Kullu Dussehra concludes with Lord Raghunath’s chariot procession

The seven-day International Dussehra Festival concluded at Dhalpur ground in Kullu on Tuesday with the chariot of Lord Raghunath, drawing thousands of devotees. After the festival, Lord Raghunath returned to his temple, while hundreds of deities began their journey back to their respective shrines.

The procession began in the afternoon, with devotees pulling Lord Raghunath’s chariot towards Lanka Bekar, where traditional rituals associated with Lanka Dahan were performed. Goddess Hidimba and other deities also participated in the religious proceedings.

The ritual of Ashtang Bali was performed as part of the age-old tradition. Goddess Hidimba’s chariot lead the Lanka Dahan procession, and after the sacrificial ritual, it turned toward her temple. Goddess Hidimba remains at her temporary camp in Dhalpur throughout the seven-day festival and returns to her shrine after the concluding ceremony.

Following the rituals, Lord Raghunath’s chariot returned to the Rath ground. Devotees placed the idols of Lord Raghunath, Goddess Sita, and Lord Hanuman in a palanquin and carried them to the Raghunath Temple amid the beating of traditional drums. Lord Raghunath had remained at his temporary camp in Dhalpur for seven days.

With the festival concluding, hundreds of deities from different parts of Kullu district also began leaving their temporary camps. The deities performed their traditional meetings before departing for their respective temples, marking the end of the annual gathering at Dhalpur. The ground will now remain quiet until the deities assemble again for next year’s Dussehra.

Vinod Thakur, gur of deity Kui Kanda Nag, and Bhage Ram Rana, kardar of deity Kot Bhajhari, said the deities had begun returning to their shrines and would gather again next year.

Devotee Ashwani Mahant said the festival offered a rare opportunity to seek blessings from deities representing different parts of Kullu at one place. A priest participating in the procession said thousands of devotees pulled Lord Raghunath’s chariot and sought his blessings during the concluding ceremony.