KULLU
Invitation letters have been sent to 332 deities by the Dussehra Committee for the International Kullu Dussehra Festival. The administration has started the necessary preparations for the International Kullu Dussehra Festival, which will run from 2 to 8 October. Many deities come to the festival even without invitation; the administration will welcome them too, and they will be given a place to sit. DC and Vice President of the International Kullu Dussehra Festival Committee Toru S. Ravish said that the International Kullu Dussehra Festival is famous in the world for the gathering of deities. This festival is linked to the faith and traditions of the people. For the Dussehra festival, the invitation committee has sent invitation letters to the deities of Kullu, Manali, Sainj and Banjar regions, along with the deities of remote areas like Ani and Nirmand.
The DC said that the deities of various valleys of district Kullu participate in the Dussehra festival. Invitation letters are sent by the Dussehra Committee to the deities of the temples registered in the revenue records of Kullu district. These invitation letters are sent through the Tehsildar. The Dussehra Committee makes arrangements for the accommodation, electricity, water, and security of the invited deities and also offers Nazarana as per the rules set by the government. Tents have already been made available to them for staying.
Last year 315 deities participated in the festival
The DC said that last year 315 deities participated in the Dussehra festival. This time more deities are expected to participate than last year. The deities coming for Dussehra will stay in temporary camps at Dhalpur ground and nearby identified places. During the 7-day Dussehra festival, Lord Raghunath will also stay in a temporary camp in Dhalpur and bless the devotees.
On the other hand, Mangaleshwar Mahadev’s Kardar Nanak Chand Negi and former BDC member Om Prakash said that the Hariyan area of Mangaleshwar Mahadev is very large. The Hariyan region of the deity includes many villages including Chhenur, Chauhki, Kanha, Kot, Jachni, Seund, Fagu, Paniseri, Sharan and Chakringa. The deity receives a tribute of about 25 thousand rupees. He said that many deities belong to only one village or one family and they receive a much higher tribute than this. This type of discrepancy should be removed and the deity from a larger Hariyan region should receive a reasonable tribute amount.
