Idol gone, uncertainty looms large over Kullu Dussehra

MANALI: Who would the 292 deities of Kullu valley pay obeisance to and before whom shall lakhs of devotees bow down during the weeklong Dussehra festivities? This is a question that has stormed all minds in Kullu as idol of Lord Raghunath, the presiding deity of Kullu Dussehra that is the largest annual cultural event of the state, has been robbed from its 357-year-old temple.
"Thieves have rendered us destitute," says Kapil Sharma, priest of Bijli Mahadev and follower of Lord Raghunath. "We have unwavering faith in Raghunath ji. We know he will come back to his temple through some medium, but if the theft is not recovered, how will we celebrate our festival? Who will lead the deities of Kullu valley?" he asked.
The weeklong Dussehra festival starts only after worship of Lord Raghunath, whose centuries-old gold idol, believed to have been brought from Ayodhya in 1657, used to be present at the Dussehra grounds through the seven-day festival perched on a silver palanquin. All the deities and thousands and devotees would visit the deity's campsite during the festival to pay obeisance. The practice is believed to have continued for over 350 years, but uncertainty looms large over the tradition now.
According to historian and former language, art and culture officer Sita Ram, the idol is of historic importance and should be recovered to keep the faith of lakhs of people intact. "If the idol is not found, the only option would be to make another idol and establish it in the temple after performing pran-pratishtha ceremony. This way, the religious tradition of Dussehra will continue as before. But yes, neither the new idol will have the historic importance nor will the followers devote themselves wholly. Recovering the idol is going to be an acid test for our cops."
The temple heist in the thickly populated area has left Kullu residents shocked. All through Wednesday, people continued to visit the temple to express their sorrow over the theft of the "king" of Kullu valley. Some have resorted to traditional methods of finding way to reach the thieves with the help of shamans.
For some, obeisance to Lord Raghunath was part of life. "It was my daily routine to visit the temple to worship Raghunath ji and consume his charnamrit. Whom to worship now? When a temple in a densely populated area is not safe, how can we expect our security from police and government?" asked local resident Ashok Kumar.
"Had we learnt our lesson from the earlier theft, the scenario would have been different," said Prabha Devi, another resident.
Robbers decamped with one kg gold and 10 kg silver besides the priceless mixed metal idol of Lord Ragunath, a gold locket, a mixed metal idol of Lord Hanuman with a golden chain, Lord Narsingh's stone "shila" (plank) covered in gold and an idol of Lord Ganesha, besides other valuables.