I know these is two subjects that seem like disparate concepts but bare with me. There is an ancient village in the heart of India (actually it's the state Himachal Pradesh but, nuance) These rolling hills and mountains are naturally covered with the lush green of the cannabis plant. Nestled in those hills is the village of Malana Nala. Here is where they make the worlds best and most expensive hashish.
The cannabis is a wondrous plant. From the seeds you can make oil for food and are used as medicine. From the stem you can make rope, shoes, clothing and a plethora of other items. From the leaves you can make Ganja, Mary Jane, Pot, Marijuana..... you get the point. Also from the leaves in a very specific process you can get hashish. They trim the plant of most of its leaves and rub the buds gently between their hands extracting the resin. Extract the resin from their hands and voila you have hash, or more to the point when it comes from Malana Nala it is Malana cream and the best most expensive hash in the world.
Now I bet you're thinking wow India is so progressive that they have legalized cannabis. Nope it's still quite illegal there and all of this is done outside the law, More or less. The police have banned them from cultivating on a lot of the hills surrounding their village but they keep on going. This village has been around for a long time and this is how they survive and make their living.
The villagers there say they are direct descendants of the army of Alexander the great. Apparently when he rolled through the mountains a few of his soldiers liked it here so much they stayed, they mated and they created the settlement of what is now known as the Malana Nala Village. They claim to be the worlds oldest democracy ruled by their deity Jamlu rishi. They believe they are the true Aryans. And that they are so sacred that Jamlu came up with some very specific rules for them. No outsiders may touch them, their homes or their temples. So exchanging items or buying from them leads to a lot of laying stuff on the ground so nary a hand will ever touch. No outsider can stay in the village overnight. So you can visit but when the suns down you're gone.
Now aside from the fact that you cant touch them or anything in the village they are quite welcoming of outsiders. They have been visited and filmed by many who are curious about the village and especially the hash. Upon entering the village there is actually an arched sign letting you know the village of Malana is this way. So all are welcome but follow the rules or you will be kicked out of the village. From the reading I've done their god Jamlu is a vengeful one and has burned down one of the village temples. He loves them so I'm pretty sure outsiders wont fair too well. Happy travels.
