Kullu Dussehra

Dussehra Cards

Each and every festival is celebrated with loads of enthusiasm, zeal and fervor in a culturally diversified country like India. But the aspect that needs to be mentioned is that the traditions of celebrating the festivals are different from one region to another. One such instance is Kullu Dussehra. In India, Dussehra festival is one of the highly celebrated occasions. It is mainly celebrated in the month of October. In the state of Himachal Pradesh, Kullu Dussehra is considered as one of the main celebrations. The celebrations of Kullu Dussehra usually begin on ‘Vijayadashmi’ and continue up to the next seven days. The history of Dussehra celebrations in Kullu dates back to early 17th century and was actually started by King Jagat Singh. Moreover, the grand celebrations of Kullu Dussehra have accorded the position of international festival. It attracts people from several parts of the world.

Kullu Dussehra Celebrations
The celebrations of Dussehra in Kullu are defined with the term grand style. This beautiful region of Himachal Pradesh starts celebrating Dussehra when the Dussehra celebrations end in the rest of the country. The valley becomes even more beautiful and attractive at this season of the celebrations. It looks at its best. The celebrations begin on Vijayadashmi, when the rest of the country celebrates the homecoming of Lord Shri Rama after 14 years of exile. Dussehra signifies the demolition of the triumph of Goddess Durga over demon king Mahishasura and victory of Lord Shri Rama over demon king Ravana. In other regions of the country, this day is celebrated as the day of victory of the good over the evil forces. But, the concept associated with Kullu Dussehra is a bit different from the popular legend of Ramayana.

In Kullu, Dussehra has its own significant background. The popular notion associated with the celebration of this state relates with some kings who ruled over the valley. It originated from some ancient social, economic and cultural factors connected with the royal fads. On the very first day of this auspicious celebration, Lord Raghunathji’s idol is saddled on a chariot, which is pulled by using big ropes. Common belief says that pulling the ropes is considered as sacred. It really takes the form of a huge procession and is known as ‘Rath Yatra’. This procession actually starts the week long religious cultural ceremonies. During this time, people remain busy in shopping, singing and dancing. Several others activities are also organized, which demand active indulgence of the people.

Dussehra at Kullu
Kullu, also known as the valley of Living Gods, transforms completely at the time of Dussehra festival. The main events of Kullu Dussehra includes several performances by renowned artists, temporary stalls by traders offering blankets, woolen shawls, pullan (it is a traditional footwear made from goat hair and other plant fiber) caps and other traditional outfits. In this beautiful valley of Himachal Pradesh, one can witness the amazing traditional crafts at the festive season of Dussehra. Loads of ceremonial festivities and grand huge processions mark the celebrations of Dussehra in Kullu valley of Himachal Pradesh.