Urban Heritage & Public Life in Old Srinagar Photographs

A collection of old photographs showing everyday urban scenes and heritage in Srinagar during the twentieth century. The pictures include a woman selling traditional embroidered and everyday Kashmiri caps in a small bazaar shop around 1920; a traditional village kitchen interior in the 1980s with women and children around clay stoves and earthen utensils during winter; Lal Chowk commercial area in the late 1940s with grass-covered roofs on buildings, shops, pedestrians, and bicycles; the Shah-e-Hamdan shrine along the River Jhelum riverbank in 1911 with boats and wooden structures; Amira Kadal bridge over the Jhelum in 1910 showing its cantilever design and river activity below; and the Tourist Reception Centre in Srinagar in 1979 with its courtyard, buses, and visitors. Simple views of old Kashmir.

This photograph from 1920 shows a woman seated inside her small shop in Srinagar, engaged in the trade of traditional Kashmiri caps. Shelves behind her display various styles of headgear that were widely worn during the early twentieth century. These included finely decorated caps with embroidery work as well as simpler everyday caps used by the general population. The woman’s attire, posture, and direct gaze reflect the presence of women as active participants in local commerce. Such shops formed an essential part of Srinagar’s bazaar culture, supplying handmade items rooted in local tradition and craftsmanship. The image preserves a record of a once-common trade and traditional headwear that gradually declined with changing fashions and social habits in Kashmir.

This photograph from the 1980s shows the interior of a traditional village kitchen in Kashmir, offering a detailed view of domestic life during colder months. Women and children are gathered around the floor-level cooking area, where clay stoves are used for preparing meals and heating water. Earthen and metal utensils, storage vessels, and simple cookware are arranged around the space, reflecting practical household organization based on daily needs. The low light, enclosed setting, and layered clothing suggest winter conditions, when families spent long hours indoors around the hearth. This image preserves a lived interior rarely documented, highlighting traditional cooking methods, material culture, and the central role of the kitchen as a shared family space in rural Kashmir.

This photograph from the late 1940s shows Lal Chowk in Srinagar during a period when grass-covered roofs, locally known as singali pash, were still common on commercial and residential buildings. The street scene captures shops, pedestrians, bicycles, and early urban movement, reflecting the growing importance of Lal Chowk as a commercial and social center of the city. The architectural styles visible in the buildings illustrate a blend of traditional construction methods and emerging urban design. Signboards and shopfronts indicate active business life, while the grass roofs highlight building practices adapted to climate and available materials. The image serves as a valuable visual record of Srinagar’s urban landscape before later modernization replaced traditional roofing and transformed the city’s architectural character.

This photograph from 1911 presents a close view of the Shah-e-Hamdan shrine standing along the banks of the River Jhelum in Srinagar, capturing the strong visual and cultural relationship between the city’s religious landmarks and its waterways. The river flows calmly in the foreground, with boats and riverside structures indicating the everyday movement and commerce that depended on the Jhelum at the time. Surrounding wooden buildings and traditional riverfront construction reflect settlement patterns shaped by access to water and trade routes. The shrine’s distinctive roofline rises above the riverbank, emphasizing its spiritual prominence within the urban landscape. This image preserves an early twentieth century view of Srinagar when the river remained central to transport, livelihood, and the visual identity of the city.

This photograph from 1910 shows Amira Kadal, the first modern bridge constructed over the River Jhelum in Srinagar, captured shortly after its completion following the devastating floods of 1903. Built using a stone and wooden cantilever design, the bridge replaced earlier structures that had been repeatedly damaged by flooding. The image shows boats and river activity beneath the bridge, emphasizing the continued importance of the Jhelum for transport and daily commerce. The bridge was uniquely equipped with a drawbridge arrangement at one end, designed to allow the passage of royal barges and large boats during periods of high water. Surrounding buildings and riverbank activity reflect Srinagar’s growing urban character in the early twentieth century. This image documents a significant milestone in the city’s infrastructural history, marking a transition toward modern engineering while remaining closely tied to river life.

This photograph from 1979 shows the Tourist Reception Center in Srinagar, a prominent public building that once served as a central hub for visitors arriving in the city. The structure housed tourism offices, a restaurant, and operational units connected with travel and transport services, including airlines and regional road transport. Its simple yet functional architectural design reflected a period when public buildings emphasized openness, accessibility, and civic purpose. Visitors and buses gathered in the open courtyard highlight the role of the center as a first point of contact for travelers to Kashmir. The image preserves the memory of a landmark that played an important role in Srinagar’s tourism history before later redevelopment altered the city’s built landscape.