Chanderkhani Valley (appellation)
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| Chanderkhani Valley | |
|---|---|
| Chanderkhani | |
| Hierarchy | |
| Gene Pool | South Asian Gene Pool |
| Regional Complex | Hindu Kush-Himalayan |
| Growing Region | Western Himalayas |
| Growing Area | Kullu Valley |
| Geography | |
| Country | India |
| Province/State | Himachal Pradesh |
| District | Kullu District |
| Coordinates | 32.112, 77.191 |
| Landscape | |
| Elevation | 1,800–2,500 m |
| Area | 10.67 km² |
| Terrain | Side valley of the Beas climbing from Naggar towards the Chanderkhani Pass, with steep terraced slopes |
| Climate | |
| Climate Type | Temperate montane |
| Conservation | |
| Populations | 1 documented Field grade: 1 Data deficient |
| Holdings | Holdings: 1 Urgent |
| In a population | 10 of 10 accessions |
| Seed lots | 10 (10 Urgent) |
| Priorities | Grow-out priorities |
Chanderkhani Valley is an appellation in the Kullu Valley growing area of the Western Himalayas, in Kullu District, Himachal Pradesh, India. It covers the side valley that climbs from Naggar towards the Chanderkhani Pass, with the villages of Rumsu, Pulag and Hallan on its slopes.[1][2] The Zomia Collective's collection documentation gives the appellation as "Chanderkhani", groups the three villages under it and describes the valley as a less well-known area of charas production than the Parvati Valley.[1] Ten accessions from the three villages carry the appellation, eight of them landrace and two feral. The collector's diary dates the visit to Naggar and Rumsu to early September 2022,[2] and the accessions were collected from 3 to 6 September.
Geography
The valley runs east to west, at right angles to the Kullu Valley.[1] The collector's diary calls Naggar, on the east bank of the Beas, "the gateway to Chanderkhani valley" and the starting point of a trail that climbs the valley towards the pass by way of Rumsu.[2] The Chanderkhani Pass, 3,660 m high, is a crossing between the Kullu Valley and the Malana Valley, used by visitors before the road to Malana was completed.[1] The Zomia Collective's index of growing regions lists Naggar under Chanderkhani Valley, alongside the village areas and upper fields of Rumsu, Pulag and Hallan.[3]
Of the three villages, Rumsu faces north at about 2,100 m, in what the documentation calls the darkest and wettest part of the valley; Pulag, the highest, faces north at about 2,500 m, with some fields above 3,000 m; and Hallan faces south at about 2,100 m, with lower apple terraces and upper fields.[1] The collection sites (ZOM-IND-HIM-0920220001 to ZOM-IND-HIM-0920220010) lie at 2,050 and 2,250 m near Rumsu, 2,200 and 2,500 m near Pulag and 2,275 m at Hallan, with aspects between north-west and north-east at Rumsu and Pulag and to the south-west at Hallan. Two of Rumsu's upper fields, at 2,350 and 2,400 m, lie a couple of hours' trek from the village along the path to Chanderkhani.[4][5] The second is "about 50m up the hill on the northern facing slope cresting the ridge up towards Chanderkhani".[5]
At the 2011 Census the three villages lay in the Naggar community development block.[6] Rumsu ("Up Muhal Rumsu") had 1,010 inhabitants in 226 households on 198.72 ha.[6] Pulag ("Up Muhal Pulag") had 208 in 43 households on 195.88 ha.[6] The census lists Hallan as "Hallan-I", with 524 inhabitants in 112 households; "Muhal Hallan-II", with 303 in 66, is a different village in Manali tehsil.[6] Rumsu, Pulag and Hallan-I lay in Kullu tehsil.[7] Rumsu was 28 km from Kullu town, and Pulag had no all-weather road.[7]
Cultivation
The collection documentation classifies the valley's cannabis as an open-pollinated narrow-leaflet drug-type landrace population with feral and domesticated components.[1] It describes cultivation in the area as historically semi-domesticated, with patches often on steep terraced slopes where the plants are left to grow naturally.[1]
The general populations and village selections are semi-feral and intercropped, the upper-field selections of Rumsu and Pulag are rotating mono-crops and the two feral selections are feral. The eight cultivated accessions grow from farm-saved seed sown by broadcasting and the feral ones self-sow, with some culling in the cultivated populations and none in the feral stands. The plants stand 1.5 to 3 m tall, with dark green and purple foliage, a columnar habit in the cultivated accessions and a "Christmas tree" habit in the feral ones, and flower in 16 to 20 weeks. The cultivated accessions carry the local name gāñjā (गाँजा).
The collection documentation gives a height range of 1.5 to 7 m.[1] It describes the Rumsu plants as resistant to humidity and attributes their long internodes to low light.[1] It reports garlic and shallot undertones in the feral population there and describes the Pulag plants as among the most potent and resinous.[1] It calls Hallan's charas flavourful, especially from its lower apple terraces. The aromas it reports range from "Mango-Garlic" to "Gassy-Piney".[1]
Planting season
Six of the 10 accessions were sown from March to May. The collection documentation gives the regional planting season as spring.[1]
Harvest
The six accessions sown from March to May were harvested from September to December. The collection documentation gives "October to November" and describes the Chanderkhani Valley seed it lists as "sourced directly from the 2022 harvest".[1]
Processing
All 10 accessions are made into charas. The collection documentation calls the valley's charas "hand-rubbed hashish" and describes the plants as being rubbed "often in place".[1]
Accessions
The 10 accessions were collected under the expedition code HIMA01: four from Rumsu, four from Pulag and two from Hallan. Each village has a general population and a village selection. Rumsu and Pulag also have an upper-field selection and a feral selection. The two feral selections are classed as feral and the other eight as landrace. The collector's diary posts on Naggar and Rumsu are dated 4 to 6 September 2022.[2][8][4]
| Accession ID | Name | Locality | Elevation (m) | Collected |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZOM-IND-HIM-0920220001 | Rumsu General Population 2022 | Rumsu | 2050 | |
| ZOM-IND-HIM-0920220002 | Rumsu 'Village' Selection 2022 | Rumsu | 2050 | |
| ZOM-IND-HIM-0920220003 | Rumsu 'Upper' Selection 2022 | Rumsu | 2250 | |
| ZOM-IND-HIM-0920220004 | Rumsu Feral Selection 2022 | Rumsu | 2050 | |
| ZOM-IND-HIM-0920220005 | Pulag General Population 2022 | Pulag | 2200 | |
| ZOM-IND-HIM-0920220006 | Pulag 'Village' Selection 2022 | Pulag | 2200 | |
| ZOM-IND-HIM-0920220007 | Pulag 'Upper' Selection 2022 | Pulag | 2400 | |
| ZOM-IND-HIM-0920220008 | Pulag Feral Selection 2022 | Pulag | 2200 | |
| ZOM-IND-HIM-0920220009 | Hallan General Population 2022 | Hallan | 2275 | |
| ZOM-IND-HIM-0920220010 | Hallan 'Village' Selection 2022 | Hallan | 2275 |
Conservation status
Cultivation continues under "Active eradication campaigns". The seed of each accession is stored in the Zomia Genetic Library. The Zomia Collective's index of growing regions tags the village areas of Rumsu, Pulag and Hallan "Eradications Ongoing", a tag it defines as "Active eradication observed or reported".[3] It gives the status of Hallan's upper fields as unknown.[3]
The Tribune reported in September 2022 that a two-week Central Bureau of Narcotics operation had destroyed cannabis on 12,900 bigha (1,032 ha) of forest land in Kullu District.[9] Hindi-language coverage gives about 13,000 bigha over about three weeks, with four teams sent into the area in the first week of September.[10] It names the hills of Rumsu and "Halan" among the 16 places where the teams worked.[10]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 "Chanderkhani Valley". Zomia Collective. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Éloïse (4 September 2022). "Naggar-Rumsu". Zomia Collective. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Growing Regions". Zomia Collective. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Éloïse (6 September 2022). "Rumsu Domesticate Landrace - Upper Field #1 (2350m)". Zomia Collective. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Éloïse (6 September 2022). "Rumsu Domesticate Landrace - Upper Field #2 (2400m)". Zomia Collective. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Directorate of Census Operations, Himachal Pradesh (2014). District Census Handbook, Kullu: Village and Town Wise Primary Census Abstract (Report). Census of India 2011, Himachal Pradesh, Series 03, Part XII-B. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Directorate of Census Operations, Himachal Pradesh. Himachal Pradesh - Village Amenities (Spreadsheet (DH_2011_DCHB_Village_Release_0200.xlsx)). Census of India 2011, District Census Handbook, Kullu. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
- ↑ Éloïse (5 September 2022). "Rumsu Feral Landrace". Zomia Collective. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
- ↑ "Cannabis plants destroyed on 12,900-bigha forestland in Kullu". The Tribune. Tribune News Service. 21 September 2022.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Central Bureau of Narcotics की बड़ी कार्रवाई, 13 हजार बीघा भूमि से नष्ट की चरस की खेती [Major Central Bureau of Narcotics operation: charas cultivation destroyed on 13,000 bigha of land]. ETV Bharat (in हिन्दी). 20 September 2022.