Before I attempted a trek to Chandrakhani pass I was not aware that there is another republic within the republic of India. Well , MALANA is a republic in every sense of the word.It has a parliament , a judiciary and an executive.None of the laws of the Govt of india is applicable here.No policeman or tax collector goes to this mysterious village.
Malana is a village in the interior part of kullu region. Most tourists visiting kullu go to manikaran also. There is a trekking route from Manikaran which takes you to Malana.The average indian tourist may be blissfully unaware of this.But the large number of foreigners you see in KASOL enroute manikaran know this for some other interesting reasons.(sure I will tell you later) You can also reach malana from NAGGAR where the spectacular woodden castle(which is now a heritage hotel) is situated.But for the non trekker a place called Jari enroute Manikaran can be the entry point. I have not walked on this trail but it has to be a tough walk of about 20 odd kms.
When you reach malana you will feel having travelled back many centuries in a time machine. Time stands still here.
The malanites consider themselves superior to the outsiders.If you ever visit this mysterious place please go with some knowledge of the dos and donts.Otherwise you will be proceeded against and the’ supreme court ’of malana delivers instant justice.Please take note that no appeal lies against the judgement in any other court!Never think of even touching the many stones you find here. Seek permission before taking pictures.And if you touch any of their girls you had it.
The people of malana consider themselves ultra pucca rajputs. The woman are goodlooking (but dont go anywhere near them) One theory is that they are descendents of soldiers of Alexander the great.Their features like broad forehead and the distinct looks gives some credence to this. Some words in their language’Kanashi’ sound like greek.The archetectural similarity also leads to some greek connection.However their actual origin still seems to be a subject open for research.
Malana has a parliament consisting of two houses like our loksabha and the rajyasabha.If there is a difference of opinion between the two, the matter will be referred to the Jamlu Devta the presiding diety of the village.
The decision taken by the devta will be final and binding on all parties.
The judiciary is kept separate from the legislature..There are two levels , a lower court and a higher court in the judiciary also . Most of the offenses are punished with a fine.In the most serious cases stones are tied to the guilty and he will be pushed down the slopes of the high mountains .
There is a school here but very few go to school.Malanites consider education a sheer waste of time!They prefer learning from the open book of nature.So the two teachers posted here from outside do not have much to do.
The life of a malanite is a tough one.Living in a village tucked up in the high mountains , at 12000 ft.extreme harsh winters , rearing cattle for livlihood , absence of medical help, but still they looked content.We were told that many of the villagers are making good money by selling charas illegally grown in malana to the foreign tourists.This partly explains the presense of large number of Israeli tourists and backpackers in surrounding places like kasol, naggar etc.
one of the foreigners I met in Naggar told me that the world’s purest charas is available in this region.
The villagers live in perfect harmony with nature and they respect nature.Even fixing a nail on a tree is considered an offense.Burning of wood and cutting of trees are not allowed.
Here is a culture , a tradition which is still untouched by what we call modernity.Here is a small commune of about 1500 people desperately trying to preserve their culture, tradition and beleifs.But for how long?Someday a road will be constructed so that ’civilisation’’ can reach malana and that will be end of the’’worlds oldest surviving democracy’ !