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Kullu

Pop: 16,500 Area Code: 01902

Kullu is famous for its Dussehra festival and for beautiful shawls. It is a fairly nice place situated at 1,219m (4,000 ft). Most travelers will not stay here very long. A good place to buy shawls is Akhara Bazaar.

Information
The HPTDC Tourist Office (24605) is near the Maidan at Dhalpur. Open daily in the summer 9 am to 7 pm and in the winter daily except Sun 10 am to 5 pm.

The State Bank of India, on the Maiden at Dhalpur, changes money. The State Bank of Patiala, at Akhara Bazaar changes money. The main post office is near the taxi stand.

There are Internet facilities at the Hotel Rohtang (22303), near the tourist office.  

You can get a permit for Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti at the District Magistrate’s Office at the Maiden at Dhalpur, in back of the Dhalpur bus stand. It is better to get the permit in Kaza or Rekong Peo, so as not to waste any of the seven-day permit.

Raghunathji (Rama) Temple
The Rama Deity in this temple was originally brought here by Raja Jagat Singh from Ayodhya in 1651. The king had been advised by a priest to bring the deity to this place, as penance to get rid of a curse for causing the death of a local Brahmin, that was turning his food into worms. After this event the local Raja considered himself the viceroy of Sri Raghunathji. This is the presiding Deity of the Kullu Valley and Raghunathji is the main deity of the Dussehra Festival. The temple is located on a hill overlooking the city.

Bijli Mahadeva Temple
To get here, you go up the hill by following the small road opposite the Kailash Cinema, which is near the bus stand. The temple is behind the Kullu Raja’s Rupi Palace. It is open in the morning and after 5 pm.

This temple is located 8km by road southeast of Kullu. When its 20m (65 ft) flagstaff attracts lightning, it is said to be an expression of divine blessing. When the flagstaff is struck by lightning, the Siva-linga inside the temple is broken to pieces. It is then put back together with sattoo (a paste of roasted gram and wheat powder) and butter. Located at 2,438m (8,000 ft), you reach it by a hard 5km climb. From here there are great views of the Himalaya Mountains, Kullu Valley, and Parvati Valley. There is a very basic temple guesthouse.

Other Temples
The Vaishno Devi Temple is 4km north of Kullu on the road to Manali. It is a small cave with a deity of the goddess Vaishno Devi (Durga). To get to it is a steep climb.

The Jagannathi Devi Temple is 4km from Kullu in the village of Bhekhli. It is a hard climb. There is a good view over the town from the temple. You can take a taxi round trip to here for Rs 300 or an auto-rickshaw for less.

The Basheshar Mahadev Temple is 15km south of Kullu in Bajaura. It has fine stone sculptures.

Dussehra Festival
This interesting festival takes place in October or early November. At this time, the Deity of Raghunathji (Lord Rama), the presiding Deity of the valley, is brought down to the valley for a week. The other 200 or so gods in the valley are brought on their chariots to Lord Raghunath to offer their worship to him. One high point of the festival is the arrival of Hadimba from the Dunghri temple in Manali.

The Deity of Raghunathji is brought on a chariot from Rupi Palace to the middle of Dhalpur Maiden in a huge procession. The Raja and his family then circumambulate Lord Raghunathji. Jamlu, the village god of Malana, views the festival from a hill on the other side of the river and does not take part.

The last day of the festival celebrates the defeat of Ravana by Lord Rama, who is also known as Raghunathji. Raghunathji is taken to the bank of the Beas River, where a huge pile of wood and grass are burnt to symbolize the burning of Lanka. There are folk dances and music performances and a general festival mood.

This festival begins on Vijaya Dashami and lasts for seven days. Vijaya Dashami is the day that Dussehra normally ends in the rest of India. As this is an extremely popular festival, you have to book accommodation as far in advance as possible.

Where to Stay—Lower
Prices change according to the season. You can often bargain for discounts.
Madhu Chandrika (22771), lower Dhalpur, is a good budget place with clean double rooms for Rs 200 and dorm beds for Rs 50.
Sa-Ba Tourist Home, Dhalpur, has rooms for Rs 125/230.
Alankar Guest House (22785), in Akhara Bazaar, has rooms for Rs 155/225 and dorm beds for Rs 65. It is a nice, well-managed place.
Hotel Naman (226670, Akhara Bazaar area, has rooms for Rs 175/225. It has a good restaurant.
The well-located, popular Hotel Bijleshwar View (22677), behind the tourist office in the Dhalpur area, has basic clean rooms for Rs 200 and with bath, hot water and a balcony for Rs 400. Bucket hot water is Rs 5. It is recommended and a good value.
Hotel Daulat (22358), Circuit House Rd, has rooms with a balcony for Rs 250. Their rates are half price in the off-season.
Hotel Rohtang, by the Maidan, is a good value with clean rooms for Rs 200/300.
Aadikya Guest House, near the bus stand, has rooms with bath, hot water and TV for Rs 200/275.
A good place is the well-managed Hotel Siddhartha (4243), which has clean double rooms with bath for Rs 250. This place is a good value.

Where to Stay—Middle and High
The well-managed HPTDC Hotel Savari (22471), near the Maidan, has double rooms for Rs 450, A/C rooms for Rs 700, and dorm beds for Rs 75. It has a peaceful location with good views.
Silver Moon Lodge, 2km south of the town center, is a good mid-range place. It is a good value.
The Nest, near the bus stand, has large rooms for Rs 400 to Rs 700.
Hotel Vaishali, one km from the bus stand, has rooms for Rs 900 and a nice garden. You can book Archana Airways tickets here.
Hotel Shobla (22800), Dhalpur, is the best place in town. It has a lawn and large, comfortable rooms overlooking the river for Rs 800 to Rs 1200.
Apple Valley Resorts (66266), in Mohal on National Highway 21, has comfortable modern cottages. It is well-managed and has a good restaurant. White-water rafting is done on the Beas River here.

Where to Eat
Hotstuff, near the tourist office at the Maiden, has good Indian food and pizzas.
HPTDC’s Monal Café, nearby, has good Indian food and snacks. Hotel Aroma Classic, by the Maiden, is a nice place.
Hotel Rahtang, next to the Maiden, has good food and breakfasts.
Hotel Shobla has a good view and good food at fairly high prices. Shabnam, in the Hotel Vaishali, is a very good place.

Travel
Air There is an airport at Bhuntar, 10km south of Kullu. A few airlines have flights to Delhi. There are daily Jagson Airlines (65222) flights to Delhi ($125). There are flights to Shimla ($60) three days a week. The Jagson office is in the Bijleshwar View Hotel. Archana Airways (65630), office is in Mohal, 6km south of Kullu and flights can be booked at the hotel Vaishali (24225). An auto-rickshaw to the airport is Rs 60 and a taxi is Rs 100.

Bus Some buses can be booked in advance at the bus station. It is best to get on the bus at the station and not at Dhalpur Maiden, because by the time the bus gets to the Maiden there are often no seats left.

There are direct buses to Delhi (16 hr), Dharamsala, Chandigarh (12 hr, 270km), Mandi and Shimla (9 hr, 235km). There are four public buses daily to Dharamsala. There is a HPTDC A/C super-deluxe bus to and from Delhi. Other luxury HPTDC buses go to Manali, Dharamsala, Chandigarh and Shimla.

There are regular buses between Kullu and Manali. Buses on the main road take less than two hours, but buses that go on the east side of the river, the Naggar side, can take 3½ hours. You get buses that go on the Naggar side of the river at the bus stop in Akhara Bazaar. They depart every couple hours. There are buses to Manikaran every half-hour. You can take a bus to Bhuntar and another bus from there to Manikaran.

Taxi The Kullu Taxi Union (22332) is north of Dhalpur Maiden. Prices to places are fixed. A taxi to Manali is Rs 600 on the west side of the river and Rs 700 on the Naggar side. A local sight-seeing tour is Rs 500. Waiting time is Rs 50 per hour.

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