While Dasehra celebrations across India mark the victory of good over evil with the burning of Ravana’s effigy, Kullu begins its festivities when celebrations elsewhere draw to a close.
This seven-day Kullu Dasehra, which begins on Wednesday on Vijayadashami, transfroms the Himachal Pradesh valley into a spiritual gathering known as the ‘Dev Mahakumbh’, captivating devotees and tourists alike for centuries.
More than 300 deities from different parts of the district converge at Dhalpur ground for rituals and processions centred on Lord Raghunath, the presiding deity of the festival. The celebrations are accompanied by a trade fair that continues for an entire month, drawing visitors from far and wide.
The festival dates back to the reign of King Jagat Singh, who ruled Kullu from 1637 to 1662. Its origin is steeped in a legend of divine intervention and the royal redemption.
According to legend, the king sought pearls from a Brahmin named Durgadutt. Unable to fulfil the demand and fearing the king’s wrath, the Brahmin set himself ablaze. The king subsequently fell ill due to the curse resulting from the Brahmin’s death.
The king’s spiritual mentor, Taranath, advised him to seek the counsel from sage Krishandas Pathhari. The sage prescribed a remedy: the installation of idols of Lord Rama and Sita from the Tretanath temple in Ayodhya. The idols were believed to have been crafted during the Treta Yuga, the era associated with Lord Rama.
The task was entrusted to Damodar Das, a disciple of the sage. Damodar went to Ayodhya and served the priests at the temple for a yearbefore fleeing with the thumb-sized idols. He was nabbed by the priests in Haridwar, but they could not lift the idols, while Damodar was able to do so easily. They eventually accepted this as a will of God that the idols were destined to go to Kullu.
Some sevadars accompanied the deity, and the Mahant community is believed to be descended from them.
The idols first arrived in Manikaran, where they remained for a decade. A Ram temple was established there during this period. The legend holds that King Jagat washed the feet of Lord Raghunath’s idol and drank the water, after which he was miraculously cured of his illness.
In an act of devotion, the king then handed his kingdom to Lord Raghunath and assumed the role of ‘Chharibardar’, or chief caretaker of the deity. The tradition continues to this day.
The Raghunath temple was established in Sultanpur, also known as Raghunathpur, in Kullu town in 1660, where the idols were finally installed.
The king invited deities from across the valley to celebrate Dasehra and acknowledge Lord Raghunath as their chief deity. The festival has been celebrated annually since then, with a few exceptions.
A significant change in the festival rituals occurred in 2014, when the Himachal Pradesh High Court banned animal sacrifices at religious congregations.
Earlier, the concluding Lanka Bekar ritual involved the sacrifice of a male buffalo, lamb, cock, crab and fish to appease Goddess Kali. The five offerings symbolised vanquishing the five evils: ‘krodha’ (anger), ‘madh’ (intoxication), ‘kama’ (lust), ‘moha’ (attachment) and ‘lobha’ (greed). Coconuts and other symbolic items have since replaced animal sacrifices.
The festival’s administration has also evolved. The district administration now oversees its commercial and administrative aspects, including the trade fair and cultural activities that were previously organised by the Kullu Municipal Council. Cultural troupes from various countries now contribute to the cultural extravaganza.
Maheshwar Singh, scion of the erstwhile royal family and a former MP, serves as the ‘Chharibardar’ of Lord Raghunath, carrying forward the legacy of his ancestors. Thousands of devotees gather to witness the deities being carried in palanquins, the grand Rath procession and the symbolic Lanka Dahan ceremony.
Kullu’s Dasehra represents more than just a festival. It is a living tradition that bridges the ancient and the modern, the spiritual and the cultural.
While the outlook of many activities has changed over the years, the core traditions persist. The festival stands as a testament to the enduring faith of the people of Kullu, their reverence for Lord Raghunath and their commitment to preserving a heritage that has survived centuries of change.
As the festival continues to evolve, embracing international participation and adapting to modern sensibilities while preserving its sacred essence, Kullu Dasehra remains a unique celebration that distinguishes itself from the rest of India as a celebration where the burning of effigies is replaced by the divine convergence of gods, where the end of one tradition marks the beginning of another and where faith transforms a valley into a sacred landscape of timeless devotion.
