KULLU: Amid the chants of Har Har Mahadev, thousands of local devotees pulled the Rath of Lord Raghunath from its temple treasury onto the historic Dhalpur Maidan, thereby heralding the start of the week-long international Kullu Dussehra festival in this Dussehra town.
It was for the first time that Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the Rath Yatra, seeking what Modi has called blessing of the Lord Raghunath for the entire nation.
Modi donned the saffron fatigue and interacted with the Devlus of Lord Raghanath at the Dhalpur Maidan before the Rath of the Lord rolled out onto the Dhalpur Maidan.
Modi was accompanied by Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar and Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur who also participated in the opening Rath Yatra of International Kullu Dussehra at Dhalpur Ground today.
Prime Minister walked to the main attraction of the weeklong festival with thousands of other devotees and paid his obeisance to Lord Raghunath, presiding deity of the Kullu Dussehra.
He greeted everyone present on the occasion with folded hands and witnessed the divine Rath Yatra along with the grand assembly of the deities in the Kullu Dussehra festivities.
The rath of hundreds of Devtas one be one converged from the every nook and cranny of Kullu district for the Kullu Dussehra and camped in Dhalpur Maidan for a week.
Devi Hidimba of Manali, believed to be a relative of Lord Raghunath also converged to Dhalpur Maidan for the Dussehra.
Dussehra got to a flying start this year as the festivities were hit by the Covid pandemic for two years. Thousands of devotees thronged Dhalpur Madain with enthusiasm.
The two Devtas of Banjar- Shringa Rishi and Balu Naag- who had long protracting war over the walking on the side of the Lord Raghunath were also participated in Kullu Dussehra and remained confined to their camps in Dhalpur Maidan. 
The Devta stayed on in Maidan for six days taking a host of rituals.
The chief Charibardar of Lord Raghunath are the erstwhile kings of Rupi state of Kullu whose present scion is Maheshwar Singh.
Maheshwar and his family members performed various rituals including Jalebs in which Maheshwaras believed to be in an avatar of Narsingh is carried in a Palanquin lifted by four persons on this shoulders- a feudal practice that has been in eye of storm of the human rights groups and democrats.
But Maheshwar Singh, former BJP MP, had never given up this "His feudal slavish practice" that comes in bad taste in the 21st century of Digital India, rued the visitors. 
The last day of Dussehra, the animal sacrifice practice that symbolized Lanka Dehan performed at the lower Dhalpur also had received brickbats form the animal rights groups.
In this sacrifice, seven creatures are slaughtered by the present scion one by one to perform Lanka Dahan, while the feast is shared by them and other devotees and guest Devi Hidimba, it is believed.
But they lost battle in Supreme Court as animal sacrificed by the erstwhile rulers of Kullu was part of Kullu Dussehra since ages.
For the visitors Kullu Dussehra offers wide range of cultural nights- dances and sons performed by the artistes from Himachal and across India and abroad as well.
Prime Minister was accompanied by the Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting, Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Singh Thakur, Education Minister Govind Singh Thakur and BJP State President Suresh Kumar Kashyap among others.
