Raghunathji Temple Kullu

      There is an interesting legend connected with the idol of Raghunathji, chief deity of valley with which its biggest festival of dussera is axsocated. It says that Raja Jagat Singh of Kullu who had been informed that a 'Patha' of pears was in the possession of one Brahmin named Durga dutt of village Tipri, directed his men to fetch the pearls from the Brahmin. He was greatly harrassed by the Raja's men. finding the torture rather unbrearable, he told them that the pearls whould be delivered to the Raja on the return to the village from Manikaran where he was going. When the Raja arrived at the village, the brahmin locked his familiy and set fire to the house. Sitting by its side, he cut his flesh with sharp blade at every leap of the fire, shouting in tone of curese "Have the pearls, O Raja". The enture family was reduced to ashes. The Raja was thereafter haunted by the spirit of the innocent Brahmin familiy. Stung by the qualms of the pinch of the stings and arrows of the deadly sin commited by him. he noticed crawling worms in place of rice an dhuman blood in place of water in the tumbler. he went to a renowned Bairag saing, Shri Kishan Dass ji paihari, who lived at Naggar. He unburdened his heavily laden heart at the feet of the Bairagi and sought his advise to expiate for the wrong done. The saint advised him to embrace Vaishnava dharma and to enthrone the image of Raghunathji which at that time, was lying in a temple at Ayodhya. Raja agreed to it. Shri Damodar Dass, a disciple of the Bairagi, was deputed for this purpose. He managed to decamp with the idol long with the Pujari from Ayodhya in July 1651. The idol was installed at Raghunathji's temple at Sultanpur and the raja voluntarily donated his entire kingdom to Raghunathji and started functioning as his vice-regent of the God.