ABSTRACT
Arguably, Malana is the oldest democratic locality of the world. It was named the ‘Athens of the Himalayas’. The village is adorned with great tangible and intangible heritage making it a unique heritage village. Natives of this village are viewed as typically tourism-friendly, having a joyful and blissful life. This is demonstrated from some festivals celebrated every year by these people. These events are unique celebrations of good over evil. The Malanis celebrate two major festivals: The Fagli and the Shaun. These festivals are grounds to present cultural richness and heritage of Malana. Various stories and beliefs are related to these events and they are an integral part of life and culture of Malana. This chapter focuses on religious, social, economic and environmental aspects followed by importance analysis of these festivals. The chapter also outlines the way through which these events help to re-position and re-define the identity of Malana as a place with touristic value. The natives of Malana suffer from many economic and social problems such as poor infrastructure, ignorance, unemployment, poverty, being unprivileged and many more. These two events render importance in the local livelihood and hence are significant. This chapter suggests that well-planned and effectively executed tourism policies can bring prowess to the natives to deal with the identified issues. Festivals in Malana as tourism event are celebrated with joy, bliss and grandeur making it the ‘Athens of the Himalayas’. The study concludes that Malana is a village with potential and opportunities for event tourism.
