Surrounded by the mountains of Himachal Pradesh, the village of Malana remained isolated for centuries. It has preserved its strict traditions and unique democratic organization that strangely reminds one of ancient Athens. Witnessing a goat sacrifice in the midst of cannabis plantations. Nearly anything is possible in Malana… or almost.

Perched at 2,700 meters altitude in the mountains of Himachal Pradesh, the village of Malana is an island in the middle of an ocean of mountains. Difficult to access, it remained isolated for centuries. This allowed its inhabitants to preserve their remarkable customs. The Malanais speak a language that only they understand, and no one knows their origins. Some claim they are descendants of Alexander the Great's soldiers who set out to conquer India. But the mystery remains intact around this people of 3,000 souls who have lived for centuries in near self-sufficiency.

Malana is not just a picturesque mountain village: it is a sacred place. The inhabitants belong to the warrior class of Kshatriyas and are very careful to preserve themselves from any contact with the "impure," which includes both foreigners and low-caste Hindus. "One must be very careful not to touch either the villagers or their houses," explains Talik, a resident of the nearby town of Kullu who opened a guest house in Malana three years ago. "If you break this rule, you must pay 1,000 rupees (less than 20 euros) in fines, the price of a goat that will be sacrificed during a purification ritual." In the streets, the villagers take no chances. They immediately step out of your way. And to make a purchase, you must place the money on the ground. It's an unsettling feeling of being an untouchable.

But Malana is also nicknamed the "little Greece of Himachal," as the village possesses its own political and administrative system: a true prototype of semi-direct democracy, with no equivalent in the rest of India, or even the rest of the world. Parliament is composed of two chambers. Each family has a representative in the lower chamber, which elects the upper chamber. The latter administers justice and makes important decisions for the village's future, but always in agreement with the lower chamber. When those in power cannot settle a dispute between two villagers, an exceptional appeal can be made to the Chhabe Pona, divine justice. Each party brings a goat, which are injected with the same dose of poison. The first to die proves its owner wrong. "I've seen that happen once in two years. It's completely crazy," recounts Shotak, a journalist from Kullu who has been preparing a book on Malana for years.

The village's isolation has allowed other curiosities to flourish there. The village is thus famous for its production of Charras, a cannabis resin renowned throughout the Kullu valley. The Indian authorities' laissez-faire approach has allowed the Malanais to prosper in this lucrative activity. Adults and children, everyone is involved in one way or another in marijuana cultivation. Especially the women, while men prefer consuming Charras to cultivating it. The surroundings are filled with small plantations, and it's impossible to walk through the village without someone offering you super cream.

But change is coming rapidly to this hamlet that was once cut off from the world. A road has been built to support a major hydroelectric project. "With the road, the police are starting to take an interest in the village, and not everyone likes that. It's bad for business," Talik explains in a low voice. An hour's walk now suffices to reach Malana, when it required a full day of trekking just a dozen years ago. Result: the number of visitors is slowly increasing. Attracted by this unique place, travelers risk becoming its grave diggers more than any Indian state projects. Malana was a site blessed by the gods, but forgotten by men. Perhaps it should have remained so?