Kullu Dussehra festival to begin on October 25 amidst COVID scare

Lord Raghunath Rath Yatra, the centuries-old Dussehra tradition that made ancient Kullu popular almost globally, will be reduced to a symbolic ritual this year due to the pandemic. The weeklong Kullu Dussehra will begin on October 25.

Kullu (Himachal Pradesh): The weeklong Kullu Dussehra, which begins on October 25, will miss much of its festive spirits as pandemic triggered lockdown has confined citizens of Himachal Pradesh. Lord Raghunath Rath Yatra- the centuries-old Dussehra tradition has made ancient Kullu popular almost globally.

The most noticeable change proposed in the Dussehra celebrations will be seen in Lord Raghunath’s fascinating Rath Yatra, which used be to pulled by thousands of enthusiastic devotees at Kullu's famous Dhalpur Maidan.

This year, the number of persons pulling the chariot has been fixed at 100. The Dussehra Festival Committee has also ordered that none of these 100 chariot pullers can enter the historic Dussehra ground without a mandatory COVID-19 test.

Earlier, in the meeting of the Dussehra Festival Committee, it was agreed to bring the mark of the gods. On Wednesday, the heads of the committee held a meeting with the Deputy Commissioner and decided the schedule for the upcoming Dussehra.

"There has been an agreement on the chariot of seven deities in the Dussehra festival. Now there will be a meeting with Harianas. It has also been said to test the coronavirus of those who attend Dussehra. The final decision will be taken by the chairman of the Dussehra Festival Committee," a member of the Dussehra Festival Committee said.

"We are seeing a spread. When such a mob of devotes assemble it becomes tough to enforce the guidelines strictly. I hope the traditions are maintained with minimum presence of the people who are really required to carry out those rituals, resolving to maintain social distancing," he said.

The Kullu administration has also decided to cancel cultural evenings, trade fairs and other exhibitions–cum-sales that were an integral part of the festival, with locals going on a festive shopping spree and tourists, including foreigners, becoming an active part of the celebrations.