Tue, Oct 27: Kullu (Dussehra Festival) to Manali

Our hotel was situated right on the Beas River and we could see the river from our hotel room.  The grounds were lovely and included a pool overlooking the river.

Today we headed off to the Dussehra festival grounds.  Along the city streets we saw groups of musicians playing and getting ready to welcome the dignitaries expected for the festival.

There was the usual cow at the festival parking lot. 

We got there in time to see a group in native costume dancing to drums and horns.  They were surrounded but we staked out a good location in order to watch the events.  

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At least we thought the location was pretty decent until Tara grabbed us and pulled us right up through the crowd and next to the dancers.  

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After some dancing they pulled Tara in to dance for one round and then Mary.  Paul seemed to miss out for some reason (probably cowering behind the crowd).

Shortly after this the Chief Minister arrived and ran the gauntlet of well-wishers draping him with golden scarves and garlands of marigolds.  

Waiting with scarves to drape on the minister.

They had a large assembly of "troops"  (someone said they were the local police) for the flag raising ceremony, plus a large band.

After a flag raising ceremony we headed off to the fair grounds.  

There were hundreds, if not thousands of shops...

and small vendors hawking their wares, like a flea market.  

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The goods displayed in the shops were particularly colorful and varied.

Paul and Mary bought two pairs of gloves that looked to be garden gloves.  They were about $1.50 for the pair and were purchased as fall back in case it is super cold at the mountain pass tomorrow.  

There were lots of food stalls with colorful displays.  We didn't eat anything...Tara suggested it wasn't a good idea.

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Like any good fair there were lots of rides and arcade games.  Paul and Tara both tried their hands at the arcades.

Our guide indicated that approximately a half million people visited the festival each day of the seven days.  Seems like too high a number but then again, there were an awful lot of people there. 

The people watching was great but with a half million people at the fair, that should be expected.

There were a number of temporary temples set up on the periphery of the fair grounds.  

Before heading out of town we stopped very briefly at the Raja Rupi Palace.  The local maharajah still lives in the Palace...but it was pretty small and uninspiring.

The afternoon drive was pretty spectacular.  We are in the foothills of the Himalayas so there are beautiful valleys and some pretty good mountain views.  

The drive took us to Naggar Castle, a very interesting wood and stone building.  It was built in the mid-1400’s by the Raja Sidh Singh of Kullu.  Two large doors were each made of a single large slice of a huge tree.  The balcony railings were made of beautifully carved wood.

The views from the balconies overlooking the valley and the mountains beyond were spectacular.  We could even see some snow-capped mountains of the Middle Himalayas. 

Then we headed up to the Roerich memorial.  Nicholas Roerich, born in 1874 in St. Petersburg, Russia, was a painter, writer, archaeologist, and philosopher who lived in the valley around Kullu.  The facility included an exhibit of his paintings of the Himalayas and the home that he and his family lived in during their time in Kullu.  No pictures were allowed of the paintings or inside of the house.  The more interesting part of this site was the walk up to the house and round the gardens.

And the view of the mountains was great.

Then it was off to the Gauri Shankar Temple, a small Hindu temple...

and then on through a beautiful valley to Manali .