Street Scenes & Childhood Moments in Old Kashmir Photos

A collection of old photographs and a painting showing daily life in Kashmir from the 1850s to the 1980s. The pictures include a mid-19th century painting of life along the Nalamar canal in Srinagar with wooden houses and river activities; Firdaus Cinema at Hawal in Srinagar around 1980 with street views; children playing in a residential street in Srinagar during the 1960s; a Nalchhi Ghar workshop in Srinagar around 1980 where traditional hookah pipes were made; a quiet roadside in Sonamarg in 1972 with traditional buildings and snowy mountains; and Kashmiri children near Dal Lake in Srinagar during the 1970s. Simple views of old Kashmir.

This evocative mid-19th century watercolor painting captures the serene, timeless rhythm of life along the narrow Nalamar canal in Srinagar, Kashmir, where locals in traditional attire navigate slender shikara boats laden with goods and passengers, while women sit on the water’s edge washing or conversing, framed by the distinctive multi-storied Kashmiri wooden houses—rising steeply with intricate latticework balconies, overhanging eaves, and mossy thatched roofs—tall poplars casting dappled shade across the tranquil waterway, a luminous and tender glimpse of the valley’s riverine civilization, vibrant community life, and harmonious brick-timber architecture during the 1850s, in the era before modern transformations altered the old city’s intimate waterscape.

This poignant black-and-white photograph from around 1980 captures the bustling everyday scene outside Firdous Cinema at Hawal in Srinagar, Kashmir, where locals in traditional attire gather on the dusty street—some clustered in conversation, others moving past market stalls and makeshift awnings—while the distinctive cinema building looms with its characteristic whitewashed facade, jagged saw-tooth roofline, and tall wooden ladder leaning against the upper edge, a classic Ambassador car parked prominently in the foreground, offering a tender, nostalgic glimpse of the valley’s vibrant urban cinema culture, lively street life, and vernacular brick-and-plaster architecture during the closing years of relative calm before the upheavals of the following decade reshaped the old city.

A black-and-white photograph from the 1960s captures the joyful rhythm of childhood in a narrow residential lane of old Srinagar, Kashmir, where a group of children—barefoot and in simple summer clothes—play and chase each other along the shadowed alleyway, framed by the intimate, closely packed traditional Kashmiri houses with their characteristic brick-and-timber facades, intricately carved lattice jharokhas, overhanging wooden balconies, and weathered stone bases, electric wires crisscrossing overhead and sunlight filtering through the dense urban canopy, offering a tender nostalgic snapshot of the valley’s enduring neighborhood bonds, carefree everyday life, and distinctive vernacular architecture during a quieter era of the old city.

A color photograph from around 1980 captures the intimate interior of a traditional Nalchhi Ghar in old Srinagar, Kashmir, where an elderly artisan sits cross-legged on the floor crafting intricate hookah pipes, surrounded by rows of finished and half-made hookahs hanging in dense clusters from the ceiling and walls—long bamboo stems, gleaming metal fittings, and decorative bases piled on shelves and workbench—while clay pots, glass bottles, tools, and scattered materials fill the dim, shadowed shopfront, offering a tender nostalgic snapshot of the valley’s enduring artisanal heritage, skilled local craftsmanship, and the everyday role of handcrafted domestic objects in Kashmiri culture during the final years of relative tranquility before profound changes reshaped the old city’s traditional livelihoods.

A color photograph from 1972 captures the serene solitude of a quiet dirt road in Sonamarg, Kashmir, where a lone figure in a long woolen cloak walks away down the center of the unpaved track, flanked by patches of green meadow, scattered rocks, small puddles reflecting the sky, and modest traditional stone-and-timber buildings with sloped roofs dotting the grassy valley floor, while the dramatic backdrop rises in layers of rugged, snow-dusted mountains and towering peaks blanketed in eternal white under a clear blue sky, offering a tender nostalgic snapshot of the valley’s pristine highland landscapes, pastoral simplicity, and timeless connection to the Himalayan wilderness during an era of tranquil accessibility before the region’s later transformations.

A black-and-white photograph from the 1970s captures the innocent charm of childhood along the shores of Dal Lake in Srinagar, Kashmir, where a group of young children—barefoot and bundled in traditional woolen pherans, shawls, and headscarves—stand clustered around the rough trunk of a tree, their faces lit with shy smiles and curious gazes, clothes layered for the valley's crisp air and mud-streaked from play on the damp earth, the soft lakeside ground and distant waterline faintly visible in the background, offering a tender nostalgic snapshot of the valley’s enduring lakeside community, simple everyday childhood joys, distinctive traditional attire, and close-knit neighborhood life during a peaceful decade before the old city and its surroundings underwent profound changes.

A sepia-toned photograph from 1928 captures the lively riverside activity along the Jhelum in Srinagar, Kashmir, where dozens of long doonga and shikara boats are densely moored along the broad stone ghats, their flat decks covered with woven canopies and piled high with vegetables, firewood, and market goods, while boatmen, porters, and women in flowing garments load, unload, and tend to daily commerce amid the gentle lap of water, the calm river reflecting the dense skyline of traditional multi-storied Kashmiri wooden houses—rising tier upon tier with latticed jharokhas, carved balconies, and overhanging eaves—dominated in the mid-distance by the graceful, multi-tiered silhouette of the Shah-e-Hamadan shrine with its pointed spire standing sentinel over the old city, offering a tender nostalgic snapshot of the valley’s thriving riverine economy, intricate vernacular architecture, and harmonious blend of work and community life during the late 1920s, in a time of cultural continuity before the mid-20th century brought gradual shifts to the old city’s intimate waterscape.

A sepia-toned photograph from around 1910 captures the elegant symmetry of Nishat Bagh in Srinagar, Kashmir, where a long, straight avenue lined with tall, mature chinar and cypress trees forms a shaded canopy over the central pathway, flanked by meticulously manicured lawns and geometric parterres, the formal Mughal terraces descending gently toward the shimmering expanse of Dal Lake in the distance, with the rugged Zabarwan Mountains rising softly against a hazy sky, offering a tender nostalgic snapshot of the valley’s iconic garden heritage, timeless landscape design, and serene natural beauty during the early 20th century, in an era when these pleasure grounds remained largely unchanged since their creation in the Mughal period.

An early 1900s black-and-white photograph captures the graceful central cascade and pavilion at Shalimar Bagh in Srinagar, Kashmir, where a gentle artificial waterfall flows from the upper terrace into a rectangular reflecting pool lined with stone, small fountains spraying delicate jets of water in the foreground, while two women in traditional attire stand near the edge observing the scene, framed by the elegant Mughal pavilion with its slender columns, carved brackets, and overhanging chhajja roof supported by ornate wooden beams, surrounded by lush trees and neatly trimmed shrubs against the soft backdrop of distant hills, offering a tender nostalgic snapshot of the valley’s renowned Mughal garden artistry, serene water features, and timeless architectural harmony during the early 20th century.

A 1930s black-and-white photograph captures the tranquil approach to Nishat Bagh in Srinagar, Kashmir, viewed from across a narrow stretch of water where a white two-storied pavilion stands gracefully on the garden's edge, its arched windows and balustraded balconies reflected in the still pond dotted with lily pads and framed by tall reeds and dense clusters of willow and poplar trees, while the rugged, forested slopes of the Zabarwan Mountains rise dramatically in the background under a soft, clouded sky, offering a tender nostalgic snapshot of the valley’s iconic Mughal garden entrance, serene waterscape, and harmonious integration of architecture with nature during the 1930s, in an era when these historic pleasure grounds retained their timeless serenity.

A 1915 black-and-white photograph captures the vibrant bustle of a traditional food bazaar in Srinagar, Kashmir, where groups of Kashmiri men in voluminous pherans, turbans, and shawls gather amid low wooden stalls and canvas awnings, seated or standing around heaps of fresh produce, dried fruits, nuts, spices, and breads displayed on mats and crates, with vendors and shoppers engaged in lively exchange beneath the backdrop of multi-storied timber-and-brick houses featuring latticed balconies and overhanging eaves, the dense urban fabric of the old city rising behind, offering a tender nostalgic snapshot of the valley’s enduring market culture, community interactions, distinctive traditional attire, and richly textured everyday commerce during the early 20th century, in an era of cultural continuity before modern changes reshaped the old city's intimate bazaars.

A sepia-toned photograph from around 1900 captures the aftermath of the devastating earthquake along a narrow canal in old Srinagar, Kashmir, where the waterway remains eerily still, reflecting the severely damaged traditional Kashmiri houses on either side—multi-storied timber-and-brick structures leaning precariously, upper floors collapsed, wooden balconies shattered and dangling, exposed beams and scaffolding protruding amid piles of fallen rubble and broken stone walls along the stone embankments, tall poplar trees standing sentinel amid the destruction, offering a tender yet somber nostalgic snapshot of the valley’s resilient vernacular architecture, the sudden vulnerability of its intimate urban fabric, and the human impact of natural calamity during the turn of the 20th century.