Gulmarg Bazaar & Srinagar River Life in Old Kashmir Photos

A collection of old photographs showing everyday scenes and routines in Kashmir from the early twentieth century to the 1970s. The pictures include Gulmarg Bazaar in the 1940s with wooden shops along a sloping road, pedestrians, and pack animals among pine forests; a portrait of poet Samad Mir during a recitation; the River Jhelum viewed from Zaina Kadal in the 1970s with houseboats, buildings, and a shrine; houseboats on Nallah Sind below Duderhama in the early twentieth century; a vegetable vendor's stall in a Srinagar market in 1968 with baskets of produce; and patients resting on the upper verandah of the Mission Hospital at Drugjan in the early twentieth century, attended by caregivers. Simple views of old Kashmir.

This photograph from the 1940s shows Gulmarg Bazaar during a period when the town retained much of its original character and natural setting. Wooden shop structures line a gently sloping road, with pedestrians and pack animals visible, indicating the slow-paced daily life of this hill settlement. Dense pine forests rise behind the bazaar, forming a close visual and environmental connection between human activity and the surrounding landscape. At this time, Gulmarg functioned primarily as a modest seasonal settlement and hill station rather than a heavily developed tourist center. The image preserves an important historical view of Gulmarg before large-scale commercialization, documenting its built form, village-scale commerce, and harmony with the natural environment.

This portrait photograph shows the renowned Kashmiri poet Samad Mir, one of the most influential literary voices of twentieth-century Kashmir. Born in 1894 in Narwara, Srinagar, Samad Mir played a significant role in shaping modern Kashmiri poetry through his powerful verses rooted in social awareness, human struggle, and intellectual reflection. The image captures him in a moment of recitation or address, speaking into a microphone, symbolizing the oral tradition of Kashmiri poetry and its transmission to wider audiences. Samad Mir passed away in 1959 at the age of sixty-five and was laid to rest at Agar near the village of Nambalhar in Budgam. This photograph stands as an important visual record of Kashmir’s literary heritage and the enduring legacy of one of its most respected poets.

This color photograph from the 1970s presents a detailed view of the River Jhelum as seen from old Zaina Kadal in Srinagar. Houseboats line the riverbank in the foreground, while densely built wooden and brick structures rise along the water’s edge, reflecting the traditional riverfront settlement pattern of the city. The prominent shrine structure visible in the background adds religious and architectural significance to the scene, underscoring the close relationship between the river, faith, and daily life in Srinagar. During this period, the Jhelum continued to function as a central artery for residence, transport, and cultural activity. The image serves as an important visual record of Srinagar’s river landscape in the late twentieth century, before major changes in urban density, river management, and environmental conditions altered the character of this historic stretch.

This early twentieth century photograph shows houseboats resting on the waters of Nallah Sind below Duderhama in the Ganderbal region of Kashmir. During this period, the river formed part of a well-established travel route used mainly by British visitors, who journeyed downstream along the River Jhelum to Shadipur and then upstream along the Sind River toward Beehama, Ganderbal. From this point, travelers often continued toward Ladakh, historically known as Chota Tibet, using mule caravans. In later years, the same river route was also used by devotees traveling in dongas to attend the Urs of Kamer Sahib. The image preserves an important record of Kashmir’s river-based travel networks, houseboat culture, and the role of waterways in tourism, pilgrimage, and regional movement before modern transport systems.

This photograph from 1968 shows a vegetable vendor seated at his stall in a traditional Srinagar market, surrounded by neatly arranged baskets of produce. Fruits are stacked on one side while vegetables occupy the other, reflecting the organized manner in which local vendors displayed their goods. The vendor’s attire, posture, and setting offer a clear glimpse into everyday market life in Srinagar during the mid twentieth century, when open markets formed the backbone of urban food supply. Such vendors played a central role in connecting rural producers with city households, sustaining daily commerce through face-to-face trade. The image serves as an important social record of traditional livelihoods, market culture, and food distribution practices in Kashmir before the spread of modern retail systems.

This early twentieth century photograph shows patients resting on hospital beds in the upper verandah of the Mission Hospital at Drugjan, Srinagar, which later became known as the Chest Disease Hospital. The image was taken by Dr. Ernest E. Neve and documents the Downes Ward, named after Dr. Edmund Downes, who arrived in Kashmir in 1877 to serve under the Kashmir Medical Mission. Patients are seen attended by women caregivers, reflecting the hospital’s role in providing organized medical care in a period when modern healthcare facilities were still limited in the region. The long brick verandah, iron beds, and orderly arrangement illustrate the missionary hospital system introduced during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This photograph remains an important visual record of early institutional healthcare, patient care practices, and the foundations of modern medicine in Kashmir.