7-day Kullu Dasehra festival from Oct 5.

• Education and Art, Language and Culture Minister Govind Singh Thakur said that the seven-day-long international Kullu Dussehra festival will commence from October 5.
• While presiding over a meeting convened for the organization of the festival, he said that for the last two years, Dussehra festival could be celebrated only symbolically due to Covid, but this time Dussehra will be celebrated on a large scale.
• The festival this year would be linked to “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav”. He asked the district administration to constitute separate committees. He said that the festival souvenir would be published in a new format as it was the pride of the festival and helped preserve the memories of the event. He added that articles of budding writers and historians would be included in the souvenir.
• The leader said that cultural evenings would be organized in the open-air auditorium Kala Kendra.
• He directed communication through the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and Embassies to invite international level artistes for the festival. He said that it was the responsibility of the festival committee to provide opportunities to local artistes in the festival. The artistes should be selected only through auditions.
• Kullu Dussehra is celebrated for seven days after Vijaya Dashami and the speciality of the Kullu Dussehra is the chariot procession of Lord Raghunath.
• The center of festivities of the Kullu Dussehra is the Dhalpur Maidan in Kullu.

HISTORY

• The history of this carnival dates back to the 17th century when the local king, Jagat Singh, installed an idol of Lord Raghunath on his throne on the advice of a Brahmin in order to eradicate his curse, after taking it from Lord Rama’s kingdom, Ayodhya.
• After this, Lord Raghunath was declared as the ruling deity of the valley. According to traditions, a huge statue of the deity is now installed on a beautifully designed chariot, on the first day of the festival, in the presence of other village gods and goddesses.
• The devotees after offering their prayers and respects to the deity take him to different sites across the Dhalpur Maidan.