Sacred items from Kullu temple sent to Ayodhya for consecration event

Abhinav Vashisht

Kullu, January 18

Sacred items from Lord Raghunath temple in Kullu have been sent to Ayodhya for the consecration ceremony of the Lord Rama’s idol scheduled for January 22. Other sacred material like ‘charan paduka’, ‘choeur’, ‘chowki’ and ‘bagge’ (clothes for the deity) have also been sent as per religious customs. A Kullvi cap and a shawl will be presented in Ayodhya.

The ‘Chharibardar’ (chief caretaker) of Lord Raghunath, Maheshwar Singh, took these items to Ayodhya today. He was accompanied by chief priest Dinesh Kumar and Ayodhyanand Wazir. They will also go to the Tretanath temple in Ayodhya from where the idol of Lord Raghunath (Rama) was brought to Kullu in the mid-17th century.

A special puja was organized today at the temple of Lord Raghunath in Raghunathpur and all the sacred items were also kept for ‘darshan’ of the devotees. A procession was taken out from the temple to Sarwari and people welcomed it at many places. Hundreds of people were present and the valley echoed with the chants of Lord Raghunath.

The silver ‘charan paduka’ and clothes for Lord Rama have been prepared in Kullu. The ‘choeur’ has been prepared by the artisans of Kinnaur. ‘Choeur’ is used in worshiping deities and it drives away evil powers. It is made from the tail hair of Yak having a silver handle on one end.

Festive atmosphere prevails across the valley regarding the consecration ceremony of the temple of Lord Rama in Ayodhya. A “Sundarkand” path, along with the recitation of Ramayana and hymns, would also be organised in Kullu throughout the day on January 22. A community feast would be organised at the Raghunath temple.

Lord Raghunath is Kullu’s chief deity. Kullu has a deep connection with Ayodhya due to the presence of Lord Raghunath’s idol, which was brought from Ayodhya 374 years ago. All major religious functions of Lord Rama celebrated in Ayodhya were also held here accordingly.

According to folklore, when the then King Jagat Singh got information that a Brahmin named Durgadutt had pure pearls, he sought the same from him. However, the Brahmin did not have the pearls so he set himself ablaze, fearing the King’s wrath. Thereafter, the King fell ill due to the curse of Brahmin’s death.

Sage Krishandas Pathhari advised the King that he could cured of the illness if the idols of Lord Rama and Goddess Sita built at the time of Ashwamedha Yajna were brought from the Tretanath temple in Ayodhya and installed in Kullu. The sage gave this job to his disciple Damodar Das, who went to Ayodhya and served the priests in the Tretanath temple for a year. He stole the idols but was caught in Haridwar. When the priests of Ayodhya started taking the idol back, it became so heavy that it could not be lifted but when Damodar Das lifted it, it became light like a flower. In such a situation, the people allowed the idol to be brought to Kullu.

The legend has it that the King washed the feet of the idol of Lord Raghunath and drank that water and was cured of his illness. Then the King handed his entire kingdom to Lord Raghunath and became the ‘Chharibardar’ (chief caretaker) of the deity. This tradition continues even today in which a member of the erstwhile royal family is the ‘Chharibardar’ of Lord Raghunath.