Why not take a drive to Kullu in Himachal Pradesh if you are flying to Delhi during Dussehra? Kullu, one of the Himalayan valleys in Himachal Pradesh, is a good escape to nature. The reason of recommending a drive to Kullu once Dussehra is over in Delhi and other parts of India is the Kullu Dussehra Festival. It is the best opportunity to experience divinity, festivity and natural beauty in the Himalayan region. We at IndianEagle take a walk through how Kullu Valley celebrates Dussehra. 

Dussehra in Kullu is one of the major festivals in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The Himalayan hues of Himachal Pradesh look brighter during the colorful and cheerful celebration. When the Dussehra festivity comes to an end with the burning of effigies of Ravana all over the country, Kullu calls for celebrations.

Dussehra in Kullu, the valley of living gods, begins with a spectacular procession of Lord Raghunathji, the presiding deity of the region. The sprawling Dhalpur Maidan is transformed into a temporary residence of Lord Raghunathji during week-long celebrations. Once in a year, the idol is ceremoniously brought from Sultanpur temple in the palace of the king of Kullu to the ground on Dussehra.

The idol of Lord Raghunathji is carried on an ornate chariot with ropes which are pulled by devotees out of the faith that it will bless them with health and prosperity. Goddess Hadimba from Manali also joins the procession as it is a significant part of the celebration. When the chariot of Lord Raghunathji reaches the Beas River, fire is set to a heap of wood grass. This ceremonious fire marks the burning of Lanka after “Lanka Dahan”, a significant part of the Ramayana.

It is followed by a ritual of sacrificing five animals. Once the sacrifice ceremony is over, Lord Raghunathji and Goddess Hadimba are brought back to their respective abodes. The procession is a grand show of the locals’ faith in divinity and zest for festivity. The procession comes to an end with an array of cultural performances in the evening. The entire valley soaks in merriment over cultural programs including folk dances. Various shows are staged at an open-air theatre for entertainment of art connoisseurs among the visitors.

About 20 idols of the gods and goddesses from different parts of the valley join the procession adding to the gala. The only celebration that the Dussehra procession in Kullu can be compared to is Rath Yatra, a grand Chariot Festival in Odisha. The celebration in Kullu begins on Dussehra and continues for a week. During the week-long celebration, the idols are bathed, decorated, and worshiped.

The air of Kullu Valley brims with cultural enthusiasm and divine enchantment during the Dussehra festival. Even nature rejoices in the festivity. Folk music and dance performances are held to entertain the visitors in fairs under the open sky. The handicraft lovers can shop for traditional artwork of Himachal Pradesh in the fairs.

The procession of Lord Raghunathji, the cultural fairs, the folk dance performance by Gaddi shepherds, and Ram Lila, dramatic enactment of Lord Rama’s life are among the must-see attractions of Dussehra in Kullu. Though it does not match the grandeur of Navratri in Gujarat, Ram Lila in Delhi, Durga Puja in Bengal, and Dussehra in Mysore, it evokes the blessings of gods and goddesses in the Himalayas.

Also Read Exclusive Stories of Indian Festivals

The post Dussehra Begins in Kullu valley of Himachal Pradesh after It Comes to an End in the Rest of India appeared first on Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips.

Like Dussehra, Sharad Purnima or Full-moon festival is observed in different ways, in different parts of India. It falls on the fifth day following Dussehra. Goddess Lakshmi presides over the festivity in some parts of the country, while Lord Krishna is worshipped in some other parts. Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth and prosperity, and Krishna symbolizes eternal love. According to their traditional culture and beliefs, the regional communities of India celebrate Sharad Purnima in different ways, unique to their identity.

Once Bengalis are blessed with peace due to divine victory over the evil during Durga Puja, they get busy preparing for the worship of Goddess Lakshmi in order to be blessed with prosperity on the full-moon night. This full-moon night which is known as Sharad Purnima all over the country is called Kojagori Purnima in West Bengal. Bengalis reverently call Goddess Lakshmi as Ma Lokkhi. The ritual of decorating the floor with alpana from the entrance to the interior is performed in every house.

Most of the households in Bengal worship Ma Lokkhi by offering flowers, homemade sweets and devotion to the idol of the Goddess sitting on a lotus. Among the homemade sweets, narkel nadu is a special offering to Ma Lokkhi. This festive dessert is made from fine gratings of coconut kernel, mixed with sugar, milk, ghee and dry fruits. Special porridge (called khichuri in Bengali language) is cooked in the kitchens of Bengali households, on the Kojagori Purnima evening.

In India, the state of Odisha or Orissa celebrates Sharad Purnima in two different ways. Some communities worship the Sun and the Moon on this occasion, while Goddess Lakshmi is worshiped on this pious day in some other communities. In Odisha, Sharad Purnima is also known as Kumar Purnima in honor of Kartikeya, the God of war in the Hindu mythology of India. Kartikeya, son of Lord Shiva, is the handsomest god who is worshipped by young girls in hope of getting handsome husbands.

After a holy bath in the morning, the girls cook several various food items to offer to the Sun Gold and adorn their necks with fresh garlands during worship. They keep fasting for the day. They break the day-long fast once the worship of the moon in the evening is over. They sing, dance and play a special game, Puchi, to rejoice in the festivity. The people of Odisha also observe Sharad Purnima as the birthday of Lakshmi. They play dice and some other indoor games to keep awake the whole night.

In north India, Sharad Purnima is popularly known as Raas Purnima. In the Hindu Mythology, there is a story of Raas Purnima from the life of Lord Krishna. According to the story, it is believed that during his human incarnation on earth, Lord Krishna used to play raas (a traditional folk dance) with Gopis, his female admirers in Vrindavan. It was the night of Sharad Purnima when he played maha raas with his beloved Radha and Gopis on the bank of Yamuna River. In different parts of north India, young boys and girls enact Raas Leela on the festive evening.

Do share with India Eagle how you celebrate Sharad Purnima in the USA and Canada. IndianEagle.com, a reliable travel partner of NRIs, offers lowest airfare to India.

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The harmony of different cultures and customs in the social fabric of India is best experienced during Navratri and Dussehra celebrations that take place in every state. The entire country, from Delhi to Mysore and from Gujarat to Bengal, wears a celebratory look and exudes elegant ethnicity. Some states celebrate Durga’s victory over the buffalo demon Mahishasur, while Lord Rama’s triumph over Ravana the King of demons is celebrated in some states. However, victory of the good over the evil is the common purpose of celebrations all over the country. Whichever part of India you visit during the festival, you will find smiling faces, happy minds and devoted souls in common though the way of the festivity is different in different states. Indian Eagle holds a mirror to the different ways of Navratri and Dussehra celebration in 7 best places of India:

Delhi

Delhi observes the Dussehra festival in celebration of Ram’s victory and Ravana’s defeat. The temples of Lord Ram are decorated with flowers and lit with lamps, in every nook and corner of the capital. Religious music and recital of the Ramayana fill the atmosphere. Ram Leela is the main cultural event, held on the festive evenings in the city. The burning of the effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakaran and Meghnad on the last day of the festival is the mainstay of Dussehra celebration in Delhi. This ceremony is followed by an amazing firework.

Gujarat

Experience the festive best of India in Gujarat for nine days of the Navratri festival. Ahmedabad, Surat, Baroda, Gandhinagar and other cities in Gujarat come alive with gusto for celebration through music, dance and food. Gujaratis stick to their age-old culture on nine days of the festivity, no matter how modern they are in the 21st century. Women in lehenga cholis and men in traditional kedias look their best on festive evenings when they gather to perform Garba and Dandiya Rasa, the most popular folk dances of Gujarat. The cultural celebration centers on the worship of Ma Amba, another name of Goddess Shakti. Visit Gujarat to overwhelm your senses with the riot of colors in every nook and corner, during Navratri.

Chhattisgarh

Let’s penetrate into Chhattisgarh and see how the tribal folks of Bastar celebrate the festival. Surprisingly, the celebration spans over as many as 75 days here. Unlike the celebration of Ram’s triumph over Ravana in north India, the natives of Bastar worship Devi Maoli, a local goddess, and her sisters during Navratri . Hundreds of priests join the grand procession which is organized to bring the local deities to the Danteshwari Temple in Jagdalpur. The main attraction of the holy procession is a double-decker chariot or rath. The tribal folks make the 2-ton heavy chariot using traditional tools. The path of the procession between Bastar and Jagdalpur is lit with one thousand lamps by the tourism department of Chhattisgarh.

Varanasi

Navratri brings Varanasi alive with an aura of festivity and spirituality in the blend. For ten days from the beginning of the festival till Dussehra, the city remains a favorite haunt of holy seers and devotees. Ram Leela is an attraction of Navratri celebration in Varanasi. Ram Leela is a dance drama which is performed to enact the lives of Ram, Sita and Lakshman in exile, on a makeshift stage. Though the entire city becomes a Ram Leela ground during Navratri, Ramnagar at a distance of 15 km from the city is famous for this event. The recital of Ramcharitamanas on nine days of the festival is considered a virtue. Devotees hear the recital with single-minded devotion. The way Dussehra is celebrated in Varanasi carries off the bell. The episode of Ram’s reunion with Bharat on return to Ayodhya after his victory over Ravana is commemorated in the Bharat Milaap event on the next day of Dussehra.

Himachal Pradesh

Navratri is not as fabulous a festival as Dussehra is in Himachal Pradesh. Kullu Valley is the epicenter of the celebration for 7 days following Dussehra. In Kullu, the festivity centers on the worship of Lord Raghunath on the fairground of Dhalpur Maidan. The idols of local gods and goddesses are brought to the fairground through a holy procession. The entire valley overflows with the joys of festivity for a week. The celebration comes to an end when a heap of wood and grass is set to fire on the bank of the Beas River, the last day. It symbolizes the burning of Lanka, an event in the Ramayana. However, the worship of Lord Raghunath on Dussehra dates back to the 17th century.

Karnataka

If you are flying to Karnataka this Navratri , you stand a good chance to experience the 400-year-old Dussehra festivity in Mysore. The festival is locally known as Dasara in the city. Mysore springs into activity over the celebration for ten days. The illumination of Mysore Palace with as many as 100,000 lights on the occasion of Dussehra is a rare visual treat that no other city offers. Moreover, catching the procession of richly embellished elephants on the decorated streets of Mysore is an experience of the city’s royalty and ethnic culture. The celebration in this princely city of Karnataka is a roller-coaster ride of gastronomic joy too.

West Bengal

As Goddess Shakti is worshipped as Durga in West Bengal, Navratri festival is known as Durga Puja in this state of India. A brand identity of Bengal, Durga Puja is a 5-day long cultural extravaganza. The capital city Kolkata is the hotbed of festivity. The cityscape is dotted with hundreds of different theme based pandals where the life-size idols of Durga and other family members are worshiped for 5 days. The city skyline is lit with beautiful lightings from twilight till wee hours. Kolkata does not sleep for 5 days as the people begin to hop around pandals in the evening and continue throughout the night. Though the festival ends with the immersion of idols on Maha Dashami, the celebration continues over the ceremony of exchanging warm greetings with near and dear ones, and the sweetening of mouths with bites of Rasogolla.

IndianEagle.com offers the cheapest flight for your trip to the cities of India where Navratri and Dussehra festivals are a must experience.

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Those who are flying to New Delhi, the capital of India, for Dussehra celebration are being awaited a high time over the upcoming travel film, photography and shopping festival at Dilli Haat, in the next month. The festival has touched international heights in terms of popularity though it is national to the core. Scheduled to be held from October 11 to 13 this year, Travelista, the Dilli Haat festival on the last few days of Navaratri celebration is like a cherry on the cake.

The Travelista travel film, photography and shopping festival has come alive as a confluence of art, culture, entertainment, history, food, fashion and shopping for travelers from across the globe. Travelista leads in global travel filmmaking, travel photography and travel journalism with a view to make traveling a fulfilling and life-enriching experience for everyone across geographies. Dussehra special Dilli Haat Festival is one of the most recent initiatives by Travelista to showcase the culinary, handicraft and shopping culture of India on a global platform.

Unlike the religious festivals of India, the upcoming Travelista festival at Dilli Haat is a cultural fair dedicated to whatever is Indian. The chief end of the fair is to highlight Indian art, fashion and heritage through the gripping articles, photographs and films contributed by domestic and international travelers. The best of travel films will be screened and the best of travel photography will be exhibited on the last three days of the festive week in New Delhi.

Besides, numerous stalls will be offering their merchandise of ethnic apparel, jewellery, accessories, home décor items and knickknacks for sale to visitors. Evidently, this New Delhi festival is a shoppers’ delight. Dilli Haat is a permanent shopping cum food plaza with open-air ambience. Shopping for ethnic fashion wear, chic gem accessories, camel hide footwear, brassware, delicately embellished metallic items and sophisticated silk fabric is a pleasure at this meeting point of artisans and craftsmen in New Delhi.

Dilli Haat remains open to public seven days a week and is at a very short drive from Indira Gandhi International Airport. The guaranteed lowest airfare to New Delhi at Indian Eagle is the best opportunity for the tourists of USA to fly to India and experience Indian culture.

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