Raghunathji Temple
Kullu, Himachal Pradesh · Lord Rama · Heritage Temple
Valley presiding deity whose rath opens Kullu Dussehra at Dhalpur maidan.
In the Kullu palace precinct, the Raghunathji temple enshrines the valley's presiding deity — a small Rama idol said to have been brought from Ayodhya by a former Kullu raja to lift a royal curse. Each year the idol leads Kullu Dussehra on a wooden rath to Dhalpur maidan, where hundreds of village deities gather in palanquins, a spectacle unlike Dussehra celebrations elsewhere in India.
History
HP Tourism records that folklore credits a Kullu king with importing the Raghunath idol from Ayodhya. The week-long Kullu Dussehra begins when Lord Raghunath rides in procession with attending deities — over two hundred village gods participate in palanquins after paying reverence at Dhalpur.
The temple remains the ritual anchor of the Kullu valley's Dussehra calendar even as the town has grown into a major Himalayan tourism hub, linking ancient hill-kingdom devotion with the internationally known festival that starts when Vijayadashami ends in the plains.
Stories
The Curse and the Idol from Ayodhya
Tradition says Raja Jagat Singh of Kullu once demanded the supposed pearls of a peasant named Durgadatta, who owned only pearls of knowledge. Facing execution, Durgadatta cursed the king, and thereafter his rice is said to have looked like worms and his water like blood.
A Ramanandi saint, Krishnadas Payahari, is said to have advised him to bring the Raghunath image from Rama's city. According to the tale, a Brahmin carried it from Ayodhya to Kullu, and when the king drank the deity's charanamrit the curse lifted. He then ruled as Raghunath's regent.
Dussehra When the Plains Finish
Kullu Dussehra begins on Vijayadashami, just when celebrations elsewhere end, and runs for seven days at Dhalpur maidan. Its history is traced to the 17th century, when King Jagat Singh installed the Raghunath idol on his throne and the deity was declared ruler of the valley.
Raghunath is drawn out on a chariot, and villages of the valley bring their own gods to the ground. In October 2022 Narendra Modi became the first sitting Prime Minister to join the festival's rath yatra.
Good to know
Presiding deity of Kullu valley inside the palace complex (HP Tourism)
Leads the Kullu Dussehra rath yatra to Dhalpur ground
Procession with 200+ village deities in palanquins during the festival week
Getting there
Nearest airport: Kullu–Manali (Bhuntar). Kullu town and Dhalpur maidan are on the NH-3 Manali road.
Best time to visit: Mar – Jun, Sep – Nov