Urban Daily Life & Shared Spaces in Old Kashmir Photographs

A collection of old photographs showing everyday activities and public places in Srinagar and rural Kashmir from around 1900 to the 1960s. The pictures include the Nala Mar canal passing under a stone bridge near Saraf Kadal around 1900; the Mission Hospital at Drugjan near Dalgate around 1910 with its European-style buildings and mountain backdrop; Kashmiri Pandit women washing utensils at a village spring water point in South Kashmir in the late 1950s; busy movement on Amira Kadal bridge in the 1960s with pedestrians, tongas, handcarts, and bicycles; workers inside the Srinagar silk factory operating looms and reeling equipment in 1904; and girls during an outdoor roll call at the CMS Girls School in Fateh Kadal in the 1920s. Simple views of old Kashmir.

This rare photograph from around 1900 shows the Nala Mar canal passing beneath a stone bridge near Saraf Kadal in Srinagar, capturing an important element of the city’s historic water management system. Nala Mar once served as a major drainage channel, carrying excess waters from Dal Lake toward the Jhelum River and helping regulate flooding within the densely built urban core of Srinagar. The stone bridge visible here reflects traditional Kashmiri masonry and engineering techniques, designed to accommodate both pedestrian movement above and water flow below. The surrounding walls, timber supports, and narrow canal width illustrate how closely integrated waterways were with residential and commercial structures in old Srinagar. Over time, many such canals were altered or filled as the city expanded, making images like this crucial records of Kashmir’s lost hydraulic infrastructure and urban landscape.

This rare photograph from around 1910 presents an early view of the Mission Hospital at Drugjan near Dalgate, Srinagar, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Pir Panjal mountain range. The hospital complex, with its distinctive church-like architecture, towers, and pitched roofs, reflects the influence of European missionary design introduced to Kashmir during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Institutions such as this played a crucial role in the development of modern healthcare and medical education in the valley, providing organized treatment facilities at a time when access to structured medical services was limited. The surrounding landscape, marked by open fields and sparse settlement, highlights how the hospital once stood on the margins of the city before Srinagar expanded outward. This image documents an important phase in Kashmir’s institutional history, illustrating the intersection of medicine, education, and colonial-era architecture within the region’s evolving urban fabric.

This late 1950s photograph captures Kashmiri Pandit women at a village water point in South Kashmir, engaged in everyday domestic work that formed an essential part of rural life. The women are seen washing utensils using flowing spring water, with natural clay traditionally employed as a cleaning agent, reflecting long-established local hygiene practices before the widespread availability of modern detergents. Their simple woollen clothing and wooden footwear highlight the practical attire commonly worn in village settings, suited to outdoor labor and seasonal conditions. Such communal water points were central to social interaction among women, serving not only as functional spaces for daily chores but also as informal gathering places within the village. The image offers a valuable glimpse into mid-twentieth-century rural life in Kashmir, preserving details of customary practices, material culture, and the rhythm of daily routines that shaped community life during this period.

This color photograph from the 1960s presents a lively view of Amira Kadal, one of Srinagar’s most important river crossings, capturing the dense everyday movement of pedestrians, tongas, handcarts, and bicycles. The bridge functioned not only as a transport link across the Jhelum River but also as a social and commercial artery connecting major market areas of the city. The wooden and brick buildings lining both sides of the bridge reflect traditional Kashmiri urban architecture, with shops, hotels, and trading establishments closely packed along the riverbank. Separate walkways and orderly traffic flow visible in the image highlight a period when Srinagar’s urban life balanced traditional modes of transport with emerging modern organization. The scene documents mid-twentieth-century city life in Kashmir, preserving details of commerce, architecture, and daily movement before later redevelopment altered much of this historic streetscape.

This rare interior photograph from 1904 shows the Srinagar silk factory during active production, documenting an important phase in Kashmir’s early industrial history. Rows of skilled workers are seen operating traditional looms and silk-reeling equipment inside a long, timber-supported hall, reflecting the organized scale of silk manufacture introduced in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The factory played a significant role in formalizing silk production in the valley, transforming a long-standing craft tradition into an institutional industry connected to regional and international markets. The workers’ attire, seating arrangements, and tools visible in the image provide valuable insight into labor conditions and production methods of the period. This photograph stands as an important visual record of Kashmir’s industrial craftsmanship, illustrating how traditional skills were integrated into early factory systems before later mechanization and economic changes reshaped the region’s textile industry.

This rare photograph from the 1920s shows attendance roll call at the CMS Girls School in Fateh Kadal, Srinagar, during an outdoor extracurricular activity. At a time when formal education for girls in Kashmir was extremely limited, the image documents early institutional efforts to promote female schooling in the valley. The orderly assembly of students reflects the discipline and structure introduced by missionary-run schools during the early twentieth century. Educators such as Miss Violet Fitze and Miss Mallinson played a key role in expanding girls’ education beyond basic literacy, encouraging participation in organized school activities. The photograph stands as an important visual record of a formative period in Kashmir’s educational and social history.