The natives of Kullu valley have developed enduring faith in the Supreme Being. Any vital decision they take is directed by the God's will. It may be marriage fixing, starting a new business or construction of a house. People advance every step of their life, after seeking permission of the deities.

Lord Shiva is worshipped here in the form of Bijli Mahadev, Juani Mahadev, Jageshar Mahadev and Shensher Mahadev. Brahma and Vishnu are worshipped as local deities.

Manu, Beas, Vashishtha, Kapil, Parshuram and Narad are the sages worshipped in the valley. These sages realized the sanctity of the valley and settled here. Through their knowledge, bravery and good deeds they acquired the position of God during the epic period.

The system of prayer in the temples of local deities is very different and is not according to the shastras (ancient scriptures). The custom of animal sacrifice is still prevalent in this region. Sacrifices are also made to calm the evil spirits.

A person who is a communicating link between the God and people is called 'Gur'. It is believed that the spirit of deity enters the Gur and predicts the future and promises to help people in time of need. People acquaint him with their difficulties and get answers. It is believed that wrath of gods may cause natural calamities.

This valley has 18 Nag (holy snakes) temples. The most important Vasuki Nag's temple is in Halaan village, near Naggar. These snakes are believed to be gods possessing supernatural powers. Surya Pooja (worshipping the sun) is also prevalent. There is a Surya temple in Nirath.

Most goddesses worshipped in the valley are forms of Durga (a powerful goddess destroying evil). She is worshipped as Hadimba, Vaishno Devi and Bhuvneshwari. People also worship Yoginees, who are believed to be the helpers of Goddess Durga. They also help the people in distress. Their temples are in Bahu near Jallori Pass.

Winter Carnival

Winter carnival is the most awaited event in the valley. This gay festival has been

declare a state level festival. Massive participation by culture groups and

students from various colleges of India marks the success of winter carnival. The

festival is held at 'Manu Kala Kendra' in Manali.

Second and third weeks of January in Manali are a feast for the visitors when the

five-day long festival is held.

The performers try to show their excellence and give their level best. It provides

opportunities to the artists to prove themselves.

Competitions conducted include Indian classical music (vocal and instrumental),

folk songs, folk dances, classical dances, group dances, group songs, fancy dress,

film songs, film dances, one act plays, and street plays. The most awaited

competitions are Men's personality contest and Winter Queen contest.

First day of the festival is something to behold. First day tablos are presented by

various cultural groups, which is also a competitive item. The rest four days are

equally inviting, offering you a substantial variety of programs. On the last day of

the carnival, finals of Winter Queen contest and Men's Personality contest are

held. On the last day, the chief guest distributes prizes to the victorious

participants of the five-day long festival.

Spring Festival

Spring festival is also called Basantotsava or Pipal jatra and takes place at

Dhalpur ground Kullu from 28th April to 30th April. This fair has been declared a

state festival by the Himachal Pradesh government. As it marks the beginning of

the spring season (and also the tourist season) in the valley, it is also known as

Spring Festival.

Kullu is known as the valley of gods. The villages have their own gods and

goddesses. It is said that in olden days, the King (or the Raja) used to sit in the

Dhalpur ground with his courtiers under the Pipal Tree to look at the traditional

dances. Earlier 16 Gods used to participate in the fair, but as the years rolled by,

the fair lost its grandeur.

Every night during the festival, cultural programs are performed by the various

cultural groups at Kala Kendra which is a big open-air theater. The cultural groups

and reputed artists come from all over India to perform in the festival.

Kuluvi folk dances reflect rich cultural heritage, vibrant life style, love, hard work and the struggle of local people to survive in the adversaries. Kullu People are very fond of dances. They are prompt to dance on all gay occasions like, fairs and festivals. The Folk Dances

of Kullu can be broadly grouped as-

Women Folk Dances

Charasay-Tarasay: This dance is also called Birshu-Nirshu. It is performed in

the months of March and April. Only married women can take part in it. Any

number of dancers can participate. This dance is performed only on the songs and

the musical instruments are not played. It starts in the evening and ends in the

morning.

Lalharhi: Only unmarried women perform this

dance during fairs and marriage ceremonies. The

dance is accompanied only by songs. The musical

instruments aren't played during the dance. The

dancers arrange themselves in two rows facing each

other. One of the rows starts singing, dancing and

moves towards the other row. Then they come back

to their previous positions. The other row of dancers

follow the same step.

Kahika Dance: Kahika dance is performed on the occasion of Kahika fair. A man

is made unconscious for one or two hours by the divine power. He is called

'Naurh'. The wife of Naurh, called Naurhan performs this dance. She dances

around the temple in front of the palanquin of the local deity. Her dance expresses

that she has offered her husband to the deity and if he does not return back to

consciousness, she will take away all the belongings of the deity.

Men Folk Dances

Bandhu or Ghost Dance: This dance takes place in January from 4: 00 A.M. to

6: 00 A.M. Because of indecent songs and indecent behavior, which are an

essential part of the dance, women are forbidden to see it. The dancers get

together in the temple premises with torches in their hands. After dancing there

for some time they move to a particular place. They dance at that place and move

back to the temple. They light a campfire called 'Jagra' before the temple. It is

believed that after performing the Bandhu dance the entire evil spirits ward off

and the people of the village live in peace and harmony.

Horn Dance: It is a traditional dance of Kullu people, which is performed, in the

cold and dark nights of January. The story behind it is that the people performed

this dance to get rid of an evil king. He was so enchanted by the dance that he did

not realize that the dancers had cut his throat. There are six dancers in the horn

dance. Two of them disguise themselves as a deer by covering themselves with a

shawl and placing horns on the head of the person who is in front. Two other

dancers are dressed up as clowns. Out of the rest one is dressed up as a woman.

They perform the dance in the temple and then go door to door performing their

act.

Deo Khel & Hulki Dance: Deo Khel is a religious dance. The person who is

dancing is believed that he goes into trance (that God has entered his body). This

person is called Gur. When he starts dancing a procession is taken out which is led

by the Gur. The local people dance and follow the palanquin of the deity. Hulki

Dance is similar to Deo Khel.

Mixed Folk Dances (Men & Women)

Natti: Natti is the most popular form of mixed dance. On special occasions the

dancers dress up in their traditional costumes. Generally there are twelve to

sixteen dancers but any number of dancers can take part as the dance

progresses. Usually they dance in a circle.

Apparently there are different kinds of natti, which differ in style, rhythm and

steps. Some of the popular ones are Dhili Natti, Pheti Natti, Tinki Natti, Bushehri

Natti, Dohri Natti, Lahauli Natti, Janhujang, Bajuband, Kharhaya, Uzgazma and

Utharhi Natti.

The native dialect of Kullu is 'Kulluvi'. It is further divided into 3 sub-dialects, which are Outer Seraji, Inner Seraji and Sainji.

Outer Seraji: This dialect is widely spoken in the region between South of Jallori Pass and Korpan Valley. Inner Seraji: From the North of Jallori Pass which extends to Aut - at a distance of 28 km from Kullu, the dialect is widely spoken. Sainji: In the Sainj Valley, which is at a distance of 35 km from Kullu, Sainji is widely spoken.

Usage and pronunciation of certain words of Kulluvi dialect vary from valley to valley within Kullu district.

Dr. Greyson of 'Linguistic Survey of India' considers the dialect of Kullu as the basis of the dialects of Mandi, Kangra and Chamba districts. Kulluvi has a rich tradition of folk literature rooted in the ancient (Puranic) tradition of the Aryans. During the period of feudal states, Kullu literature was written in Tankri script. Tankri became famous in 17th century. During ancient times, Tankri was the script of the Royal Courts. All the official documents were written in Tankri script,

but as the Royal Courts vanished, this script also started disappearing. Tankri originated from Sharda script (one of the ancient script used in Kashmir region). Even before that Devanagari script (the source script for Hindi language) was in vogue.

The dialect spoken in Village Malana, which is believed to be one of the oldest existing republic, is called Kanashi, but signs of Kirta language are also found here. Kirta language is closely connected to the Indo-Aryan family of languages.

Some 25-years ago there was a limited variety of foods in Kullu Valley. Paddy and maize were the main crops in mountains as climate was favorable for growing these crops. Kodra (cereal) and Salyara formed the daily meals of people. Kodra was considered to be an energetic food as it contained iron. Salyara was believed to be capable of being put to stock for decades of years and proved beneficial for the regular consumers. During saja (local festival) special food was cooked. It consisted of bhaturas, patrodu, vadas and vegetables.

Tea is the most popular drink served at any time. Milk, curd, butter, lassi (a drink made out of curd) and ghee (purified butter) are also consumed a lot. Milk, curd, butter and ghee were also in the routine diet because every house had cows. The food has everything to make a person healthy.

In functions and marriages cooking and serving is done in the traditional way which is called 'Dham'. The menu is the same in every function as it includes rice, madra (curd based dish), curry (cooked beaten curd), raita (digestive, made of dry fruits with mustard base), some pulses and sweet rice. Food is cooked by 'Boti' (Brahmin Cook) in big brass utensils and every one sits on the ground in rows to have food. Food is served by boties (people who serve the food) on Pattal (leaf plate).

Sattu made from wheat also formed the daily food of every one. Bhatura (fermented flour bread), stuffed bhatura, Jatu (red rice) and Kodra roti (cereal bread) were cooked in every house. Presently these dishes are occasionally prepared by the people of Kullu Valley. People are now growing a number of vegetables and grains for domestic and commercial purposes. All kinds of foodstuffs are also available in the market. Rice, Pulses, wheat and vegetables form the daily food.

People of Kullu Valley make wine from barley and red rice in their houses, which is known as 'Chakti' and 'Lugri' respectively.

Breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner are called nhuari, klar, dapohri and byali respectively.