We travel to Kullu (11.30 am)
Today was a big day, the first day of the Kullu Dussehra festival, and we had decided to go down to the festival grounds and attend for a few hours. Today was the day all the deities from all over Kullu district would check in there (more than 300 deities), and pay their obesience to Raghunathji, the primary resident deity.
We had decided to live simply and go by bus. Today no buses were allowed to enter Kullu proper but were terminated near the fair grounds at Dhalpur, which was okay by us. We waited by the roadside from 11.30, but the bus came one hour later, and that too, jampacked. We squeezed in anyhow.
It was after ages that I was riding in a bus, even longer travelling standing, and perhaps never on a twisty mountain road. It was an ordeal I tell you. People simply kept boarding since no one was getting off before Dhalpur today. Finally, after 25 mins of this, less than half way through, I simply decided to get down. Panna scrambled down behind me. Middle of nowhere. Three kilometres to go to the grounds and no auto in sight.
So we started walking. With around a kilometer remaining to reach our target, traffic had practically stopped, and we overtook the bus we had jumped out of. Along the same route the deity processions were travelling with full pomp and vigor, and traffic was constrained to travel behind them. The air was really festive. For some periods, we walked along with the musicians, half-deafended by the bugles and drums, and at other times on our own. As the processions passed, people came out of their buildings and shops and did namaskarams to the deities.
Accommodating the deities (2.00 pm)
The flow was pretty well regulated by the Kullu police and although the traffic was halted at intervals, there was never a total traffic jam.
As we reached the fairground gates, we diverted left to the 'deity grounds'. This was an open field where tents had been set up for arriving deities and their troupes. If it was a large deity, it got a set of three tents - one for the deity, one for the musicians and one for the accompanying villagers. If it was a smaller deity, it will probably get a combo tent. The tents were already marked out as per earlier registrations and there was no confusion about where each tent was. Panna was happy to locate Hanumanji's tent. We also found a pretty large Kali tent.
Lunch at Himalayan Haveli cafe (2.30 pm)
We walked through the Mall road, trying to find out from where Raghunathji's procession would start and when. The projected timing seemed to vary from 3.00-4.00 pm and the start point was somewhere near Atal Bhavan grounds, the central square of Kullu town. Astha, our resort owner, had suggested we take lunch at Brothers cafe (which turned out to have changed to Himalayan Haveli Cafe), from where a good view of the start of the procession would be visible. However, since we had a little time, we wandered the streets, looking at the cafes and food stalls on Mall Road, and finally walking down College Road, fully decorated and lined with stalls selling stuff from clothing to woollens to knick knacks, till we located Himalayan Haveli Cafe.
We climbed to the terrace which promised a good view but were dismayed to learn that all tables there were pre-booked. Disappointed, we had lunch in the cafe at the floor below, a frugal meal of pizza and shakes. The owner however, promised to call us up once the proceedings started, which was all to the good.
Raghunathji moves it (5.15 pm)
At around 3.15 pm, the waitress told us "Go up!" Panna went up pronto, while I followed after 10 mins, having done proper justice to the pizza. Panna HAD found a strategically good position, with the grounds, where Raghunathji was currently parked, fully visible. However, from 3.00 to 5.00 pm, deity after deity marched into the grounds, stood in front of Raghunathji and bowed. Basically the palenquin bearers rocked the deity from side to side, as if bobbing their heads. With more than 300 deities around, this would take a bit of time, naturally. Panna stood watching the whole time, though I took breathers lounging around in the now empty sofas. The cafe upstairs had become a multi level viewing gallery, with a standing-row, people standing-on-seats-row, and people standing-on-tables-row. I am sure their furniture depreciation would be pretty high. As it is, the management was having a hard time turning away non-paying rubber-neckers.
By 5.00 pm, the ground was chock full with more than a lakh people. Not an empty square foot was visible. Actually the deities and their retinue, after genuflecting to Raghunathji, kept romping around the grounds, gradually adding to the density, till it seemed to be a heaving continuous mass. Apparently there is a bit of play there as well, after all the deities had entered, like Sita being abducted, Ravan jumping around and so on. Somehow Devi Hirimba also arrives from Manali! However, the typical Dussehra Ravan burning is not there.
Greeting Raghunathji being over, the deities leave the grounds sequentially and Raghunathji's chariot moves majestically after them, the destination being a resting place around 500m away. After that, the deities dance their way back to their own tents. The next few days, the deities will be going around, greeting each other. On the sixth day, all male deities leave, while female deities stay back for a final day of gossip. Sacrifices of goat etc also happen, and by the end of the seventh day, all deities move back to their villages, leaving Kullu quiet for another year. In these seven days, Kullu sees an inflow of 4-5 lakh visitors.
Auto return works for us (6.00 pm)
We thought we will quickly walk back to the bus stand and get going before the crowd started departing en masse. High hopes. What with the deities still leading Raghunathji here and there, and people generally milling about, the roads were still packed like sardines, and we just decided to sit somewhere by the roadside till the crowd lost some of the energy.
Speaking of energy, that of the groups arriving from the villages are really to be commended. They would have already walked for 8-10 hours, sometimes overnight, had perhaps rested for a couple of hours, then they were dancing before Raghunathji for two hours, then they escorted Raghunathji to his next camp, and probably returned to their own tents by 6.00 pm. Terrific strength and reserves of energy, all these villagers have. And their treatment of their devatas like human beings who wanted to meet their friends, and go a long distance to bob their heads at a bigger god, is very very cute.
Anyway, our own energy was by now running on reserve. We reached the bus stand, located a bus going to Pahnalla, but there was no seating space. Not again! We did not want to withstand another standing journey, and went auto-hunting. Difficult to find a totally empty auto. We were about to give up and return to the bus stand again when an auto agreed to go where we wanted. A bit steep in fare, but aaahhh! To be able to sit peacefully and travel. And it was a lovely journey - dark roads through the mountains, the Mohal township twinkling on the opposite hill, the auto driver talking of decoits who used to infest these roads 20 years ago. However, he dropped us safely at 6.50 pm, in spite of Panna scowling away at the driver's choice of anecdotes.
It had been a worthwhile visit, this first day of the Kullu Dussehra festival. We packed our suitcases to the extent we could. Our car is expected tomorrow morning at 8.00 am, to take us to Delhi.
Thus ended our 21-day slow travel in the valleys of Kullu. If you have been following the blog, thanks. Hope you enjoyed travelling with us.
Photo credits: Panna Rashmi Ray
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