NEPALESE TEMPLE HASH

NEPALESE TEMPLE HASH is sold under a name that points to temple balls, the charas spheres that Sensi Seeds associates with Nepal. Charas is hash rubbed out of living flowers by hand, and Sensi Seeds says the usual Indian shapes are dark sticks or “fingers” instead.

Where the shine comes from

A distinctive mirror-like shine marks temple balls, per Sensi Seeds. A hash maker quoted there, Frenchy Cannoli, credits long curing: over time, a little of the hash’s oils separates out.

Shiva, the chillum and the sadhus

Charas has a religious side. Sensi Seeds links it to Shaivism, the Hindu tradition devoted to Shiva, and names the chillum, a straight clay pipe, as the traditional way to smoke it. Sadhus, it adds, mix it with tobacco and call on Shiva first. Wikipedia’s Cannabis in Nepal page says the plant is regarded as Shiva’s gift and, at the Mahashivaratri festival, as a holy offering.

A timeline for Nepalese charas

• 1700s: Wikipedia reports that Nepalese charas was already ranked the best on offer.
• Early 1800s: Francis Buchanan-Hamilton, cited on the same page, called cannabis in Nepal a common weed, uncultivated yet widely used for intoxication.
• 1960s: the Hippie Trail starts sending young Western travellers through Nepal. According to Wikipedia, the extra demand and the links to outside markets lead to more hashish production, with routes running through India and beyond.
• Before 1973: hashish is sold on Kathmandu’s Freak Street (Jhochhen), a hub of hippie culture, and Sensi Seeds says Nepal was one of the major hashish producers by 1972.

Darchula and the plants of Nepal

In Nepal, Sensi Seeds locates charas production in some parts of the country, above all the isolated upper Darchula region. Sensi Seeds also describes Nepalese cannabis as typically resinous, sativa-type plants with dense buds and sparse branching.

Smoking it with care

Health Canada recommends a cautious start for smoking: one or two puffs, then a wait, because the first effects can show up almost at once while the full peak is slower to come. Six hours or more should pass after using cannabis before anyone drives, the lower-risk guidelines say. Our Nepalese hash guide goes further into the style.