The International Kullu Dussehra Festival, the biggest festival of the Devbhoomi (land of the gods), began on Thursday evening at the historic Dhalpur grounds with the grand Rath Yatra of Lord Raghunath. Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla inaugurated the festival and, along with thousands of devotees, witnessed this divine moment. During the Rath Yatra, over a hundred deities arrived at Dhalpur, filling the entire grounds with divine fervor. This year, invitations were extended to a total of 332 deities, and hundreds of them have already taken up residence in their temporary camps.
Tehsildar’s action enraged Devlu
On the very first day of the International Dussehra festival, a major negligence heated up the atmosphere. The Tehsildar arrived at Lord Bhring Rishi’s camp wearing shoes. Seeing this act against Dev tradition, Devlu, who was accompanying the deity, became enraged and immediately threw the Tehsildar out. A brief commotion ensued. This insensitivity to Dev tradition enraged the people. However, the people later removed the Tehsildar from the camp.
Dhalpur Maidan Transformed into Heaven
As Lord Raghunath’s Rath Yatra began, the entire Dhalpur Maidan resounded with divine chants and folk dances. Around 2 p.m., Lord Raghunath departed for Dhalpur from his temple in a palanquin under tight police security. State Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla witnessed this moment and visited Lord Raghunath’s temporary camp to receive his blessings.
On the very first day, Kullu’s Dhalpur Maidan resembled heaven. Devlu, accompanied by their respective deities, arrived in Lord Raghunath’s city, dancing and singing. Sixteen deities traveled 150-200 kilometers from the farthest Ani-Nirmand region, while Mata Hidimba, accompanied by her entire entourage, reached Sultanpur via Ramshila and Bijli Mahadev.
The Seven-Day Festival
This International Dussehra festival, which began today, will continue for the next seven days. This festival, symbolizing the union of the heavens, will conclude after seven days. The festival will conclude on October 7th, with Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu also attending.
The festival is dedicated to disaster victims.
Sunder Singh Thakur, President of the Dussehra Festival Committee, stated that this year the festival’s motto is “From Disaster to Celebration.” In light of the recent natural disaster in the state, many activities have been curtailed, and the savings of crores of rupees will be spent on helping disaster victims.
A 365-Year-Old Tradition
This festival has been celebrated in honor of Lord Raghunath for the past 365 years. This tradition, which began in 1660 AD, continues with the same faith and devotion. This Mahakumbh of the Gods is famous not only in Himachal but throughout the world.
