The famed week-long Kullu Dussehra is one of main festivals of Himachal Pradesh, which has maintained its unique identity over the years and is celebrated in an entirely different way. The annual mela or festival takes place in the Kullu. The festival celebrates the victory of the God Ram over evil. The Rath Yatra of the idol of Lord Ragunath is led by the Kullu Raja. The procession starts a week of religious ceremonies, cultural activities, socializing and shopping at the huge bazaar of mela ground. Dussehra at Kullu commences on the tenth day of the rising moon, i.e. on 'Vijay Dashmi' day itself and continues in seven days.
The history of Kullu Dussehra dates back to the 17th century when the local king, Jagat Singh installed an idol of Raghunathji. According to “The History of Kullu Riyasat”. The Dussehra celebrations started in the year 1661 in Kullu during the reign of the then ruler Raja Jagat Singh. Some security person gave false information to Jagat Singh that Durga Dutt, a poor Brahmin from Tibri village, in Manikaran valley across Parvati river, had a Patha of pearls with him. The Raja immediately sent his messengers and demanded the pearls but they did not get anything as the Brahmin never possessed any valuables. Later, after a few days Jagat Singh sent a message to Durga Dutt that he should keep the pearls ready on a particular day, which he would collect on his way back form Manikaran to his capital. When the Raja came to Tibri village to collect the pearls, the Brahmin instead of arranging for pearls or making some excuse confined all his family members inside his house and set it afire. Then Durga Dutt started cutting pieces of flesh from his body with a dagger and kept throwing them into the burning house while chanting the word lo Maharaj, patha-moti. Ultimately the Brahmin killed himself in front of Jagat Singh. The Raja was deeply moved by the incident. He was unable to eat and drink and was tainted by leprosy. One Baba Krishan Dass `Fuhari' of Jhiri near Naggar told Jagat Singh if he would bring the idol of Lord Raghunath from Ayodhya, embrace Vaishanavism and invest his kingdom in the name of Raghunathji, only then he would be liberated from the sin of Braham-hatya (the offence of killing a Brahmin). Later, Damodar Dass, a disciple of Fuhari Baba, brought the idol of Lord Raghunath from Ayodhya to Kullu in the year 1651. Initially, the idol was placed at Manikaran, Vashishat Haripur, Jagatsukh and Grahan villages for safety reasons. Jagat Singh invested his entire kingdom in the name of Lord Raghunath. In the year 1660, the idol of Lord Raghunath, the presiding deity of Dussehra, was installed near the royal palace. The ailing Raja got himself freed from the sin of Braham hatya soon after he took the charnamrit (water used to wash the feet of idol). He appointed Fuhari Baba as Raj Guru and donated property to Damodar Dass for his role in bringing the idol from Ayodhya. Historians believe that earlier the king and the local people were the followers of Shiva and Shakti but after the idol of Lord Raghunath was brought to Kullu, they became Vaishnavs as Raghunath is another name of Lord Ram Chandra, the reincarnation of Lord Vishnu. Dussehra celebrations start with the `Rathyatra' of Lord Raghunath as the idol is kept in the wooden chariot. Lord Raghunath is still the family deity of the erstwhile ruling dynasty of Kullu. Symbolic Dussehra is celebrated at Haripur, Manikaran, Thawa (Naggar) and Vashishat villages on Rathyatra day.
This festival is different in the sense that this commences when Dussehra festivities come to a close in the rest of the country. Another unique feature of the Kullu Dussehra is that it does not finish with the burning of the statue of king-Ravana, his brother Kumbhkarana and son, Meghnath.

The Himachal Pradesh is known as the Valley of Gods' as on the occasion of the Dussehra here about 20 Gods and Goddesses of the valley meet at the venue for the celebrations. The divine presences gives a feeling of heaven on the earth. Dussehra at Kullu commences on the tenth day of the rising moon, on 'Vijay Dashmi' itself and continues for seven days. On the first day, the idol of Lord Raghunath saddled on a decorated chariot is pulled by ropes from its fixed place, that is a temple and taken to Dhalpur Grounds to mark the commencement of the Dussehra cerelbrations. During the week-long celebrations, gods and goddesses are invoked and paraded around this town every morning and evening. On the closing day, the Rath of lord Raghunath is taken to the banks of the Beas river and in the diety's presence a pile of wood and grass is set on fire, to symbolize the burning of Ravanas Lanka. Thereafter lord Raghunath is taken back to his temple and Dussehra festivities come to an end.

“Hatkoti Temple” is located at Jubbal (Hatkoti), 100 K.M. from Shimla the capital of the Himachal Pradesh. Temple is located in village Hatkoti of tehsil Jubbal distt Shimla of Himachal Pradesh. .Hatkoti Mata is regarded as the most powerful goddess among all the goddesses of northern India by the residents of Hatkoti. As we know Himachal Pradesh is a state of god and goddesses. Hartkoti is one of them. Himachal Pradesh is known as a valley of temples. There is no written proof about the history of the temple but as we enter the premises of the temple the history diverts our minds towards itself, as there are a number of historic monuments in the temple which makes us remember about the Mabharata period. There are five stone “Deols” present in the temple premises which makes us remember about the five pandavas. These “Deols” are decreasing in size, first one being the largest in size and then the decreasing ones. In the building it’s a beautiful “Lord Shiva” temple having a large and beautiful shrine inside it, others idols present in the temple are also a proof a great architecture skills. The interior walls and roof of the temple have also been designed using great architecturing skills. The people of Hatkoti believe that the temple was established by Guru Adi Shankracharya. Some people also believe that the temple was built somewhere in the Third era. Three Gupta Age’s Rock Edicts (in scripted stones) have been found at three different places of this ancient and historic place.

The fifth kandh of Bhagvat gita describes about Mata Hateshwari as:-
Hateswari is known as the Shakti of Hateshwar and hence this place is known as Hateswari, one of the main residences of Shiva and Shakti.

In front of the temple of Mata Hateshwari towards the east direction is a small mountain known as a fort of Rambhasur. Rambhasur was the father of Maheshasur whom he has got as a reward of his prayers to Agnidev. He also went through a tough prayer of Lord Shiva and was rewarded by lord Shiva that his son would be un defeatable .Taking the advantage of this he captured the “Triloks” of the gods and betrayed them of all their powers. The defeated gods took shelter in the hard to reach places of pabbar valley and asked Mata Hateshwari to protect them from the devil. On the demand of gods Mata Hateshwari killed Maheshasur and gained the name of “Maheshasurmardini” (destroyer of Maheshasur Devil).
The idol of Mata in the Temple is unexplainable. The artist has tried imagining the whole universe in this idol. The statue is made up of a mixture of eight valuable metals. The statue is 1.20 meter in height. The idol displays the destroyer expression of Mata. The interesting fact about the idol is that it changes its expression, sometimes it has a smiling face and some time it is in a angry posture, the idol has such effect on the devotee that he take off his eyes from the idol. On both sides of the idol there is something written in Brahmi script.

There is a huge vessel type of a thing present near the entrance of the temple known as “charu” surrounded by chains it attracts the attention of people towards it self following one more story of its existence behind it. There is a huge hall in the temple premises known as “yagyashala” used to perform rituals. In the centre of the hall is a Hawan kund where the rituals are performed. The idols of Lord Brahma,Vishnu,Mahesh And Ganesha can be seen placed here There is a lot of sitting place available for the devotees .there is one more hall in the premises known as Satsang Bhawan which can adjust 350 devotees at a time. Nearby is a rest house where the saints and devotees take rest. There is one more hall known as Dharamshala which is mainly used to store various things of the temple. The whole premise of the temple is covered by a 12foot high wall on all the three sides. It has two main doors one towards the east serving as an entrance to the temple.

Best time to visit Hatkoti Temple from April to October. However, temperatures vary with the seasons. May to September have pleasant day’s cold nights while April & October have pleasant days. Nearest Airport and Railway Station located at Shimla. U can visit there by bus and also take cab from Shimla and Chandigarh.

Kamru Fort is one of the oldest Fort in Himachal. It is located in Kinnaur District of Himachal Pradesh. Distance of 2-km from Sangla, lies this wonderful place, the tower-like fort of Kamru. The Sangla valley is a breathtaking beauty in itself, with a blaze of saffron trees and cold snowmelt. Here, the river Bapsa flows to meet the churning torrent of the Sutlej River at Karcham. An exotic Image of Lord Buddha on the Fort's Main Gate and an Image of Kamkhya Devi are the unique features of this fort. The image of Kamkhya Devi, supposed to have been brought from Assam, is installed on the third floor. There is also a 15th century shrine of Lord Badrinath, which hosts a light every three years.
The Kamru fort is a quiet sentinel, located at a fearsome altitude of 2,600 m above the sea level. This place is at a distance of 57-km fom Kalpa and 229-km from Shimla, The capital of Himachal Pradesh. The nature shows off its existence and the splendor of this land. Along its sides rise snow clad mountains, thick forests of deodar trees, and lush green and richly fruited orchards.
The fort seems like being placed over packing of dressed stone that acts like a pedestal for an exalted piece of art. The tower possesses an elegant wooden balcony.

Standing at an altitude of 2600m above sea level, Kamru fort is 229 km from Shimla and 2 km from the beautiful Sangla Valley. The fort is set in a picturesque location and is entered through a series of gates. At the main gate of the Kamru Fort, a stunning image of Lord Buddha greets you. The graceful wooden balcony, at the top of the fort, and the idol of Kamakhya Devi, installed on the third floor of the fort, are worth seeing. There are a number of interesting myths attached to the fort,

Kamru fort is located on bank of Baspa River and surrounded by some beautiful places Rakcham Village, Batseri village and Chitkul Village, Chitkul Village is the last village on the old Hindustan-Tibet trade route. Sangla Valley is the most charming valley in the entire District of Kinnaur and Kamru Fort is main historical place of the Valley. Best time to visit The Kamru Fort from April to October. However, temperatures vary with the seasons. May to September have pleasant days cold nights while April & October have pleasant days.

History of Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh is a state in the north-west of India. Himachal Pradesh was also known as “Deva Bhoomi” (the land of the gods). Himachal Pradesh has been inhabited by human beings since the dawn of civilization. It has a rich and varied history which can be divided into several distinct eras. Himachal Pradesh is spread over 55,780 square kilometers. Himachal Pradesh is bordered by the Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir on north, Punjab on west, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on south, Uttarakhand on south-east and by “Tibet” on the east. The Aryan influence in the region dates back to the period before the Rig-Veda. About 2 million years ago man lived in the foothills of Himachal Pradesh, viz in the Bangana valley of Kangra, Sirsa valley of Nalagarh and Markanda valley of Sirmour. The foothills of the state were inhabited by people from Indus valley civilization which flourished between 2250 and 1750 B.C. People of Indus valley civilization pushed the original inhabitants of Ganga plains who were known as Kolorian people towards north. They moved to the hills of Himachal Pradesh where they could live peacefully and preserve their way of life.
According to the Mahabharta the tract which forms the present day Himachal Pradesh was made up of number of small republics known as Janpadas each of which constituted both a state and cultural unit.
Audumbras: The were the most prominent ancient tribes of Himachal who lived in the lower hills between Pathankot and Jwalamukhi. They formed a separate state in 2 B.C.

Trigarta: The state lay in the foothills drained by three rivers, i.e. Ravi, Beas and Satluj and hence the name. It is believed to have been an independent republic.

Kuluta: The kingdom of Kilita was situated in the upper Beas valley which is also known as the Kully valley. Its capital was Naggar.

Kulindas: This kingdom covered the area lying between the Beas, Satluj and Yamuna rivers, i.e. the Shimla and Sirmour hills. Their administration resembled a republic with members of a central assembly sharing the powers of the king.

Gupta Empire: Chandragupta slowly subdued most of the republics of Himachal by show of strength or use of force though he usually did not rule them directly. Ashoka, the grandson of Chandragupta extended his boundaries to the Himalyan region. He introduced Buddhism to this tract. He built many stupas one of which is in the Kullu valley.

Harsha: After the collapse of Gupta empire and before the rise of Harsha, this area was again ruled by petty chiefs known as Thakurs and Ranas. With the rise of Harsha in the early 7th century, most of these small states acknowledged his overall supremacy though many local powers remained with the petty chiefs.

A few decades after Harsha's death (647 A.D.) many Rajput states ascended in Rajsthan and Indus plains. They fought amongst themselves and the vanquished moved to the hills with their followers, where they set up small states or principalities. These states were Kangra, Nurpur, Suket, Mandi, Kutlehar, Baghal, Bilaspur, Nalagarh, Keonthal, Dhami, Kunihar, Bushahar, Sirmour.

After Rajput The small hill kingdom enjoyed a large degree of independence. Mahmud Ghaznavi occupied Kangra at the begining of the 10th centuary. Timur and Sikander also marched through the lower hills and captured several forts and fought many battles. Later on as the Mughal dynasty began to break up; the rulers of the hill states took full advantage.

The Gorkhas, a martial tribe came to power in Nepal in the year 1768. They consolidated their military power and began to expand their territory. Gradually the Gorkhas annexed Sirmour and Shimla hill states. With the leadership of Amar Singh Thapa, They managed to defeat Sansar Chand, the ruler of kangra, in 1806 with the help of many hill chiefs. However Gorkhas could not capture Kangra fort which came under Maharaja Ranjeet Singh in 1809. After this defeat the Gorkhas began to expand towards south. This resulted in the Anglo-Gorkha war.

After the Anglo-Gorkha war the common border of the British domain and Punjab became very sensitive. Both the Sikh and English wanted to avoid a direct conflict, but after the death of Ranjit Singh, the Khalsa army fought a number of wars with the British. In 1845 when the Sikhs invaded the British territory by crossing the Satluj, the rulers of many hill states sided with the English as they were looking for an opportunity to settle scores with the former. Many of these rulers entered into secret communication with the English. After the first Anglo-Sikh war, the British did not restore the hill territory vacated by Sikhs to their original owners.

The revolt or first Indian war (1857) of independence resulted due to the building up of political, social, economic, religious and military grievances against the British. People of the hill states were not politically alive as the people in other parts of the country. They remained more or less aloof and so did their rulers with the exception of Bushahr. Some of them even rendered help to the Britishers during the revolt. Among them were the rulers of Chamba, Bilaspur, Bhagal and Dhami. The rulers of Bushahr acted in a manner hostile to the interests of British. However it is not clear whether they actually aided the rebels or not.

The British territories in the hill came under British Crown after Queen Victoria's proclamation of 1858. Shimla was the Summer capital of Britisher.The people of the hill also participated in the freedom struggle. Praja Mandal launched agitations against the British repression in areas under direct British Rule. The Mandi conspiracy was carried out in 1914-15 under the influence of the “Gadhr Party”. Meetings were held in Mandi and Suket states in December 1914 and January 1915 and it was decided to murder the Superintendent of Mandi and Suket. However conspirators were caught and sentenced to long terms in prison. The “Pajhota” agitation in which the people of a part of Sirmour state revolted is regarded as an extension of the Quit India Movement of 1942. Important freedom fighters of this state during this period included Dr. Y.S. Parmar, Padam Dev, Shivanand Ramaul, Purnanand, Satya Dev, Sada Ram Chandel, Daulat Ram, Thakur Hazara Singh and Pahari Gandhi Baba Kanshi Ram. The Congress party was also active in the freedom movement in the hill state particularly in Kangra.

After Independence of India The Chief Commissioner's area of H.P. came into being on 15th April, 1948. H.P. became a part C state on 26th January, 1950 with the implementation of the Constitution of India. Bilaspur was merged with Himachal Pradesh on 1st July, 1954. Himachal Pradesh became Union Territory on 1st November, 1956. Kangra and most of the other hill areas of Punjab were merged with H.P. on 1st November, 1966 though its status remained that of a Union Territory. On 18th December, 1970 the State of Himachal Pradesh Act was passed by Parliament and the new state came into being on 25th January, 1971. Thus H.P. emerged as the 18^th state of Indian Union. Himachal Pradesh has come a long way since then.

Himachal Pradesh has seen a number of full-fledged governments which have led the state towards economic self-reliance. Himachal Pradesh has one of the highest per capital incomes of any state in India. Due to the abundance of constant rivers, Himachal also sells hydro electricity to other states such as Delhi, Punjab & Rajasthan The economy of the state is highly dependent upon “Hydel Power, Ttourism and Agriculture.

Padam Palace is one of the most attractions at Rampur Bushahr in Shimla. This building is proximity 83 years old, bailed (1919-1925) at the time of Bushahr State. Raja Padam Singh, a planner of stature in his own kingdom, assigned the task of building the palace to his chief engineer, Mr. Bir Chand Shukla. It took six years for the building to take shape and named after the Raja. This building is witness of the merger of Bushahr State with the India.

The Padam Palace is reflecting the glorious past of the Bushahr State, the palace is an outstanding example of the taste, style and architecture of the former hill states, and a tribute to local craftsmen who toiled to carve out its beauty.
The two-storey building is done with wood and stone, there is a slanting tin roof with spiral projections. There is a big lawn, which was used for festivities and public functions. At one end of the lawn there is a Hawa Mahal, a masterwork with wood and stone. This was used for seating the royal family during the celebrations. The Hawa Mahal was designed by Mr. Gurjit Singh Fishta and the woodwork done by the father-and-son team of Mr. Gurmail Singh and Mr. Gurdev Singh.
Stones for the building were quarried at Khaneri and the wood was brought down from the jungles of Munish. Black gram paste was used for cementing the stone blocks. The stone arches of the lower floor and woodwork of the upper storey mark a striking contrast. The tipper storey wooden screen has floral and figurine designs so as to partially admit light without exposing those inside.

Satluj River

Satluj River is the longest of the five rivers that flow through the historic crossroad region of Punjab in northern India and Pakistan. It is located north of the Vindhya Range, south of the Hindu Kush segment of the Himalayas, and east of the Central Makran range in Pakistan. Sutlej is sometimes known as the Red River

Satluj rises from beyond Indian borders in the South slopes of the Kailash Mountain near Mansarover Lake. It is the largest among the five rivers of Himachal Pradesh. It enters Himachal at Spiti (6,608 meters). In Himachal Pradesh it flows in the South-Westerly direction through Kinnaur, Shimla, Kullu, Solan, Mandi and Bilaspur districts. It leaves Himachal Pradesh to enter the plains of Punjab at Bhakhra, where the world's highest gravity dam has been constructed on this river. Its total caught up area in Himachal Pradesh is 20,000 sq. km. Its total length is 1,448 km. Its Vedic name is Satudri and Sanskrit name Shatadru. The Satluj finally drains into the Indus in Pakistan. The upper tracts of the Satluj valley are under a permanent snow cover. The prominent human settlements that have come on the banks of the Satluj River are Namgia, Kalpa, Rampur Bushahr, Tattapani, Suni and Bilaspur.

Main Tributaries of river Satluj:

Baspa River: Baspa is an important tributary of the river Satluj in its. The Baspa is joined by many smaller channels draining snow melt waters. The Baspa River has cut across the main Himalayan range. Baspa River empties itself into the river Satluj in district Kinnaur. Baspa originates from the Baspa hills, joins it from the left bank near Kalpa. Satluj river leaves Kinnaur district in the West near Chauhra and enters Shimla district.

Spiti River: The Spiti River originates from Kunzum range. Water draining the famous Pin valley area are part of the Spiti river system. After flowing through Spiti valley, the Spiti River meets Satluj at Namgia in Kinnaur district. Its length approximately 150 km. The main settlement along the Spiti River and its tributaries are Hansi and Dhankar Gompa.

Soan River: The Soan river rises from the Southern slopes of the Shivalik range also known as Solasinghi range in the tract to the East of the Beas gap across the Southern periphery of the Kangra valley. It joins the boundary of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.

The famous “International Lavi fair”. It is the biggest trade fair of the greater Himalayas, which is held at Rampur Bushahr is one of the unique examples of the glorious, social, cultural, economic history and legacy of Himachal Pradesh., about 130 kms from Shimla from 11th to 14th November every year. Rampur Bushahr is also know as the gateway of tribal District “Kinnaur”. Kinnaur is situated on the left bank of river Satluj. Rampur Bushahr is one of the oldest town on Hindustan Tibet road.

Its old religious shrines include the “Raghunath temple”, the “Ayudhya temple”, the “Narasingh temple”, “Dumgir Bodh temple” and “Padam palace”, an interesting mix colonial and traditional style are the major attraction. places of tourists interest.

The fair is linked to the historic agreement between “Bushahr State” and “Tibet concluded” during the rule of “Raja Kehri Singh” (1636-96 AD). The treaty not only resulted in the deeper friendship between Bushahr and Tibet but also increased trade between the two states.

Lavi fair have a social and cultural impact also. It is an occasion, which provide irresistible opportunities to the rural people to strengthen the cultural and social bonds. During the four-day festivity, thousand of people from the villages throng Rampur and the town turned into a sea of people. People of the area they continue to believe resolutely in strong social bonding which is the hallmark of the rich cultural traditions of the State.

During the four days hectic business activities raw and semi finished wool, hand weaven pattis, namdas, pashmina wool, dry fruits like almond, Chilgoza, Apricot, Chaumurthy and Gunth breeds of horses and yalks worth over several crores of rupees change hands. Buyers from all over the country flock to Rampur Bushahr to purchase wool, pashmina and chilgoza, which have a ready market even in foreign countries. Lakhs of rural folk from Kinnaur, Lahaul Spiti, Kullu, Mandi and Shimla districts besides traders from northern Indian plains and lower hills bring general merchandise to have a quick trade before the start of winter.

Special “Kinnauri market” is the main attraction of the fair. The traders from Kinnaur came to the fair along with their families and stay in the mela ground. The Tibetian goods used to be bartered in the fair with the local products like chilgoza, almonds, chuli, , shilajit and kuth etc. Recently, however, due to easier communication facilities and consumeralization, machine manufactured goods and products have also become added attraction of the fair.

Rampur Bushahr is important commercial centre. During the last three decades, this fair has also gained cultural significance. After the days hectic trade activities the town and night witnesses’ special culutral programmes. This fair also provides a special opportunity to the people of the area to purchase essential items before the start of hard winter months and take back the memories of deep-rooted cultural with them.

Even today, the olden tradition is as vibrant as ever. It also provides a platform to the government departments, agencies and private organisations to put up exhibitions. Social, cultural and economic aspects play a significant role in shaping the progress of a region and the society. “Lavi fair” is an amalgamation of all these aspects. With the culmination of four days extravaganza, the people return with sweet memories to meet again next year on the occasion of Fag mela to be celebrated after Holi fastivel.