Here in the Kullu Valley temples are not always fixed buildings, rather they could be a cloth draped on a structure of stones on a mountain top, or simple a thread on a tree of a bush. Devotion in these parts can be very abstract as well as very committed in tradition.
The focus of the festival is none other than the Rhododendron Idol Beeth, woven entirely from the petals and stems of these majestic flowers. Within this structure the Jogini’s Shakti resides. Surrounded by palanquins Markandey Rishi and Veer Nath, the Beeth serves as a symbol of reverence for the power that lives within us.
We were originally told that if we touched any part of the building under construction we would have to offer a goat to the Devta, and so we were very respectful and careful.
The smell of dhoop burning and the chatter of the men is quite well suited to the snow capped peaks from the fresh snowfall the night before. I ask one man (he turned out to be the kardhar) which Devta is this? Ajay Pal he says.
It is the day before Dusshera in 2012 is a beautiful autumn day in the valley. Khokhan is a small village near Bhuntar where an old temple dedicated to Brahma sits hidden in the nala (gully). We head up towards the temple complex looking for Ram Nath, the pujari. I have met with him on many other
It is the fourth day of the festival of Dusshera when I bump into a crowd clustered together in front of the king’s tent. It is the drums I hear first, then the horns; the scene is enhanced by a colourful array of light shining on the crowd; it is an absolute revelry of sights
