Kullu City

Yesterday we went to the city of Kullu which is the capital of the Kullu Valley. We drove to the G B Institue of Himalayan Environment and Development. The scientists who run the Earth Watch program meet with us and trained us in the field work that we will be doing while studying the plants and insects in the Kullu Valley.

We learned about the special medicinal uses of some of the plants native to the Kullu Valley. The locals have used plants for centuries to help treat disease and improve their health. Today many pharmasuitical companies buy these plants because they have been discovered to help fight diseases like cancer, and help break up kidney stones.

This little green leaf is put into a drug that doctors give to patients fighting breast cancer. It's called:

This plant is so tough that it literally breaks through the rocks on the hillsides where it grows. Locals chew the roots and it helps break-up kidney stones! Pharmasuitical companies use this plant to make pills that people consume when they have kidney stones.

This hearty stone buster is called :

Kullu Valley, also known as the "Valley of Gods", it is well known for the seven day festival of Kullu Dusshera, a celebration of Avatar Lord Rama's victory over the evil king Ravana. Yesterday on our drive into Kullu city we stopped several times to allow religious processions of men pass us on their way into the city. The men come  from every village in the valley and play instruments and carry a shrine of their village's diety on a plank  (with the help of one man from every family in the village) into Kullu city. These processions of musicians walk for miles carrying their village's shrine to the valley's capital. It was really a sight to see and hear. 

This video shows the religious procession for the Hindu holiday Desshera.

We finished up our day with a visit to Kullu's street fair. It was kind of like our OC Fair with carnival rides and vendors from all over the valley selling goods and showing the latest products to make village life easier. They sold foods, handy crafts, clothes, toys, jewelry, shoes, kitchen gadgets, DVDs to improve English speaking skills, even cars!

Hand-made baskets are used by the villagers to haul farm crops, carry laundry, and store food.

A stuffed animal of the god Ganesha!

Spices!

This was my favorite: a display of waterproof wrist watches! I have never seen a bucket of watches immersed in water for sale in the states:-)

Another amazing sight that I found so much fun to watch was the henna artists at the fair. The artists are young girls  about 8 - 10 years old who draw the most intricate designs in henna on women's hands and feet. Henna is a semi-permanent reddish dye that Hinndu women paint on their bodies.

Tomorrow we will be putting our best foot forward and hiking to a local apple orchard to begin our field research.