The international Dussehra festival in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, is starting today. The week-long Kullu Dussehra will officially begin with the chariot procession of Lord Raghunath. The procession is scheduled to start around 4 PM. Lord Raghunath, the deity of Kullu, will be brought from his temple in Sultanpur to Dhalpur grounds as part of a grand procession. From there, he will be placed on a chariot and taken to his temporary camp, where he will remain for the next seven days.

 

Around 300 deities from distant regions, including Goddess Hadimba, have already arrived in Kullu to participate in the fair. The inauguration ceremony’s chief guest, Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, will take part in the chariot procession at Dhalpur Ground and will also inaugurate the cultural evenings at the Lal Chand Prarthi Kala Kendra by lighting a lamp. Additionally, he will visit various exhibitions organised by different departments at the exhibition grounds. On this occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri will also be present alongside the Governor.

 

During the Kullu Dussehra festival, cultural troupes from 25 countries will present their performances, and various sports competitions will also be held. On the last day of the international Dussehra festival, October 19, the Kullu Carnival will take place, with Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu attending as the chief guest for the closing ceremony.