MALANA VILLAGE

I had been to Parvati Valley twice but never visited Malana Village and that’s why I wanted to go there since it is the most renowned village of Parvati Valley. So in October (2019), my friend had his birthday and we made a plan of celebrating it in Parvati Valley only. A short trip of 2 nights and 3 days. This time it was decided that we will cover Malana, one of the oldest democracies in the world.

So finally I and my two other friends Siddhant and Antriksh boarded the bus from Delhi to Kasol. We booked the tickets from RedBus. Just like the last time from Kasol market, we went to Choj and straight to the Dogra Homestays(Bebu Bhaiji). By far it was the best place to stay in Parvati Valley. The moment we reached Bebu Bhaiji’s place, our friend Rohit surprised us with his presence. He came two days before us. It was a moment of joy for us that another friend is here. Also, one more friend(Puneet) of ours was going to join us the next day. A group was formed and Siddhant was the happiest because he never imagined that he’d be celebrating his birthday like this and that too in Parvati Valley.

The day we reached, we did nothing apart from chilling in the open baranda. It was preplanned that it is going to be a relaxed trip, with no hectic routine. Bebu Bhaiji’s place itself is like a different world, away from all the rush, and has every basic necessity. Morning sunshine, clean air, the sound of the Parvati River, and a soothing atmosphere. It was Siddhant’s birthday eve and we celebrated the eve like hell that night. Malana’s trek was fixed for his birthday.

It was the 18th of October, Siddhant’s birthday. We were four in total and our friend Puneet was going to meet us mid-way while going to Malana, which means five in total. Two other guys whom we met in Dogra Homestay only accompanied us and thus we rented a Bolero(9 seaters). It took us around one and a half hours to reach Malana, after picking up our friend Puneet. We started the trek around 2 pm and reached Malana village by 3:30 pm. The trek is not at all tough, quite easy as the path has a lot of stairs so you don’t have to go through difficult terrain. The views which the trek offers are unbelievable. There are so many little houses with sheds of different colors, it feels like you are in an animated town just like it was in “Noddy”. It feels so good when you enter the village, a smile comes up on your face.

The locals of Malana do not allow outsiders to touch railings, houses, and other stuff. Also, they avoid any kind of physical touch. I remember I asked a guy for a lighter, so he threw a matchbox on the ground and after I used it he told me to throw it back on the ground and then he picked the matchbox and left. I was amused! They believe that their culture & belongings are pure and untouched, and they should remain like this only.

We planned to explore the village and then trek down by early evening but due to heavy rain, we had to stay. We found shelter under Debu Bhaiji’s roof (Brother of Bebu Bhaiji). Since our taxi was waiting at the Malana gate, we had to return or else the driver had to stay there all night and it would cost us a lot of money. The rain slowed down and we started to trek down by 7 pm. Few of us were dual-minded because it was way too dark for trekking and slippery too. We continued to trek down by using flashlights and finally reached the Malana gate by 8 pm. Trekking down usually takes less time.

It was a short and simple trip. Siddhant’s birthday was perfectly celebrated which was our main motto. Also, my thirst for visiting the Malana village was quenched.