Rare Kashmir Images


1900 CE Nala Mar Saraf Kadal kashmir
1900 CE Nala Mar canal and a Bridge (Reported as per historical evidence to be Saraf Kadal).
The Mar canal used to carry Dal waters from Present day Baba Demb to Jehlum (down the Present day Cement bridge) it used to relieve excess water of Dal lake during floods but Alas! it is no more.
This canal was dream project of great king, Zain Al Abidin Budshah (1413-1463). But today, majority of our engineers and planners have degrees but no common sense.
Great king laid foundation for those canals what we call Nallha maar. Beside many more small canals, it was his planning of water channels thus Kashmir being referred as Venice of East.
Most would feel guilty..off-course for some elite class doing destruction meant harvesting riches..the people who made this construction and set up were visionary and ahead at least 100 years of their times.


1910 Mission hospital Drugjan Dalgate Srinagar Kashmir
1910 Mission hospital Drugjan Dalgate with far off PIr Panjal mountains ( Present day chest disease Hospital ).
There have been such great people related to missionaries like Tyndale Biscoe and Dr Arthur Neve who brought such incredible facilties of education and medical care to Kashmir during those tough conditions of Maharaja rule, lack of connectivity and avenues. Truly great efforts.
Amazing Architecture. Beauty of Kashmir beautified by this piece of creation. Alas! We have lost all this sense of creation by replacing it by high rise buildings. Please spare this paradise at least !


Late 1950s Kashmiri Pandit women
Late 1950s Kashmiri Pandit women folk at a water point in a south Kashmir village.
The female on the right can be seen wearing a Khraw (Wodden slippers).
People used to be so particular about hygiene and cleanliness. Livun everyday with clay water. Everything was so nature friendly even the khraw. Remember my people going to yaarbal (river side) and cleaning utensils and rubbing their bottoms with clay so that daan fire doesn't damage the utensils. Though availability and resources were less but everything had an alternative naturally.


1960s The bridge of Amira Kadal Srinagar Kashmir
1960s The bridge of Amira Kadal, Srinagar Kashmir.
The ascent and a descent while crossing the bridge used to be testing time for tonga drivers ! Tthe kapoor hotel and kwality restaurant visible in the picture did great business even in 1980's.
They made a monstrous humpback bridge in its place and sold its wood, seasoned deodar, as scrap !
Simple people and almost every person wearing turban.
Separate walk ways for people and carts. so civilized !!


Workers at Silk factory in Srinagar 1904
Workers at Silk factory in Srinagar 1904.
Kashmir had the world largest silk factor at that time with some finest silk and highly skilled workers. Era of organic colour which does not exist any more. My grandfather has apparently worked there .
This is not only an old era picture but depicts our old traditions art unity without any dividing lines based on anyother consideration other than human values.
This would be in Naseem Bagh were the old factory was located in 1937 the factory was shifted to Rambagh and my uncle who had been trained abroad took charge of the factory it did very well under him during ww2 it was supplied to make parachutes.


Old Mallinson School Kashmir 1920s
1920s Roll call (attendance time) at CMS girls school, Fateh kadal, during an extra curricular activity.
At this time the ratio of boys and girls between the CMS boys and CMS girls school was very very less. Tribute to such visionaries for introducing the awareness and importance of girl education in the valley.
Miss Violet Fitze who started as teaching girls primary wing of the school and Miss Mallinson who joined as principal of the school in 1922 had an immense contribution towards spreading girls education. Miss Mallison was alone responsible for introducing extra curricular activities among girls. In 1938, 40 Kashmiri Girls scaled Mahadev Peak ( 1300 feet ) under her guidance only. All Credit goes to this great lady for adding a large number of educated women to kashmiri society . CMS girls school finally shifted to Sheikh Bagh in 1962 and is presently known as The Mallinson Girls school.
It's part of CMS school Fatehkadal. The boys and girls wings were different. (Today's Tyndale Biscoe and Mallison school respectively ).

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