Kullu Valley

The Kullu valley runs along the Beas between Mandi and Manali, planted with apple orchards on the terraces and known as the valley of the gods for the density of village deities, each with a temple, a palanquin and a set of attendants. At Dussehra in October, when the rest of India ends its festival, Kullu begins one: hundreds of these deities are carried in from villages across the valley in decorated palanquins with drums and horns, assembled on the Dhalpur maidan for a week, and taken home again. Kullu shawls and Himachali caps are woven here, and the valley is a base for the surrounding treks.

What you actually see

• The Dussehra gathering - hundreds of village deities carried into one ground.
• The apple orchards - terraced plantings along the valley sides.
• The weaving - Kullu shawls and caps made in valley workshops.
• The village temples - timber and stone shrines with their own deities.

When to go

March to June and September to November; Dussehra falls in October and is the reason to time a visit, though accommodation fills. Apple harvest runs from late summer. The monsoon brings landslides.

Honest expectations

Dussehra crowds are enormous and the valley road jams completely. Outside the festival, Kullu town itself is unremarkable and most visitors continue to Manali. Shawl shops vary widely in quality.

Nearby

Manali lies north; the Parvati valley branches east.