Rare Vintage Kashmir Photos: Dal Lake Shikaras & Riverfront Life

A collection of old photographs showing daily life and movement in Kashmir from the early 1900s to the 1980s. The pictures include a winter view of Hotel Highland Park in Gulmarg during the 1970s with heavy snowfall, a shikara on Dal Lake in Srinagar in the 1970s, the riverside near Chinar Bagh in Srinagar in 1906 with moored boats, a bridge and riverfront in Srinagar during the 1960s–1970s with stacked timber logs, the riverfront in Baramulla in the early 1900s with wooden buildings and boats, a panoramic view of Srinagar with dense houses and mountains, the Fateh Kadal bridge area in Srinagar, a shikara on Dal Lake in the 1980s, flower sellers in small boats on Dal Lake in the 1980s, and the Del Camp area in Gulmarg with cottage-style houses. Simple views of lakes, rivers, and waterfronts in old Kashmir.

A winter view of Hotel Highland Park in Gulmarg during the 1970s, with the building surrounded by heavy snowfall and dense forest in the background. Snowbanks rise high around the structure, while a lone figure stands near the entrance, emphasizing the scale of winter conditions in the area. The wooden construction, simple signage, and quiet setting reflect the character of mountain tourism during this period, when facilities were modest and closely tied to the natural landscape. The scene offers a glimpse into seasonal life in Gulmarg, showing how hotels and visitors adapted to long, snowbound winters in Kashmir.

A shikara glides across Dal Lake in Srinagar during the 1970s, framed by calm water and distant mountain slopes. The simple wooden boat, fitted with a covered seating area, reflects everyday lake transport rather than a staged tourist scene. Gentle ripples and reflections on the water highlight the slow rhythm of movement that shaped daily life on the lake. The scene offers a quiet view of how Dal Lake functioned as a shared space for work, travel, and routine activity in Kashmir during this period.

A riverside view near Chinar Bagh in Srinagar in 1906, showing boats moored along the water and tall trees lining the banks, with houses visible in the background. The calm surface of the river and the presence of small boats suggest routine movement and everyday use rather than a formal scene. Handwritten text across the image indicates its use as a postcard, reflecting how such views were shared and circulated at the time. The setting offers a glimpse into early twentieth-century Srinagar, where waterways formed an essential part of daily life, transport, and connection within the city.

A view of a bridge and the surrounding riverfront area in Srinagar during the 1960s–1970s, with large timber logs stacked along the bank and buildings clustered near the water. The bridge connects busy neighborhoods, while boats and riverside structures indicate the continued use of the river for transport, trade, and daily activity. The presence of timber reflects river-based commerce and construction needs tied to the city’s growth during this period. The scene captures an everyday working landscape, showing how Srinagar’s riverfront functioned as a shared space for movement, labor, and settlement in mid-twentieth-century Kashmir.

A riverfront view of Baramulla in the early 1900s, showing wooden buildings lined along the water with boats moving across the river in the foreground. The clustered houses, stepped embankments, and reflections on the water highlight how closely the town was shaped around the river. Small boats suggest routine travel and transport rather than ceremonial activity, pointing to the river’s role in everyday movement and trade. The scene offers a calm glimpse of Baramulla’s town life at a time when waterways formed the main link between neighborhoods and the wider region.

A wide panoramic view of Srinagar showing a dense spread of houses, narrow lanes, and open patches of land, with mountain ranges forming a distant backdrop. The closely built neighborhoods reflect a compact urban pattern shaped by geography and traditional settlement practices. Scattered open areas and uneven road lines suggest gradual expansion rather than planned development. With no specific date recorded, the image still offers a clear sense of scale and layout, giving a visual impression of how Srinagar appeared during an earlier phase of its growth.

A city view of Srinagar centered on the Fateh Kadal bridge, showing the wooden bridge structure crossing the river with densely built houses along the banks. The stepped supports of the bridge and the calm water below highlight the importance of river crossings in everyday movement across the city. Buildings clustered close to the water reflect how neighborhoods developed around the river as a shared space for travel, trade, and daily life. Although the exact date is not known, the scene offers a clear impression of Srinagar’s river-centered layout during an earlier phase of its urban life.

A shikara moves across Dal Lake in Srinagar during the 1980s, with passengers seated beneath a simple canopy and mountain slopes rising in the background. The still water and open setting suggest an unhurried pace, reflecting how the lake continued to serve everyday movement and leisure alongside its scenic appeal. Other boats at the edges of the frame hint at shared use of the lake rather than a solitary journey. The scene offers a calm view of Dal Lake as a lived space, shaped by routine activity and seasonal rhythms in Kashmir during this period.

Flower sellers move across Dal Lake in Srinagar during the 1980s, their small boats filled with bright blooms arranged for sale. Several shikaras share the water, with vendors paddling slowly between houseboats and open stretches of the lake. The floating baskets of flowers point to lake-based trade that blended daily work with movement on water rather than land. The scene offers a glimpse into everyday commerce on Dal Lake, where livelihoods unfolded quietly along familiar routes shaped by the rhythms of the lake.

A view of the Del Camp area in Gulmarg, showing cottage-style houses set among carefully maintained gardens and winding footpaths. Flower beds line the walkways, while pitched roofs and wooden details reflect a residential layout influenced by European hill-station planning. The orderly landscaping and separation between houses suggest a quiet living environment shaped around leisure and seasonal retreat. The scene offers a glimpse into how parts of Gulmarg developed as a planned residential zone, where everyday life unfolded within landscaped surroundings during the colonial period.