Religious
Kullu Dussehra
When it happens
Begins on Vijayadashami — the day Dussehra ends elsewhere in India — and runs for seven days. The date is fixed by the Hindu lunar calendar (month of Ashvin) and shifts each year, usually falling in the first half of October.
Kullu Dussehra is unlike Dussehra anywhere else in the country. Rather than burning effigies of Ravana, the valley brings its gods to town. More than two hundred devtas and devis are carried in decorated palanquins from their home villages to the Dhalpur maidan, some walking for two or three days over the ridges to get there.
The festival opens when the chariot of Raghunath ji — the presiding deity of Kullu since the 17th century — is pulled across the ground by hundreds of people. For the next week the maidan becomes a fairground of deity tents, folk-dance troupes, a large trade bazaar and nightly cultural performances. It closes with the 'Lanka dahan' on the bank of the Beas and the chariot being pulled back.
The event was recognised as an international festival by the state in 2017 and now draws performers and craft stalls from across India and abroad, but its core is still the older ritual of the gods paying their respects to Raghunath ji.
Why it matters
The festival dates to 1660, when Raja Jagat Singh installed an idol of Raghunath ji (Rama) at Kullu to atone for a wrong and made him the state deity. The assembly of local devtas around Raghunath ji each year re-enacts that submission and is central to the valley's devta system of village governance.
What to expect
Hundreds of palanquin-borne deities with their musicians, the opening and closing chariot processions, folk dancing (nati) on the maidan, a week-long bazaar, and large, dense crowds. Book accommodation in Kullu or Manali well ahead; roads and parking around Dhalpur are heavily congested during the week.
Places nearby
Lunar dates shift every year and local programmes change — confirm the current year's dates with Himachal Pradesh Tourism or the district administration before you book travel.