An old Man

An Old man dressed in Kullvi Cap,

Kullu Dussehra

The successor of the King Jaganand, Maheshwar Singh (Ex - MP). He lives in a temperary camp in Dussehra Ground for a week during the Dussehra Festival. He perform all the rituals and participate in the morning and evening prayers.


The Chariot being decorated prior to the Dussehra.


Track from where the chariot moves.


The Dieties gathering up for the Rath Yatra

Gathering for faith

Different Gods and Goddesses all dressed up for the Dussehra festival.



They are brought to the Dussehra ground from distant places on shoulders. Its a once in a year festival.



Earlier it was a gathering by which different villages used to pay taxes to the king through their village diety. Now all the expenses are born by the Govt. and local authorities arrange for their stay.




After the lanka dehan they are disburse to their respective places.

Mr. Black n White

Aging man in traditional Kullvi cap and coat.

Jagannathi Temple

Idol of Goddess Jagannathi in the temple.

Priest performing the pooja, in the pic above he is blowing "the Shankh" or "the conch Shell"

The Tiger at the entrance of the temple.

The Temple

Another view of the temple.

I am a great devotee of Jagannathi Maa, I have always felt her presence. Like a mother she has been always with me in all my ups and down. This temple is situtated near my home.

Walk with Faith

Usually God is transported from one place to anotheron foot by humans only.Very rarely the modern transportation system is used.

A devotee carying God on his shoulder.

Having some rest in the midway. Very long journeys are covered on foot only. Its the faith and ultimate devotion for God that doesn't cause any fatigue or pain but it gives them more energy and power to cover the distance.

Holy Walk

With drums and other musical instruments , local diety is being taken to be part of some celebration.

Folk Art Museum

There is a Folk Art Museum in the Uruswati. There are many items displayed in the museum collected from different parts of world.
One such collection was hand made dolls

Beautiful dolls dressed in traditional Indian dresses.


Lovely Russian Dolls


I just loved this doll couple in kullvi dress.

Urusvati

"Urusvati" a sanskrit word, meaning light of the morning star, is the name given to the Institute of Himalayan Studies founded by Great Nicholas Roerich.


Located in the Heritage village Naggar, 25 km from Kullu, this is the place where the great Russian painter, philosopher, scientist, writer, traveller and public figure Nicholas Reorich lived and spent the last years of his life. I visited this place recently and there's a lot to share with you all. For today just a glimpse :


Anniversary Stamp issued by Indian Govt. in 1974.

Visitors admiring the paintings at the Museum.

Prashar Rishi Temple

Different views of the temple.

Murlidhar Temple, Thawa

Murlidhar Temple, is located in Thawa village nearly 29 Km from Kullu.

Built in early medieval period,(5000 years ago) in Shikara Style.

This temple is dedicated to Lord Krishna also known as Murlidhar.

Along with the idols of lord Krishna, there are idols of Radha, Garud and Laxminarayana.

As per Hindu Mythology, Radha and Krishna are the eternal lovers. An interesting story related to them was told during my visit to the temple. Earlier when the temple was constructed Radha’s Idol was not in the temple. It is believed that due to this reason usually Lord Krishna was found absent from the Temple. Only after the idol of Radha was brought into the temple, the two eternal lovers were unified again.

Nashala Village

A small village, nearly 30 Km form Kullu. Yet another secluded place where it seems that it is specially blessed by God.

Lots of vegetables and other crops are grown here. In the pics above you can see paddy fields.

Landscape - Jana Village

A view from the road.



Girls bringing dry grass for feeding cattles.

Like a typical Kullu Village a small Temple of the Village Diety. Here it is believed that the village God is their protector, preserver and creator they pay their full homage to the God and pray for health, wealth & prosperity.

Leisure & Pleasure

An elderly man dressed traditionaly with Kulvi cap in Jana Village smoking hookah.

Hookah are single or multi-stemmed (often glass-based) water pipe for smoking. The concept of hookah originated in India, once the province of the wealthy, it was tremendously popular especially during Mughal rule. The hookah has since become less popular, however it is once again garnering the attention of the masses, and cafés and restaurants that offer it as a consumable are popular. Hookahs is used in many villages as per traditional customs. Smoking molasses in a hookah is now becoming popular amongst the youth in India. It is a growing trend amongst youngsters and adolescents. There are several chain clubs, bars and coffee shops in India offering a variety of hookahs. The new trends emerging are that of non-tobacco hookahs with herbal flavors.

Me trying the tobacco in the Hookah, the villagers were looking at me with equal and being caught by my friend.

Tranquility

Yesterday was a great day, I visited one of the most beautiful and largest village in Kullu valley - Jana Village.

Surrounded by serene green mountains, it’s located nearly 35 Km from Kullu. Will post more pictures and information about the splendid journey I had.

Bisheshwar Mahadev Temple

Located at a distance of 15 Kilometers from Kullu, Bajaura is a typical Himalayan village blessed with nature's finest of gifts. Blessed with outstanding picturesque landscapes, Bajaura is a nature lover's paradise. The sun kissed snowy peaks, the alpine stretch, the colorful apple orchards, the cool springs and the whispering wind - the nature creates its loveliest of poems here.

For people with religious inclinations or for history freaks, there is the Bisheshwar Mahadev Temple. Built around the eight century, the Bisheshwar Mahadev Temple is one of the oldest temples in the Valley. It is very conveniently located in the close vicinity of the main road connecting Kulu and Manali.

Artistic craftsmanship and architectural ingenuity can be seen at the best.



All these Idols are carved at the outer sides of the temple.

One interesting thing that caught my attention was this Ganesha, carved by nature on the Pipal tree in the Temple premises.