Kullu - The Valley of God

Old temple of sage Manu in the Sainj Valley of Kullu

The Kullu valley is rightly known as “The Valley of God” .In the entire valley there are about 360 Gods and Goddesses .Every village in the valley has a deity with a temple shrine .These Gods and Goddesses are the central figures of the village societies and the social gatherings , festivals , celebrations, marriages and other social functions are usually presided over by the deity .The temples and the deities infact control the social and religious norms of the people of Kullu .These Gods are taken to other villages or for sacred ablution to a holy river /spring or to attend the famous Dashehra festival at Kullu in nicely decorated palanquins in a lively procession of men , women and children . The Gods and Goddesses in Kullu valley own their lands, and with respect to their land holding some are very rich and some are poor .The land belonging to the deity is distributed amongst different categories of people engaged in the deity’s service. The music players, priest and kardars have share of land in lieu of services to the Gods.