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AS the Dasehra festival — symbolising the victory of the good over the evil — comes to a close with the burning of the effigies of Ravana , Kumbhkarana and Meghnath elsewhere in the country, the chariot of Lord Raghunath rolls down the sprawling Dhalpur Maidan in the valley of the gods, setting off the grand spectacle of Kulu Dasehra. Rooted deep in religious traditions, it is a unique festival in which both the gods and the devout participate with equal enthusiasm. With no Ram Lila to perform, no effigies of demons to burn and "Lanka Dehan" of a different kind, there is little in common with Dasehra as celebrated across the country. The most important feature of the festival is the presence of the 300-odd village gods who assemble at the venue to pay obeisance and seek the blessings of Lord Raghunath, the presiding deity of the valley. In fact, this annual Maha Kumbh of devis and devtas has helped the over 350-year-old festival, which has undergone a sea change in recent years, to retain its traditional character to an extent. With rituals like animal sacrifice to placate the gods on the one side, and a cultural fest featuring international folk dancers and Bollywood performers on the other, the festival in its present form presents a queer blend of tradition and modernity. However, it is no longer the trade fair of yesteryear. The barter system under which native hill people exchanged traditional items like pashmina wool, kala zira, medicinal plants and dry fruits for salt, tea leaves, jaggery and other necessities, is no longer in vogue. The fair nowadays is flooded with all sorts of modern goods like readymade wears, shoes, furniture, utensils, television sets, refrigerators and other gadgets by traders from Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan. While the week-long celebrations, commencing from the 10th tithi (day) of Ashwin (which falls on October 4 this year) as per the lunar calendar, revolve around Lord Raghunath, Goddess Hadimba, the demon wife of Bhim, has a special significance. As the patron-deity of the royal family of Kulu, the celebrations cannot be started without her blessings. The goddess is brought all the way from her abode in Manali to Dhalpur for the occasion. The tastefully decorated chariot, the colourful palanquins carrying the village deities, the gorgeous costumes of folk dancers and the traditional musical instruments like narsinha, shahnai, karnal and nagaras add to the gaiety during the rath yatra of Lord Raghunath. The massive wooden chariot is pulled by devotees with ropes until it reaches the designated slot on the ground. The air reverberates with the music of the gods, lending a mystic aura to the venue, which is converted into a temporary abode of the lord. The deities are also provided space at the venue. It was in 1651 that the then ruler of the valley, Raja Jagat Singh, installed the idol of Lord Raghunath from Ayodhya on the advice of a seer to get rid of the curse inflicted on him for cruelty to a peasant that resulted in leprosy. After he was cured, he devoted his life and kingdom to the lord, and Dasehra is being celebrated since then with the Raja inviting all the 365 gods and goddesses of the valley to Dhalpur to perform a yajna in honour of Lord Raghunath. The idols of Rama, Sita and Hanuman brought from Ayodhya are worshipped for five days at the camp temple at Dhalpur Maidan, and a host of rituals and ceremonies are performed. But the last two days are the most important. The ceremony on the penultimate day is locally called Mohalla, during which all the participating devis and devtas make it a point register their presence and support to Lord Rama for the next day’s final battle against the demon king Ravana. The descendant of Raja Jagat Singh, Maheshwar Singh, takes the blessings of Shakti after performing Durga Pooja at the camp temple at Dhalpur Maidan in the final preparations to conquer Ravana. On the final day, symbolic "Lanka Dehan" is performed by setting aflame a pile of straw and wood on the banks of the Beas. Thereafter, five different animals — a buffalo, a sheep, a cock, a crab and fish, symbolising the five evils of kama, krodha, madh, lobha and moha — are sacrificed by the head representatives of the erstwhile rulers. With all the rituals over, Goddess Hadimba returns to her abode and Lord Raghunath also returns. The local deities also leave Dhalpur for their respective villages. The cultural fest ends with the conclusion of an international folk dance festival in the evening. The event is celebrated on a grand scale. This year Rs 2.5 crore would be spent on it. According to Deputy Commissioner and chairman of the festival organising committee BM Nanta, 290 deities have been formally invited and, besides cultural troupes from Russia, Brazil and Syria, about a dozen groups of folk dancers from various states will participate in the festival.
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