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Manali Charas my favorite hash.
Here is a little bit of back ground information on this lovely hash.
The Real Story Of Malana Village That Produces The Best Hash In the World
Perched 9500ft above sea level and surrounded by the mesmerizing and mysterious mountains of Chandrakhani and DeoTibba on all sides lies here's presenting the real Malana of Himachal Pradesh.
Manish SharmaSri Aurobindo Center for Arts and CommunicationPublished on Apr 14
The poetry of the earth is never dead.
~John Keats
Malana, Himachal Pradesh
Imagine a magical place—9500ft above sea level, a tiny village amidst the lush green, shimmering snow-capped mountains of Parvati valley. Flowing through the mountains is the crystal clear Malana nala whose clattering and gushing sound is all that breaks the silence and the fresh and pure fragrance of the Cannabis plant engulfs the whole valley with sweetness and awe.
Yes, it exists. And its called 'Malana'.
"Did you know that Beatles re-discovered their music here? Steve Jobs during his trip to India came here, went back and invented the first ever iPod. I am telling you this place does something to you. There's magic in it."
- a tourist
But, first questions first —
How can you reach Malana, in the cheapest way possible?
Malana is perfect for a weekend gateway from the hustles and bustles of a normal monotonous city life. Here's how you can be there, cheap and fast.
Trekking point to Malana Village.
Malana is famous for 'Malana cream', a strain of Cannabis hashish which has high oil content and an intensely fragrant aroma. The Malana cream is so famous for being the most expensive hashish in the Amsterdam menu.
The value of Malana cream overseas in unbelievable. It is almost ten times the value of gold. The foreigners are literally ready to pay any price we set for the cream. It is generally 8000-10000 per tole for foreigners.
- A local hashish dealer
Preparing the cream takes a lot of time and physical labor as everything is hand-made. This is what makes hash, 'the cream.'
Some features of Malana Cream:
Malana Village
Malana is believed to have the oldest democracies in the world. The council members are chosen by village folk without any nomination. The local council has been settling many internal issues. The decision of the council remains the ultimate decision as they consider it to be the decision of their God.
Habitant of Malana
One of the Village Heads
They are also believed to be the direct descendants of 'Alexander The Great'. The myth has it that during Alexander's Indian campaign in 326 B.C, Alexander was looking for someone to defeat in the hills of the Parvati valley. But the rough and rugged mountains forced Alexander and his fellow companions to settle in a valley (today known as Malana). They constructed a small village in the area and lived there for a long time. When Alexandar decided to go further on his crusade to take control of the Indian subcontinent , some of them are believed to have stayed back. Their local court system even today reflects ancient Greek system.
But the fact that they constitute the bloodline ofAlexander The Great is disrupted by yet another Hindu myth.
Jamdangni Rishi in the days of yore worshipped Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesha. After his intense prayers, Shiva appeared before him and told him to ask for a boon. Jamdagani Rishi asked for a place, secluded and full of nature's bounty. Shiva told him to go to Malana. The Rishi's two brothers followed him. In order to avoid them he created mist in the valley and told his brothers that the place was not good and further said that if they want to stay they could. His brothers lift his company and one of them went to Lahoul and the other to the Banjar valley. Malana was already in the control of a big Rakshasa when Rishi reached there the Rakshasa retaliated, which resulted in a fight between the two.
According to another tradition, the residents of Malana are the descendant of Aryans, and they acquired their independence during the Mughal reign when the Emperor Akbar walked to the village in order to cure an ailment that he was afflicted with; after having been successfully cured he put out an edict stating that all the inhabitants of the valley would never be required to pay tax.
Thus, there is a lot of myth associated with the people residing in the village of Malana. However recent DNA research has almost found no traces of Greek origin but only Aryan haplo types.
Their Culture and Tradition
The Malani people have a very vivid and colourful culture. Tourists cannot touch them or enter their houses or their temples. People from outside are also barred to touch the sacred stones.
The interesting thing however is when you ask them about their religion they say they follow a 'God' , 'Devta'. Though their customs and practices resembles much Hinduism , most of the village elders deny following any religion.
The villagers consider themselves to be superior to every non-Malani and therefore, consider it impure to touch any outsiders. Even the entry inside the temple is restricted. Dhamyani and Dhurani Rajputs stay in upper Malana and Nagvani and Pachani Rajputs reside in lower Malana. In terms of hierarchy, the Dhamyani is on the top and Panchani is at number four. This division in terms of classes is for name sake as the people inter-marry and share each other's burden.
The tree of devta. The locals believe inscribing coins on this particular tree fulfils one's wish.
There are two important festivals celebrated in Malana. One called Badoh mela celebrated in August and the other called Fagdi mela in February. Holy relics of Jamdagani Rishi in the form of instruments, jewellery, garments are kept on display. Men and women dance in their traditional attire consisting of chola, kalgi (round cap) and tight pajamas.
The language of the village, called Kanashi, is unintelligible for outsiders from the Kullu or Parvati Valley. It has been classified as a Sino-Tibetan tongue.
Problems faced by the Malani people
An old man carrying logs of wood
Chopping wood for fuel
A young mother and her son fight their way up the village amidst heavy rain.
A normal scene in front of the houses
Children playing near the school
A Malani boy
Helping their elders in domestic work.
The young shepherd
The Cannabis, the Police and the Government
For the locals, cannabis is a 'religion.' There is nothing else that grows in the valley except cannabis. Unlike other mountain villages where people farm potatoes and peas, Malana grows only one plant—cannabis. Infact, the stretch of cannabis fields in the whole of Parvati valley is quite unbelievable. They are seen growing wild everywhere. So, the livelihood of all Malani people depends on those 3 months of cannabis harvesting from September to November. There are approximately 7000 people in the village and almost each and everyone work together during the harvesting time.
But, the Malanis learnt the art of cannabis rubbing quite recently. Prior to that their only source of livelihood came from selling sheep wool.
Making jackets from sheep wool
"And then some foreigners came, taught us how to make hashish by rubbing the oil in our hands under sunlight and since then money has been decent. Yet it is not enough to send our children for better education and lead a comfortable life", says a local villager.
The case of Malana remains a very sophisticated and delicate one. The government and police have declared use of Cannabis as totally illegal. The police come and burn fields and even sometimes seize the hashish.
One of the villagers spoke up saying that the police plays a double game. In one hand they smoke cannabis and yet they are the ones who burn our fields. Another local villager said that sometimes the police and fellow village residents work together. Someone from the village informs the police about the customer. The police seize the hashish, give it back to the informer (even smoke themselves up) and they impose heavy fine on the customer.
The Indian government recently openly declared cannabis plantation as illegal and that it is something that would simply put an end to the youth of the country. And, therefore, the government and police believe that by burning the plantations they are keeping the flow of the drug in check. As a result, villages now farm in small fields and most of them have shifted to the interior of the village where no police can reach.
'Why does the government then not ban alcohol? asks a Malani to me.
"I think we are free to choose and decide what is good for us and what is bad. If alcohol is a choice, why can't be cannabis be our choice too? Even alcohol is destroying the youth. Currently, alcohol has monopoly in the market, but the moment cannabis gets legalized they know that alcohol factories will be shut down, just like that!"
What About The HEMP?
That was all about the complex relationship between the Malanis and the police. However, the point that everyone seems to be missing out is, 'what lies beyond smoking cannabis?'. A variant of the cannabis plant is hemp. Let me list down a few points of why we NEED hemp.
All that hemp - Wikipedia
On an annual basis, 1 acre of hemp will produce as much fibre as 2 to 3 acres of cotton. The hemp fibre is stronger and softer than cotton, lasts twice as long as cotton, and will not mildew.
Cotton grows only in moderate climates and requires more water than hemp; but hemp is frost tolerant, requires only moderate amounts of water, and grows in all 50 states. Cotton requires large quantities of pesticides and herbicides—50% of the world's pesticides/herbicides is used in the production of cotton. Hemp requires no pesticides, no herbicides, and only moderate amounts of fertilizer.
On an annual basis, 1 acre of hemp will produce as much paper as 2 to 4 acres of trees. From tissue paper to cardboard, all types of paper products can be produced from hemp.
The quality of hemp paper is superior to tree-based paper. Hemp paper will last hundreds of years without degrading, can be recycled many more times than tree-based paper, and requires less toxic chemicals in the manufacturing process than does paper made from trees.
Hemp can be used to produce fiberboard that is stronger and lighter than wood. Substituting hemp fibreboard for timber would further reduce the need to cut down our forests. It can also be used to produce durable and environment-friendly plastic substitutes. Thousands of products made from petroleum-based plastics can be produced from hemp-based composites.
It takes years for trees to grow until they can be harvested for paper or wood, but hemp is ready for harvesting only 120 days after it is planted. Hemp can grow on most land suitable for farming, while forests and tree farms require large tracts of land available in very few locations. Harvesting hemp rather than trees would also eliminate erosion due to logging, thereby reducing topsoil loss and water pollution caused by soil runoff.
Hemp seeds contain a protein that is more nutritious and more economical to produce than soybean protein. Hemp seeds are not intoxicating. Hemp seed protein can be used to produce virtually any product made from soybean: tofu, veggie burgers, butter, cheese, salad oils, ice cream, milk, etc. Hemp seed can also be ground into a nutritious flour that can be used to produce baked goods such as pasta, cookies, and breads.
Hemp seed oil can be used to produce non-toxic diesel fuel, paint, varnish, detergent, ink and lubricating oil. Because hemp seeds account for up to half the weight of a mature hemp plant, hemp seed is a viable source for these products.
Just as corn can be converted into clean-burning ethanol fuel, so can hemp. Because hemp produces more biomass than any plant species (including corn) that can be grown in a wide range of climates and locations, hemp has great potential to become a major source of ethanol fuel.
So the question is, what if the villagers are taught about the many uses of HEMP instead of rubbing cannabis as a drug?
Personal thoughts
View from my camp site
Malana is absolutely one of the most beautiful and serene places on the Himalayas. On my way up the trek, I decided to not take the usual route and so took the 'devils climb'. Soon, there was rain, thunder, fog but the view and the experience was the best I have ever had. The people are really friendly and one can go on conversing with them for hours. However, I found the food a bit expensive but didn't really feel like complaining because the villagers need to get everything up there on foot. Overall, it was a pleasant experience. Malana will always be one of my favourite destinations in the Himalayas.
Here is a little bit of back ground information on this lovely hash.
The Real Story Of Malana Village That Produces The Best Hash In the World
Perched 9500ft above sea level and surrounded by the mesmerizing and mysterious mountains of Chandrakhani and DeoTibba on all sides lies here's presenting the real Malana of Himachal Pradesh.
Manish SharmaSri Aurobindo Center for Arts and CommunicationPublished on Apr 14
The poetry of the earth is never dead.
~John Keats
Malana, Himachal Pradesh
Imagine a magical place—9500ft above sea level, a tiny village amidst the lush green, shimmering snow-capped mountains of Parvati valley. Flowing through the mountains is the crystal clear Malana nala whose clattering and gushing sound is all that breaks the silence and the fresh and pure fragrance of the Cannabis plant engulfs the whole valley with sweetness and awe.
Yes, it exists. And its called 'Malana'.
"Did you know that Beatles re-discovered their music here? Steve Jobs during his trip to India came here, went back and invented the first ever iPod. I am telling you this place does something to you. There's magic in it."
- a tourist
But, first questions first —
How can you reach Malana, in the cheapest way possible?
Malana is perfect for a weekend gateway from the hustles and bustles of a normal monotonous city life. Here's how you can be there, cheap and fast.
- Board a bus going to Manali from Kashmere Gate I.SB.T. The best time to start is either morning or evening 7 pm. Get down at Bhuntar (takes roughly 13-14 hours depending upon condition of the roads). The roadways will costs you only 547 Rs.
- From Bhuntar, take a local bus going to Kasol. Get down at Jari. Costs you 30 Rs.
- From Jari you can take a local bus again to Malana (available only during summers @5:30pm and will cost only 19 Rs). For winters you can hire a taxi (Local SUV will cost you around 800 Rs. while a Maruti will be around 600 Rs). If you are travelling solo, you can always share the cost with any tourist party going to Malana.
- From Jari it takes around 1-2 hrs depending on the condition of the road to reach Malana.
Trekking point to Malana Village.
- From here, there is a trek of around 1-2 hrs to reach the village. The trek is relatively easy and passes through massive fields of the Cannabis plant.
- After you reach the village, you can homestay for 100 Rs a day. Only Idea and Airtel connections find signals.
Malana is famous for 'Malana cream', a strain of Cannabis hashish which has high oil content and an intensely fragrant aroma. The Malana cream is so famous for being the most expensive hashish in the Amsterdam menu.
The value of Malana cream overseas in unbelievable. It is almost ten times the value of gold. The foreigners are literally ready to pay any price we set for the cream. It is generally 8000-10000 per tole for foreigners.
- A local hashish dealer
Preparing the cream takes a lot of time and physical labor as everything is hand-made. This is what makes hash, 'the cream.'
Some features of Malana Cream:
- Genetic Origin: Pure Himalayan.
- Variety: Mostly sativa
- Sex: Regular
- Harvest time: Late September to Early November.
- Growth type: Outdoors.
- Height: 3-4 meters tall.
Malana Village
Malana is believed to have the oldest democracies in the world. The council members are chosen by village folk without any nomination. The local council has been settling many internal issues. The decision of the council remains the ultimate decision as they consider it to be the decision of their God.
Habitant of Malana
One of the Village Heads
They are also believed to be the direct descendants of 'Alexander The Great'. The myth has it that during Alexander's Indian campaign in 326 B.C, Alexander was looking for someone to defeat in the hills of the Parvati valley. But the rough and rugged mountains forced Alexander and his fellow companions to settle in a valley (today known as Malana). They constructed a small village in the area and lived there for a long time. When Alexandar decided to go further on his crusade to take control of the Indian subcontinent , some of them are believed to have stayed back. Their local court system even today reflects ancient Greek system.
But the fact that they constitute the bloodline ofAlexander The Great is disrupted by yet another Hindu myth.
Jamdangni Rishi in the days of yore worshipped Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesha. After his intense prayers, Shiva appeared before him and told him to ask for a boon. Jamdagani Rishi asked for a place, secluded and full of nature's bounty. Shiva told him to go to Malana. The Rishi's two brothers followed him. In order to avoid them he created mist in the valley and told his brothers that the place was not good and further said that if they want to stay they could. His brothers lift his company and one of them went to Lahoul and the other to the Banjar valley. Malana was already in the control of a big Rakshasa when Rishi reached there the Rakshasa retaliated, which resulted in a fight between the two.
According to another tradition, the residents of Malana are the descendant of Aryans, and they acquired their independence during the Mughal reign when the Emperor Akbar walked to the village in order to cure an ailment that he was afflicted with; after having been successfully cured he put out an edict stating that all the inhabitants of the valley would never be required to pay tax.
Thus, there is a lot of myth associated with the people residing in the village of Malana. However recent DNA research has almost found no traces of Greek origin but only Aryan haplo types.
Their Culture and Tradition
The Malani people have a very vivid and colourful culture. Tourists cannot touch them or enter their houses or their temples. People from outside are also barred to touch the sacred stones.
The interesting thing however is when you ask them about their religion they say they follow a 'God' , 'Devta'. Though their customs and practices resembles much Hinduism , most of the village elders deny following any religion.
The villagers consider themselves to be superior to every non-Malani and therefore, consider it impure to touch any outsiders. Even the entry inside the temple is restricted. Dhamyani and Dhurani Rajputs stay in upper Malana and Nagvani and Pachani Rajputs reside in lower Malana. In terms of hierarchy, the Dhamyani is on the top and Panchani is at number four. This division in terms of classes is for name sake as the people inter-marry and share each other's burden.
The tree of devta. The locals believe inscribing coins on this particular tree fulfils one's wish.
There are two important festivals celebrated in Malana. One called Badoh mela celebrated in August and the other called Fagdi mela in February. Holy relics of Jamdagani Rishi in the form of instruments, jewellery, garments are kept on display. Men and women dance in their traditional attire consisting of chola, kalgi (round cap) and tight pajamas.
The language of the village, called Kanashi, is unintelligible for outsiders from the Kullu or Parvati Valley. It has been classified as a Sino-Tibetan tongue.
Problems faced by the Malani people
- Basic necessities: Living on such terrains makes the availability of basic requirements extremely tough. The villages have to bring everything food, water and wood from the lower terrains.
An old man carrying logs of wood
Chopping wood for fuel
- Natural calamities: In winters the entire valley remains under snow and people mostly remain indoors. The production of Cannabis becomes almost nil. There are also frequent avalanches. The rain combined with fog and mist make travelling to lower terrains almost impossible at times. There are also forest fires. A recent forest fire that caught destroyed majority of the village and the cannabis fields.
A young mother and her son fight their way up the village amidst heavy rain.
- Sanitation and Personal Hygiene: Sanitation and Personal hygiene is yet another problem that has been growing in the village. The village lacks a proper system for waste disposal and therefore the village remains mostly dirty. There is also lack of toilets in the houses and therefore people toilet mostly in the open. Cow dung, human excreta, and all waste materials are seen lying in the open. The rain and the snow make things even worse. This is also the reason why the village suffers from frequent epidemics.
A normal scene in front of the houses
- Education: It is obvious given the location of the village. There are government schools but the locals say it is not up to the mark. Although it provides free education, it is difficult to say if it's doing any good. Children are mostly seen in the village daytime either playing or helping their elders in their work.
Children playing near the school
A Malani boy
Helping their elders in domestic work.
The young shepherd
- Alcohol: The biggest problem however has been the growth of alcohol amongst the youth. The Alcohol came with the modernization and the growing popularity of Malana as a tourist spot. Locals and Village elders say, it is the biggest problem that threatens their tradition right now.' The youth are totally wasted and often indulge in violent acts after being drunk. '
The Cannabis, the Police and the Government
For the locals, cannabis is a 'religion.' There is nothing else that grows in the valley except cannabis. Unlike other mountain villages where people farm potatoes and peas, Malana grows only one plant—cannabis. Infact, the stretch of cannabis fields in the whole of Parvati valley is quite unbelievable. They are seen growing wild everywhere. So, the livelihood of all Malani people depends on those 3 months of cannabis harvesting from September to November. There are approximately 7000 people in the village and almost each and everyone work together during the harvesting time.
But, the Malanis learnt the art of cannabis rubbing quite recently. Prior to that their only source of livelihood came from selling sheep wool.
Making jackets from sheep wool
"And then some foreigners came, taught us how to make hashish by rubbing the oil in our hands under sunlight and since then money has been decent. Yet it is not enough to send our children for better education and lead a comfortable life", says a local villager.
The case of Malana remains a very sophisticated and delicate one. The government and police have declared use of Cannabis as totally illegal. The police come and burn fields and even sometimes seize the hashish.
One of the villagers spoke up saying that the police plays a double game. In one hand they smoke cannabis and yet they are the ones who burn our fields. Another local villager said that sometimes the police and fellow village residents work together. Someone from the village informs the police about the customer. The police seize the hashish, give it back to the informer (even smoke themselves up) and they impose heavy fine on the customer.
The Indian government recently openly declared cannabis plantation as illegal and that it is something that would simply put an end to the youth of the country. And, therefore, the government and police believe that by burning the plantations they are keeping the flow of the drug in check. As a result, villages now farm in small fields and most of them have shifted to the interior of the village where no police can reach.
'Why does the government then not ban alcohol? asks a Malani to me.
"I think we are free to choose and decide what is good for us and what is bad. If alcohol is a choice, why can't be cannabis be our choice too? Even alcohol is destroying the youth. Currently, alcohol has monopoly in the market, but the moment cannabis gets legalized they know that alcohol factories will be shut down, just like that!"
What About The HEMP?
That was all about the complex relationship between the Malanis and the police. However, the point that everyone seems to be missing out is, 'what lies beyond smoking cannabis?'. A variant of the cannabis plant is hemp. Let me list down a few points of why we NEED hemp.
All that hemp - Wikipedia
On an annual basis, 1 acre of hemp will produce as much fibre as 2 to 3 acres of cotton. The hemp fibre is stronger and softer than cotton, lasts twice as long as cotton, and will not mildew.
Cotton grows only in moderate climates and requires more water than hemp; but hemp is frost tolerant, requires only moderate amounts of water, and grows in all 50 states. Cotton requires large quantities of pesticides and herbicides—50% of the world's pesticides/herbicides is used in the production of cotton. Hemp requires no pesticides, no herbicides, and only moderate amounts of fertilizer.
On an annual basis, 1 acre of hemp will produce as much paper as 2 to 4 acres of trees. From tissue paper to cardboard, all types of paper products can be produced from hemp.
The quality of hemp paper is superior to tree-based paper. Hemp paper will last hundreds of years without degrading, can be recycled many more times than tree-based paper, and requires less toxic chemicals in the manufacturing process than does paper made from trees.
Hemp can be used to produce fiberboard that is stronger and lighter than wood. Substituting hemp fibreboard for timber would further reduce the need to cut down our forests. It can also be used to produce durable and environment-friendly plastic substitutes. Thousands of products made from petroleum-based plastics can be produced from hemp-based composites.
It takes years for trees to grow until they can be harvested for paper or wood, but hemp is ready for harvesting only 120 days after it is planted. Hemp can grow on most land suitable for farming, while forests and tree farms require large tracts of land available in very few locations. Harvesting hemp rather than trees would also eliminate erosion due to logging, thereby reducing topsoil loss and water pollution caused by soil runoff.
Hemp seeds contain a protein that is more nutritious and more economical to produce than soybean protein. Hemp seeds are not intoxicating. Hemp seed protein can be used to produce virtually any product made from soybean: tofu, veggie burgers, butter, cheese, salad oils, ice cream, milk, etc. Hemp seed can also be ground into a nutritious flour that can be used to produce baked goods such as pasta, cookies, and breads.
Hemp seed oil can be used to produce non-toxic diesel fuel, paint, varnish, detergent, ink and lubricating oil. Because hemp seeds account for up to half the weight of a mature hemp plant, hemp seed is a viable source for these products.
Just as corn can be converted into clean-burning ethanol fuel, so can hemp. Because hemp produces more biomass than any plant species (including corn) that can be grown in a wide range of climates and locations, hemp has great potential to become a major source of ethanol fuel.
So the question is, what if the villagers are taught about the many uses of HEMP instead of rubbing cannabis as a drug?
Personal thoughts
View from my camp site
Malana is absolutely one of the most beautiful and serene places on the Himalayas. On my way up the trek, I decided to not take the usual route and so took the 'devils climb'. Soon, there was rain, thunder, fog but the view and the experience was the best I have ever had. The people are really friendly and one can go on conversing with them for hours. However, I found the food a bit expensive but didn't really feel like complaining because the villagers need to get everything up there on foot. Overall, it was a pleasant experience. Malana will always be one of my favourite destinations in the Himalayas.
Last edited:
All right epenguin ... will have a look (smoke) of that.... but Thai sticks you say... spent a lot of time in Thai, and theirs Thai weed is not great, at least not the bricks.
Think it was amnesia I smoked that made me extremely happy, either the haze or gangster....not really recall...
will bring my Tab and photo some tulips and some dank smoke.
Think it was amnesia I smoked that made me extremely happy, either the haze or gangster....not really recall...
will bring my Tab and photo some tulips and some dank smoke.
- Joined
- Sep 1, 2014
- Messages
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- Reputation
- 5,346
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- Currently Smoking
- yo arse
You'll find that most of what is called thai stick these days often comes from Laos.
The quality varies too, so be sure to ask what grade it is.
You bro will love Manali Charas, it may also go under the name Malana cream, i would be a very happy man if I had some right now!
trailanimal
son of soil
Whose Hungry!! I'm cooking a snack!!!
Steak and eggs!! Filet Mignon!! yea Ive got the munchies!!!
AFN Diner!!!
View attachment 555585 i guess I "could" have cooked it 5 minutes longer but HEY!! its a filet!!
View attachment 555586
eP bump the jukebox in the place!!
View attachment 555591
Aunty @Mossy check out this mud bug I caught him cooked him and all his friends!!
I know he looks mean Aunty and he is!!! But He taste SOO good just like a Lobster!!! I can eat about 25 .. thats the Same as about 6 Lobster tails!!
View attachment 555587
View attachment 555588
Hey!!! AFN The New Mephisto and Fastbuds Genetics are just amazing!! here is a 10 day grow room before and after!!!
This is 4,9,16 Now understand thats fastbuds on the Left and Mephisto on the right not the green pot, and because of bloom i swapped the the FB plants over more light.. LED
View attachment 555589
This is 4,19,16 with fastbuds now on the right and Mephisto is on the left!!!
Both companies are really got it going on right now!!
View attachment 555590
that's some pump'in growth E
trailanimal
son of soil
thanks for the exotic post artyManali Charas my favorite hash.
Here is a little bit of back ground information on this lovely hash.
The Real Story Of Malana Village That Produces The Best Hash In the World
Perched 9500ft above sea level and surrounded by the mesmerizing and mysterious mountains of Chandrakhani and DeoTibba on all sides lies here's presenting the real Malana of Himachal Pradesh.
Manish SharmaSri Aurobindo Center for Arts and CommunicationPublished on Apr 14
The poetry of the earth is never dead.
~John Keats
Malana, Himachal Pradesh
Imagine a magical place—9500ft above sea level, a tiny village amidst the lush green, shimmering snow-capped mountains of Parvati valley. Flowing through the mountains is the crystal clear Malana nala whose clattering and gushing sound is all that breaks the silence and the fresh and pure fragrance of the Cannabis plant engulfs the whole valley with sweetness and awe.
Yes, it exists. And its called 'Malana'.
"Did you know that Beatles re-discovered their music here? Steve Jobs during his trip to India came here, went back and invented the first ever iPod. I am telling you this place does something to you. There's magic in it."
- a tourist
But, first questions first —
How can you reach Malana, in the cheapest way possible?
Malana is perfect for a weekend gateway from the hustles and bustles of a normal monotonous city life. Here's how you can be there, cheap and fast.
- Board a bus going to Manali from Kashmere Gate I.SB.T. The best time to start is either morning or evening 7 pm. Get down at Bhuntar (takes roughly 13-14 hours depending upon condition of the roads). The roadways will costs you only 547 Rs.
- From Bhuntar, take a local bus going to Kasol. Get down at Jari. Costs you 30 Rs.
- From Jari you can take a local bus again to Malana (available only during summers @5:30pm and will cost only 19 Rs). For winters you can hire a taxi (Local SUV will cost you around 800 Rs. while a Maruti will be around 600 Rs). If you are travelling solo, you can always share the cost with any tourist party going to Malana.
- From Jari it takes around 1-2 hrs depending on the condition of the road to reach Malana.
Trekking point to Malana Village.
What is Malana famous for?
- From here, there is a trek of around 1-2 hrs to reach the village. The trek is relatively easy and passes through massive fields of the Cannabis plant.
- After you reach the village, you can homestay for 100 Rs a day. Only Idea and Airtel connections find signals.
Malana is famous for 'Malana cream', a strain of Cannabis hashish which has high oil content and an intensely fragrant aroma. The Malana cream is so famous for being the most expensive hashish in the Amsterdam menu.
The value of Malana cream overseas in unbelievable. It is almost ten times the value of gold. The foreigners are literally ready to pay any price we set for the cream. It is generally 8000-10000 per tole for foreigners.
- A local hashish dealer
Preparing the cream takes a lot of time and physical labor as everything is hand-made. This is what makes hash, 'the cream.'
Some features of Malana Cream:
History and origin of the people living in Malana Village
- Genetic Origin: Pure Himalayan.
- Variety: Mostly sativa
- Sex: Regular
- Harvest time: Late September to Early November.
- Growth type: Outdoors.
- Height: 3-4 meters tall.
Malana Village
Malana is believed to have the oldest democracies in the world. The council members are chosen by village folk without any nomination. The local council has been settling many internal issues. The decision of the council remains the ultimate decision as they consider it to be the decision of their God.
Habitant of Malana
One of the Village Heads
They are also believed to be the direct descendants of 'Alexander The Great'. The myth has it that during Alexander's Indian campaign in 326 B.C, Alexander was looking for someone to defeat in the hills of the Parvati valley. But the rough and rugged mountains forced Alexander and his fellow companions to settle in a valley (today known as Malana). They constructed a small village in the area and lived there for a long time. When Alexandar decided to go further on his crusade to take control of the Indian subcontinent , some of them are believed to have stayed back. Their local court system even today reflects ancient Greek system.
But the fact that they constitute the bloodline ofAlexander The Great is disrupted by yet another Hindu myth.
Jamdangni Rishi in the days of yore worshipped Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesha. After his intense prayers, Shiva appeared before him and told him to ask for a boon. Jamdagani Rishi asked for a place, secluded and full of nature's bounty. Shiva told him to go to Malana. The Rishi's two brothers followed him. In order to avoid them he created mist in the valley and told his brothers that the place was not good and further said that if they want to stay they could. His brothers lift his company and one of them went to Lahoul and the other to the Banjar valley. Malana was already in the control of a big Rakshasa when Rishi reached there the Rakshasa retaliated, which resulted in a fight between the two.
According to another tradition, the residents of Malana are the descendant of Aryans, and they acquired their independence during the Mughal reign when the Emperor Akbar walked to the village in order to cure an ailment that he was afflicted with; after having been successfully cured he put out an edict stating that all the inhabitants of the valley would never be required to pay tax.
Thus, there is a lot of myth associated with the people residing in the village of Malana. However recent DNA research has almost found no traces of Greek origin but only Aryan haplo types.
Their Culture and Tradition
The Malani people have a very vivid and colourful culture. Tourists cannot touch them or enter their houses or their temples. People from outside are also barred to touch the sacred stones.
The interesting thing however is when you ask them about their religion they say they follow a 'God' , 'Devta'. Though their customs and practices resembles much Hinduism , most of the village elders deny following any religion.
The villagers consider themselves to be superior to every non-Malani and therefore, consider it impure to touch any outsiders. Even the entry inside the temple is restricted. Dhamyani and Dhurani Rajputs stay in upper Malana and Nagvani and Pachani Rajputs reside in lower Malana. In terms of hierarchy, the Dhamyani is on the top and Panchani is at number four. This division in terms of classes is for name sake as the people inter-marry and share each other's burden.
The tree of devta. The locals believe inscribing coins on this particular tree fulfils one's wish.
There are two important festivals celebrated in Malana. One called Badoh mela celebrated in August and the other called Fagdi mela in February. Holy relics of Jamdagani Rishi in the form of instruments, jewellery, garments are kept on display. Men and women dance in their traditional attire consisting of chola, kalgi (round cap) and tight pajamas.
The language of the village, called Kanashi, is unintelligible for outsiders from the Kullu or Parvati Valley. It has been classified as a Sino-Tibetan tongue.
Problems faced by the Malani people
- Basic necessities: Living on such terrains makes the availability of basic requirements extremely tough. The villages have to bring everything food, water and wood from the lower terrains.
An old man carrying logs of wood
Chopping wood for fuel
- Natural calamities: In winters the entire valley remains under snow and people mostly remain indoors. The production of Cannabis becomes almost nil. There are also frequent avalanches. The rain combined with fog and mist make travelling to lower terrains almost impossible at times. There are also forest fires. A recent forest fire that caught destroyed majority of the village and the cannabis fields.
A young mother and her son fight their way up the village amidst heavy rain.
"The government can spend millions on a hydro-electric project (the Malana hydro dam) but strangely find it expensive enough to find a solution for the waste disposal," says a local Malani.
- Sanitation and Personal Hygiene: Sanitation and Personal hygiene is yet another problem that has been growing in the village. The village lacks a proper system for waste disposal and therefore the village remains mostly dirty. There is also lack of toilets in the houses and therefore people toilet mostly in the open. Cow dung, human excreta, and all waste materials are seen lying in the open. The rain and the snow make things even worse. This is also the reason why the village suffers from frequent epidemics.
A normal scene in front of the houses
- Education: It is obvious given the location of the village. There are government schools but the locals say it is not up to the mark. Although it provides free education, it is difficult to say if it's doing any good. Children are mostly seen in the village daytime either playing or helping their elders in their work.
Children playing near the school
A Malani boy
Helping their elders in domestic work.
The young shepherd
'After you are drunk with alcohol, people get violent. They want to shoot each other, kill. It is exactly the opposite with Cannabis (laughs)'!
- Alcohol: The biggest problem however has been the growth of alcohol amongst the youth. The Alcohol came with the modernization and the growing popularity of Malana as a tourist spot. Locals and Village elders say, it is the biggest problem that threatens their tradition right now.' The youth are totally wasted and often indulge in violent acts after being drunk. '
The Cannabis, the Police and the Government
For the locals, cannabis is a 'religion.' There is nothing else that grows in the valley except cannabis. Unlike other mountain villages where people farm potatoes and peas, Malana grows only one plant—cannabis. Infact, the stretch of cannabis fields in the whole of Parvati valley is quite unbelievable. They are seen growing wild everywhere. So, the livelihood of all Malani people depends on those 3 months of cannabis harvesting from September to November. There are approximately 7000 people in the village and almost each and everyone work together during the harvesting time.
But, the Malanis learnt the art of cannabis rubbing quite recently. Prior to that their only source of livelihood came from selling sheep wool.
Making jackets from sheep wool
"And then some foreigners came, taught us how to make hashish by rubbing the oil in our hands under sunlight and since then money has been decent. Yet it is not enough to send our children for better education and lead a comfortable life", says a local villager.
The case of Malana remains a very sophisticated and delicate one. The government and police have declared use of Cannabis as totally illegal. The police come and burn fields and even sometimes seize the hashish.
One of the villagers spoke up saying that the police plays a double game. In one hand they smoke cannabis and yet they are the ones who burn our fields. Another local villager said that sometimes the police and fellow village residents work together. Someone from the village informs the police about the customer. The police seize the hashish, give it back to the informer (even smoke themselves up) and they impose heavy fine on the customer.
The Indian government recently openly declared cannabis plantation as illegal and that it is something that would simply put an end to the youth of the country. And, therefore, the government and police believe that by burning the plantations they are keeping the flow of the drug in check. As a result, villages now farm in small fields and most of them have shifted to the interior of the village where no police can reach.
'Why does the government then not ban alcohol? asks a Malani to me.
"I think we are free to choose and decide what is good for us and what is bad. If alcohol is a choice, why can't be cannabis be our choice too? Even alcohol is destroying the youth. Currently, alcohol has monopoly in the market, but the moment cannabis gets legalized they know that alcohol factories will be shut down, just like that!"
What About The HEMP?
That was all about the complex relationship between the Malanis and the police. However, the point that everyone seems to be missing out is, 'what lies beyond smoking cannabis?'. A variant of the cannabis plant is hemp. Let me list down a few points of why we NEED hemp.
All that hemp - Wikipedia
On an annual basis, 1 acre of hemp will produce as much fibre as 2 to 3 acres of cotton. The hemp fibre is stronger and softer than cotton, lasts twice as long as cotton, and will not mildew.
Cotton grows only in moderate climates and requires more water than hemp; but hemp is frost tolerant, requires only moderate amounts of water, and grows in all 50 states. Cotton requires large quantities of pesticides and herbicides—50% of the world's pesticides/herbicides is used in the production of cotton. Hemp requires no pesticides, no herbicides, and only moderate amounts of fertilizer.
On an annual basis, 1 acre of hemp will produce as much paper as 2 to 4 acres of trees. From tissue paper to cardboard, all types of paper products can be produced from hemp.
The quality of hemp paper is superior to tree-based paper. Hemp paper will last hundreds of years without degrading, can be recycled many more times than tree-based paper, and requires less toxic chemicals in the manufacturing process than does paper made from trees.
Hemp can be used to produce fiberboard that is stronger and lighter than wood. Substituting hemp fibreboard for timber would further reduce the need to cut down our forests. It can also be used to produce durable and environment-friendly plastic substitutes. Thousands of products made from petroleum-based plastics can be produced from hemp-based composites.
It takes years for trees to grow until they can be harvested for paper or wood, but hemp is ready for harvesting only 120 days after it is planted. Hemp can grow on most land suitable for farming, while forests and tree farms require large tracts of land available in very few locations. Harvesting hemp rather than trees would also eliminate erosion due to logging, thereby reducing topsoil loss and water pollution caused by soil runoff.
Hemp seeds contain a protein that is more nutritious and more economical to produce than soybean protein. Hemp seeds are not intoxicating. Hemp seed protein can be used to produce virtually any product made from soybean: tofu, veggie burgers, butter, cheese, salad oils, ice cream, milk, etc. Hemp seed can also be ground into a nutritious flour that can be used to produce baked goods such as pasta, cookies, and breads.
Hemp seed oil can be used to produce non-toxic diesel fuel, paint, varnish, detergent, ink and lubricating oil. Because hemp seeds account for up to half the weight of a mature hemp plant, hemp seed is a viable source for these products.
Just as corn can be converted into clean-burning ethanol fuel, so can hemp. Because hemp produces more biomass than any plant species (including corn) that can be grown in a wide range of climates and locations, hemp has great potential to become a major source of ethanol fuel.
So the question is, what if the villagers are taught about the many uses of HEMP instead of rubbing cannabis as a drug?
Personal thoughts
View from my camp site
Malana is absolutely one of the most beautiful and serene places on the Himalayas. On my way up the trek, I decided to not take the usual route and so took the 'devils climb'. Soon, there was rain, thunder, fog but the view and the experience was the best I have ever had. The people are really friendly and one can go on conversing with them for hours. However, I found the food a bit expensive but didn't really feel like complaining because the villagers need to get everything up there on foot. Overall, it was a pleasant experience. Malana will always be one of my favourite destinations in the Himalayas.
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Evening folks 
. I`d like to request that any rep given out to Me tomorrow, be Actually given to any posts(random or not!) that you can find that were put up by RSV1 or Nelson. If you want to just rep either of them, then you`ll have to check their profiles for which post you `deem` valid for such action...I believe(as my own favourite day of the year!
), It would be a great tribute t`two of my most Favourite (gone... but in my mind...Never Forgotten!!!!!!!!! 
) Superstars of AFN(not cos they grew any different from most of us btw, but, because both were `beautiful, lovely Chaps!) ! 
If i don`t achieve any Rep status tomorrow, then I`d hope one or two my pals, may pass their love on too!
This is a personal request, not validated by the `board`...Sooo, I hope i`m not `stepping` outta line here(and I know nelson would be chewing m`arse for suggesting it...RSV would probably just quietly smile t`himself...and
....
...I miss them both terribly btw...
. I`d like to request that any rep given out to Me tomorrow, be Actually given to any posts(random or not!) that you can find that were put up by RSV1 or Nelson. If you want to just rep either of them, then you`ll have to check their profiles for which post you `deem` valid for such action...I believe(as my own favourite day of the year!), It would be a great tribute t`two of my most Favourite (gone... but in my mind...Never Forgotten!!!!!!!!! ) Superstars of AFN(not cos they grew any different from most of us btw, but, because both were `beautiful, lovely Chaps!) ! If i don`t achieve any Rep status tomorrow, then I`d hope one or two my pals, may pass their love on too! This is a personal request, not validated by the `board`...Sooo, I hope i`m not `stepping` outta line here(and I know nelson would be chewing m`arse for suggesting it...RSV would probably just quietly smile t`himself...and
.......I miss them both terribly btw...
- Joined
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I`ve just realised that cos their accounts may not be `active` anymore that my request may not be possible. If so, then...Buggrit! Still, it would have been Quality/
. My bad though folks...
.
. My bad though folks... .- Status