Dusshera, Kullu, Dhalpur, Himachal Pradesh, India.
After the gods, come the shopping.
The Kullu Dusshera is without the shadow of a doubt Himachal’s largest religious gathering in an available spot of land and a distant competitor of the Kumbh Mela. But the commune of gods isn’t the only reason for folks to collect in numbers within the steady growing township of Kullu during this time of the year. The festival is also a seasonal super market, both visitors and businesses, hate to miss.
During the ten day course, lucky shopkeepers can get to earn incomes equivalent or better than a year’s harvest while local shoppers – specially villagers who live in isolated settlements up in the hills and seldom step into towns – get to stock up on commodities with the hope they last till the next celebration.
Over the years, crowds and stalls have grown more numerous with tourists swelling up the ranks of the local shopper, and global brands jostling for customer attention alongside quality local products and the more predominant cheaper variety of goods.
In a single day, bargaining and haggling, can let one shop up anything from traditional Himachali garments, shawls, pure Pashmina and Angora woollens to souvenirs, grass baskets, sickles, farming equipment, items for every day use, shoes, bags, jackets, second hand fur coats, imported products that sometimes come all the way from China, branded appliances and more at some very economical prices.
