Kullu: Malana village of the Kullu district is renowned for its Wooden Houses (Kathakuni style), unique culture, and the path of modernity. Malana has also been famous for the production of the finest weed although the Kullu police team is continuously working to restrict the production.
The village is known for the temple of the deity Jamadagni Rish. Jamadagni was the father of Parashurama, the sixth incarnation of Vishnu. It is believed that Jamadagni was searching for a place to meditate and reached Malana. Currently, Jamadagni is worshipped as Jamlu Rishi in the village. The temple is made of stone and wood and there is a small gold studded statue of Jamlu Rishi. Interestingly, the tourists and outsiders are interrogated at the village gate.
There are rules and regulations posted on the village gate both in English and Hindi and are curated by the villagers themselves. These guidelines are for outsiders or tourists entering the village.
Surprisingly, Malana has its own democratic system with two houses like Parliament. The first house is called Jyeshtanga (upper house) and the second house is Kanishtanga (lower house). There are a total of 11 members in Jyeshtanga, out of which three members are from the temple as permanent members. The remaining eight members are elected by the villagers by voting. Similarly, representation is given to one member from each house of the village in the Lower House. These members are the elders of every family.
Mysteriously, the people of Malana speak a language named Kanashi and consider it a sacred tongue. The language is spoken only in Malana and not taught to outsiders. The elders of Malana also refrain from shaking hands with outsiders and touching them. However, the new generation does not accept all these things and has no problem talking, shaking hands, or hugging any outsider.
Throughout the Corona period, the residents have banned outsiders and tourists from coming to the village. The population of the village is 2350 and they follow the law of the deity Jamlu. Panchayat head Raju Ram told that during the Corona crisis, the villagers used to come out of the village only when they were on urgent work thus Malana village was saved from the pandemic.
Consequently, the vaccination drive started in 2020 but the villagers initially refused to take the doses. Thus, Deputy Commissioner Kullu had reached the village with his team and asked the deity Jamadagni Rishi for permission for the vaccination following which the villagers got the corona vaccine. On the orders of the local deity, there is a complete ban on non-vegetarian food and alcohol in the village.
However, the historical village has been struck by the winds of change. Concrete houses are being built instead of wood in the village and tourists are getting entry. The guest houses have been built outside the village for outsiders and tourists. The people of Malana village have now started approaching the police and the local administration to resolve their problems. Earlier, the villagers used to settle their cases only before Jamadagni Rishi. Earlier, marriages were held in the village itself, but now marriages have also started taking place outside the village.
