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Untold Tales Of Malana – 7 Peculiar Facts About The Village Of Taboos

Visit Malana, the village of many untold stories. Read all about this mysterious yet spectacular village of Malana in Himachal Pradesh.

By Srushti

Malana, an ancient village of Himachal Pradesh has many secrets that have been maintained in the village for ages. Situated by the side of the Parvati Valley, it is a secluded village that does not mingle with the other villages in the vicinity. Nestled in luscious greenery and surrounded by snow-clad mountains, Malana is perched at an altitude of 9,500 ft above the sea level.

Here is a list of facts about Malana that you might not have known.

Fact #1: Malana Is Famous For Charas, But What Is It?

Malana has drawn a lot of hashish lovers from all around the world, and it is an open secret about Malana that they have the best charas or cannabis resin. Although declared illegal by the government of India, it is popularly sold as "Malana Cream", which is a product of cannabis plants grown in the Parvati Valley.

The Malana Cream is known worldwide for its high quality hash. In fact, hash is so common and sold out in the open that there would be no surprise even if a Malanese child offers it to you!

Malana

PC: Anees Mohammed KP

Fact #2: It Has The Oldest Democracy In The World

Malana village has been running on democracy since time immemorial, in their own style, and continues to do so. "Hakima" is what they call their village council, which is divided into 2 parts, higher court and lower court. They have a separate judiciary system which is also divided into Pradhan and Up-pradhan.

Fact #3: No Skin Contact!

The Malanese people are extremely strict about the rule of not touching or coming in contact with any outsiders, on the off-chance of getting touched they either run for a bath or charge you a fine! Not just the people, but their belongings, walls they live in, everything comes under a no-touching zone for the visitors!

Apart from this, they consider their language "Kanashi" and their temples too sacred for any outsiders to visit. The "No" zone extends to these factors too! However, the people are known to be friendly, despite their strict rules.

Fact #4: They Believe They Are The Descendants Of Alexander The Great

The whole no touching rule roots from the fact that they believe they are the actual descendant of the conqueror Alexander The Great. They believe that they belongto the true Aryan race, and this is reflected even in their style of government which follows the ancient Greek system.

Malana

PC: Travelling Slacker

Fact #5: Conflicts Are Resolved Based On A Lamb's Death!

The Malanese people strongly believe in faith and thus have a peculiar judicial system, perhaps something that you've never heard of before. When there is an upcoming decision to be made about an unresolved conflict between two parties, the right foreleg of two lambs are cut about one and a half inches deep, stuffed it with poison and sewn right back up.
Each lamb is assigned to a party and whichever lamb dies first, that particular party loses the judgement. This is done because they believe the decision is made by their Devta or God.

Fact #6: List Of Taboos Go On...

It doesn't just get over with the no-touching and no-speaking Kanashi, there's more! They are very sensitive towards their natural resources so hammering nails onto trees is prohibited, only dry twigs and leaves can be carried out of the forests and wood cannot be burned in the forests.

Another peculiar yet true rule is that the Police intervention isn't allowed in their system. If anybody needs the help of police, the person must pay a fine of Rs 1000 to the council.

Malana

PC: Anshul Dabral

Fact #7: Strict Customs And Traditions

By now it is well-established that the people of Malana are very strict about their customs and follow it religiously. The marriage of Malanese people is pre-arranged in their adolescence. The bride is supposed to run behind her husband and her in-law while holding a torch as part of their customs, on their wedding night.

A man can have multiple wives and in case he divorces one of his wives, he must help her financially. However, quite similar to the rest of the Indian traditions, anybody who marries an outsider will be banished from the village forever.

How To Reach Malana?

By Air: The closest air base to Malana is the Kullu Airport, located around 25 km from Malana. The airport is well-connected to major cities like Chandigarh, Pathankot, Delhi, etc. Cabs and taxis are available outside the airport.

By Train: The closest rail head is the Joginder Nagar Railway Station located about 125 km from Malana. Trains from cities like Chandigarh and Delhi travel to Malana. Cab can be rented from this point.

By Bus: From Delhi, catch a bus to Bhuntar and then to Kasol, which is 31 km from Bhuntar. On the way you will find a place named Jari from where you can either trek to Malana which is about 1.5 km from Jari, or hire a taxi.

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