takes them over a week to reach the Dussehra grounds as devotees carrying the palanquins cover all the distance on foot.
All deities have to come on foot and this rule has not been broken in the last over 350 years. And when all the deities ‘rise’ to welcome the Rath procession of Lord Raghunath (Lord Rama) as it reaches the Dhalpur ground, devotes carrying the palanquins on their shoulders get pulled and pushed in all directions ‘by a godly force’ amidst the divine sounds of dhols and nagaras and chanting. You stand there completely still and just watch in amazement.
Standing there, you can feel the whole mystical energy taking control of you as you become one with the godly dance.
2. To Become Part of The Grand Rath Procession
On the first day of the seven-day Dussehra festival, the procession of the idols of Lord Raghunath, from Sultanpur, where the Raghunath temple is and also the palace to Dhalpur, where Dussehra celebration take place, is a sight not to be missed as a sea of people inch forward with palanquins of deities, amidst the sounds of divine music and chanting.
On reaching the Dhalpur grounds, the statues of lord Rama and Sita are placed in a wooden chariot as the ancient rituals are performed in the presence of hundreds of deities.
3. To Witness The Amazing Festive Rites
Kullu Dussehra is one of the oldest fairs of the country. The festival was started during the reign of king Jagat Singh, who ruled from 1637 to 1672. The Dussehra rituals -– from the first day prayers in the Sultanpur’s Raghunath temple and the Rath procession to the mandatory presence of the Kullu Royalty (now erstwhile) and the rites performed on the last two days of Muhalla (penultimate day) and Lanka Dahan (the last day of Dussehra) –- began at the time of the King Jagat Singh continue to this day.
4. To Be In The Company Of The Royals
Love kings and the queens and all things royal? If yes, then you got to be here. Kullu Dussehra can’t start or be completed without the presence of the family members of the erstwhile royalty of Kullu.
They have been part and parcel of the Dussehra festival rituals right from the beginning. According to a local legend, King Jagat Singh of Kullu had become severely ill after being cursed by a Brahmin and when all medicines and treatment failed he was advised that only the blessings of Lord Rama could help him.
So the King procured the idol of Lord Raghunath from Ayodhya and installed it in Sultanpur, built a temple, and within a short time the condition of the king improved.
The happy king upon full recovery summoned all deities to assemble every year in Kullu to pay obeisance to the Lord Raghunath and participate in the festivities. To this day, the members of the erstwhile Kullu Royal family are part of the Rath procession of Lord Rama and take part in various Dussehra rituals and prayers.
5. To Experience First-Hand The Pahari Culture of Kullu
Dussehra is also the place to get a peek into the vibrant Pahari culture of Kullu including its music, food, language etc. During the seven-day festival, you can watch performances of Nati, the popular local folk dance, listen to the folk songs, eat local delicacies and learn thing or two about the life in a mountain.
