Nigeen Lake & Srinagar Street Life in Vintage Kashmir Photos

A collection of old photographs showing everyday activities, markets, waterways, and community scenes in Srinagar from the 1880s to the 1980s. The pictures include a hand-coloured royal state barge (Parendh) on the Apple Tree Canal rowed by boatmen in the 1880s; a flower seller in a small boat with baskets on Nigeen Lake in the 1960s; children holding flowers in a rural setting in 1976; Kashmiri women conversing at a roadside market stall in Dalgate in 1970; bustling street scenes with shops, pedestrians, and bicycles in the 1970s; narrow market lanes filled with shopkeepers and children in 1980; daily life at Yarbal on the Jhelum River with women and children on stone steps in 1982; oarsmen from Tyndale-Biscoe School rowing on the Jhelum in the early 20th century; women grinding grain beside a canal around 1900; and the Fourth Bridge over the Jhelum with Hari Parbat in the background in the early 20th century.

This colour photograph from the 1960s shows a flower seller navigating a small wooden boat across Nigeen Lake in Srinagar, with baskets of fresh flowers arranged along the narrow hull. The calm water reflects the surrounding trees, distant houseboats, and the mountain range rising behind the lake, emphasising the open and lightly developed character of the area at the time. During this period, Nigeen Lake was closely linked to everyday livelihoods, with vendors using boats to transport flowers and goods between neighbourhoods and markets. The image captures a moment of routine work on the water, illustrating how lake based movement and trade formed an integral part of daily life in Srinagar before later urban expansion altered the shoreline.

This hand coloured photograph from the 1880s shows the royal state barge known as the Parendh moving through the Apple Tree Canal in Kashmir, rowed by a large team of boatmen seated along its length. The covered central pavilion marks the barge as part of the Maharaja’s ceremonial fleet, used for official travel and display along the region’s waterways. Tall trees line the canal banks, reflected in the still water below, while the carefully coordinated movement of the rowers emphasises the formal nature of the journey. The image documents a period when canals formed an important transport network and royal movement through water routes was a visible part of Kashmir’s political and social landscape.

This colour photograph from 1976 shows a group of children standing together in a rural Kashmiri setting, each holding flowers gathered from their surroundings. Dressed in everyday clothing, they face the camera in front of a simple stone boundary and wooden structure, with trees and village activity visible in the background. Such scenes reflect ordinary moments of childhood spent outdoors, where fields, paths, and shared spaces formed an extension of daily life. The image offers a quiet view of village surroundings during this period, capturing how children moved naturally within close knit communities shaped by seasonal rhythms and familiar landscapes.

This black and white photograph from 1970 shows Kashmiri women gathered beside a roadside market stall at Dalgate in Srinagar, engaged in quiet conversation while shopping for everyday household items. The narrow market frontage, with produce displayed close to the street, reflects the informal character of inner city commerce, where vendors and customers interacted at close range. Dressed in everyday clothing and head coverings, the women pause amid the flow of foot traffic, illustrating how markets functioned as both economic and social spaces. Such roadside stalls formed an essential part of daily life in Srinagar, shaping neighbourhood routines and community interaction during this period.

This black and white photograph from the 1970s captures a typical street scene in Srinagar, where small shops open directly onto the road and everyday transactions unfold at a slow, familiar pace. Goods hang from wooden shopfronts while customers stand on raised thresholds to browse, with a bicycle resting nearby and pedestrians moving past in close proximity. The modest scale of the buildings and the informal arrangement of stalls reflect the character of inner city commerce, where livelihoods were closely tied to neighbourhood streets. Such scenes illustrate how shopping, movement, and social interaction were woven together in Srinagar’s urban life during this period.

This black and white photograph from 1980 shows a narrow market lane in Srinagar filled with everyday movement, as pedestrians, shopkeepers, and children pass through the tightly packed street. Small shops line both sides, their goods displayed close to the road, while hanging awnings and projecting balconies create a dense urban enclosure. A child carrying metal containers walks toward the camera, reflecting the routine domestic errands that formed part of daily life. The scene captures the rhythm of an inner city market, where commerce, household tasks, and social interaction unfolded together within the compact streets of Srinagar during this period.

This colour photograph from 1982 shows everyday life at Yarbal along the banks of the Jhelum River in Srinagar, where women and children gather on stone steps leading down to the water. Traditional brick houses with wooden windows rise directly behind the riverbank, reflecting the close relationship between domestic spaces and the river. The steps function as a shared area for washing, collecting water, and quiet social interaction, while children sit and play nearby. Scenes like this were common along the Jhelum, where the river formed an essential part of daily routines, shaping neighbourhood life and movement in Srinagar before large scale changes altered many of these riverfront settings.

This early twentieth century photograph shows a group of Kashmiri oarsmen rowing on the Jhelum River in Srinagar, associated with Tyndale-Biscoe School, an institution founded in 1880. The school initially operated from Fateh Kadal before later shifting to its Sheikh Bagh location near present day Lal Chowk, becoming an important centre of education in the city’s central area. Dressed uniformly and rowing in formation, the oarsmen reflect the school’s emphasis on physical training and discipline alongside classroom learning. The riverside buildings rising behind them highlight how the Jhelum served as a setting for education, sport, and everyday urban life during this period.

This photograph, taken around 1900, shows Kashmiri women grinding grain using a traditional wooden mortar and pestle beside a canal lined with mature poplar trees. The work is carried out outdoors, close to the water’s edge, reflecting common rural and semi-rural practices where food preparation often took place in shared open spaces. Several children stand nearby, observing quietly, suggesting how domestic labour and family life unfolded together. Canal banks such as these were frequently used for washing, grinding, and other daily tasks, making them important extensions of the household. The image documents a routine moment of manual labour, illustrating how everyday work, landscape, and community life were closely intertwined in Kashmir at the turn of the twentieth century.

This early twentieth century photograph shows the Fourth Bridge spanning the Jhelum River in Srinagar, with the hill of Hari Parbat rising behind the dense cluster of riverside buildings. Boats are moored along the bank in the foreground, while the multi-arched bridge connects neighbourhoods on either side of the river, serving as an important route for everyday movement. The tightly packed wooden houses and shops lining the water reflect the city’s close relationship with the Jhelum, which functioned as both a transport corridor and a central organising feature of urban life. The image captures a period when bridges, river traffic, and hillside landmarks together defined the visual and social landscape of Srinagar.