Raghunath Temple, Kullu

In the 17th century, Raja Jagat Singh of Kullu committed a great mistake. To atone for the sin, he sent a senior courtier to Ayodhya for a statue of Lord Raghunath - Lord Ram. This temple was built in 1651 A.D. by Raja Jagat Singh to house the image, which continues to be greatly revered. Every year, the international fair Dussehra is celebrated with local deities in honour of Lord Raghunath.

Raja Rupi Kulu Palace.
Raja Rupi Kulu Palace is 140 m from Raghunath Temple. It is a 2-minute walk along Raghunath Temple Street.

The car park is in the square in front of the palace.

Walking towards the temple.

Arch of access to the temple.

Square in front of the temple.
This square is located west of the temple.

Entrance door to the temple.

Detail of the roof of the temple door.
Garuda, in the center, is flanked by a Hanuman on either side. Take note of the wooden panels behind these three sculptures.

The Garuda bird is Rama's mount.
Hanuman is a Hindu god and a divine vanara companion of the god Rama. He is an ardent devotee of Rama and one of the chiranjivis.
See more at Garuda - Wikipedia and Hanuman - Wikipedia.

Detail of Garuda and the three wooden panels behind him.

Three more wooden panels on top of the roof.

Entrance to the hall where shoes are removed.

Central courtyard of the temple.

Small shrines in the central courtyard.
Several small shrines are located on the south side of the central courtyard.

Several turbans are lying on the floor of the courtyard.

Small shrine with Shiva surrounded by mountains.
The small shrine that is in a more central location in the courtyard represents Shiva surrounded by mountains.

The Himalayas is a palace, a castle where Lord Shiva is known to be in a deep state of meditation without any hurdles from the material world and interruptions from the outside world.
Legends say Shiv jee has wisely chosen the Himalayas as his home as it is the gift of nature and best place in the world to meditate and let your mind be in control.
See more at Shiva - Wikipedia.

Small shrine dedicated to the goddess Waghoba.
Waghoba is an ancient tiger/leopard deity worshipped by a number of tribes in India for centuries.

Depending on the region of India, the deity is either described exclusively as a tiger or a leopard as a deity that can take both forms. There are several temples for the deity throughout India.
See more at Waghoba - Wikipedia.

Small sanctuary dedicated to the god Hanuman.
Hanuman usually carries weapons such as a mace (gada) and thunderbolt (vajra).

He is viewed as the ideal combination of shakti ("strength, heroic initiative and assertive excellence") and bhakti ("loving, emotional devotion to his personal god Rama").
See more at Hanuman - Wikipedia.

Small sanctuary dedicated to the sun god Surya.
Surya is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a means to realise Brahman.

The oldest surviving Vedic hymns, such as the hymn 1.115 of the Rigveda, mention Sūrya with particular reverence for the "rising sun" and its symbolism as dispeller of darkness, one who empowers knowledge, the good and all life.
The Vedas assert Sun (Surya) to be the creator of the material universe (Prakriti).
See more at Surya - Wikipedia.

Obelisk carved in the middle of the courtyard.

The main deity is behind this red and yellow awning.

Carved window through which we can see the holy of holies.

The main deity is seated on this chair.
The main deity of Kullu Valley is Lord Raghunath or Lord Rama.

Rama is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Being.
See more at Rama - Wikipedia.

Hindu temple priests (Pujari) performing rituals.
The primary responsibility of members of the priesthood class is to conduct daily prayers (puja) at the local temple and officiate Hindu rituals and ceremonies.

A pujari assumes that all visitors to their temple wish to bear witness to a darshana, an auspicious vision of the temple idol (murti) that serves as a representation of a given deity within the holy of holies (garbhagriha).
They perform daily pujas for the veneration of the deity, as well as for bestowing the deity's blessings upon the gathered devotees, where they prominently present an arti (lighted camphor upon a plate) that is ritually circled, facing the temple idol (murti).
After performing the puja by chanting the sacred mantrams, ringing the prayer bell, and sometimes by reciting the sthala purana (a regional Hindu legend that explains the significance of the temple), the pujari blesses the devotees by offering them prasadam (consecrated offerings of food), charanamritam or tirtham (water that was previously used to wash the feet of the murti), satari (a golden or silver crown that is placed upon the devotees' head, bearing an imprint of the murti's feet), and tilakam (sandalwood paste, kumkumam, vibhuti that is worn on the devotees' forehead).
See more at Hindu priest, Functions - Wikipedia.

A little boy rings the prayer bell.

Woman in traditional costume.

Homa ritual's altar (fire pit).
The homa ritual's altar (fire pit) is itself a symmetry, most often a square, a design principle that is also at the heart of temples and mandapas in Indian religions.

In Indic religions, a homa also known as havan, is a fire ritual performed on special occasions by a Hindu priest.
A homa is sometimes called a "sacrifice ritual" because the fire destroys the offering, but a homa is more accurately a "votive ritual". The fire is the agent, and the offerings include those that are material and symbolic such as grains, ghee, milk, incense and seeds.
See more at Homa (ritual) - Wikipedia.