In pictures: India's isolated village of Malana
- Published
Malana in India's Himachal Pradesh state is one of the most ancient and isolated villages. With a population of about 1,700, Malana was known to be hostile to outsiders until recently. Photographer Harikrishna Katragadda has been visiting the village since 2009 to capture the changes as the village opens up to visitors.
For decades, Malana's residents have reared sheep, collected herbs and farmed for a living.
But a lucrative trade in cannabis has become the new driver of Malana's economy. Indian tourists and foreigners come to the village looking for Malana Cream, a hugely popular locally grown hashish.
Cannabis leaves are rubbed to extract its oil. After a thick layer of oil settles on the palm it is creamed off to form balls of hashish.
Women take an afternoon break in a kitchen after a busy morning of fetching water and firewood, cooking and washing clothes.
A bride dresses up for her marriage. It is forbidden to marry outside the village, but increasingly, young people are defying tradition.
There is no priest presiding over marriages in Malana. On the wedding night, the groom visits the bride’s house where a feast is hosted. After the feast the couple leave for the groom’s house.
About 270 children go to the only primary school in Malana.
A primary class is held outside the classroom of the school against a stunning backdrop.
Life remains resolutely traditional. A woman on her way to collect firewood carries her son in a traditional way - a woollen shawl securing him to her back.