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Himachal: Two injured in fire at Kullu Dussehra, tents of deities, shops gutted
The week-long festival started with the traditional rath yatra of Lord Raghunath on October 24, Vijay Dashami, and there were nearly 300 deities in the yatra
Two people were injured when a major fire broke out at Dhalpur Ground, the venue for the week-long international Kullu Dussehra festival, around 2am on Saturday, sparking off panic as tents housing idols of deities and makeshift shops were reduced to ashes.
Fire department personnel said 13 tents of deities, a vehicle and five shops were burnt to ashes.
Also read: Kullu Dussehra kicks off with gaiety
Kullu deputy commissioner Ashutosh Garg said: “The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Some shops of shoes and plastic have been completely or partially damaged, besides tents housing ‘raths’ (chariots) of deities, which were brought for the festival.”
Nearly 300 idols of gods and goddesses have been brought to Dhalpur Ground located in front of the court complex for paying obeisance to Lord Raghunath.
Preliminary investigation showed a cooking gas cylinder exploded after which the fire spread quickly.
Kullu district police chief Sakshi Verma Karthikeyan said that two men suffered injuries while dousing the fire and one of them was hospitalised. The fire brigade stationed at the site promptly brought the blaze under control. Musical instruments made of silver were gutted.
The ‘raths’ were moved out of the tents when the fire broke out. Temporary arrangements have been made for those affected by the fire, the officials said.
The Kullu Dussehra festival dates back to the 17th century when then ruler Jagat Singh installed an idol of Lord Raghunath on his throne. Following this, Lord Raghunath was declared as the ruling deity of the Kullu Valley.
