Early 20th Century Kashmir Daily Life in Vintage Photographs

 A collection of old photographs showing everyday routines, crafts, and community moments in Kashmir from the 1870s to the early 20th century. The pictures include a woman spinning yarn on a traditional yander wheel outdoors with a child nearby; children playing the hopscotch-style game saz’lo’ng in a village courtyard around 1903; a young shepherd’s daughter seated by a sheep overlooking Dal Lake in the late 19th century; the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar viewed from surrounding lanes in 1906; a studio portrait of women in pherans with hookah and kangri in 1907; charcoal sellers carrying heavy loads along a path in the 1870s; earthenware hawkers with baskets of clay pots on a roadside in the late 19th century; a serene view of Manasbal Lake in the 1880s; paddy fields and villages near Banihal Pass in 1928; and a young girl on a wooden boat on Dal Lake. Simple views of old Kashmir.

This early twentieth century photograph shows a Kashmiri woman seated outdoors, operating a yander, the traditional spinning wheel used in Kashmir for producing yarn intended for sale rather than personal household use. Dressed in a pheran with a head covering, she works with the wheel placed directly on the ground, while a child stands nearby observing. The production of spun yarn formed part of small scale economic activity, with women contributing directly to local markets through such labour. The scene reflects how craft based work was often carried out in open spaces close to homes or village paths, illustrating the integration of income generating activity into everyday life in Kashmir during this period.

This photograph, taken around 1903, shows a group of Kashmiri children gathered in a village courtyard playing a traditional hopscotch-style game known locally as saz’lo’ng, where rectangular boxes are marked on the ground with chalk for players to move through in sequence. The children stand and sit around the chalked grid, engaging in a simple outdoor pastime that was widely played in Kashmir’s neighbourhoods and village paths before the spread of modern amusements. Their modest clothing and the earthen dwellings behind them reflect a rural everyday setting, illustrating how unstructured games formed an important part of childhood recreation and social interaction in the region during this period.

This late nineteenth century photograph, commonly titled “The Shepherd’s Daughter,” shows a young girl seated beside a sheep on an elevated bank overlooking Dal Lake in Srinagar, with another child resting nearby beneath a tree. The lake stretches quietly behind them, situating the scene within the natural landscape that bordered the city. Although pastoral in subject, such images were often composed along Dal Lake, where photographers documented rural occupations against a recognisable Srinagar setting. The photograph reflects how pastoral life, landscape, and ethnographic representation intersected around the lake during this period, offering a visual record of both occupation and place.

This photograph from 1906 shows the Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, viewed from within the surrounding lanes of the old city. The mosque, originally founded in the fourteenth century during the reign of Sultan Sikandar and later rebuilt under Sultan Hassan, has long served as one of the most important religious and social centres in Kashmir. Its large courtyard and timber architecture reflect a blend of Islamic and local building traditions. By the early twentieth century, the Jamia Masjid stood not only as a place of prayer but also as a focal point for public gatherings and civic life, anchoring the spiritual and communal landscape of Srinagar’s historic core.

This studio photograph from 1907 shows a group of Kashmiri women posed together, dressed in traditional pheran garments and elaborate jewellery, with a hookah and a kangri placed prominently in the foreground. The hookah, commonly used for smoking tobacco, and the kangri, a portable fire pot carried beneath the pheran for warmth, were everyday objects closely associated with domestic and social life in Kashmir. During the early twentieth century, such studio portraits were often commissioned to document clothing, adornment, and customary objects rather than individual identity. The image reflects how attire, household items, and posture were carefully arranged to represent cultural norms and daily practices of Kashmiri women during this period.

This photograph from the 1870s shows two charcoal sellers walking along a narrow path in Kashmir, each carrying a large bundle of charcoal supported by head and shoulder straps. Dressed in simple work clothing and barefoot, they move steadily under the weight of the loads, reflecting the physical demands of manual transport before mechanised hauling. Charcoal production and sale formed an important part of the local economy, supplying fuel for cooking, heating, and crafts in towns and villages. Such work was commonly carried out by hand, with charcoal transported from wooded areas to markets and households. The image documents a form of everyday labour that sustained urban and domestic life in nineteenth-century Kashmir.

This late nineteenth century photograph shows earthenware hawkers standing together along a roadside in Kashmir, carrying wicker baskets filled with clay pots and household vessels secured to their backs. Dressed in simple working garments and turbans, the men pause during their route, likely moving between villages and town markets. Earthenware utensils were widely used for cooking, storage, and daily household needs, making such hawkers an essential link between rural potters and urban consumers. Before the spread of permanent retail shops and mechanised transport, goods like pottery were commonly distributed by foot, with sellers travelling long distances to supply neighbourhoods. The image documents a form of mobile commerce that played a central role in sustaining everyday domestic life in Kashmir during this period.

This photograph from the 1880s shows Manasbal Lake in Kashmir, viewed from a low shoreline with gently sloping hills enclosing the water on both sides. Two figures sit near the edge of the lake, emphasising the scale and openness of the landscape rather than human activity. Manasbal, located north of Srinagar, has long been known for its depth and clear waters and was historically surrounded by cultivated land and small settlements. During the late nineteenth century, the lake formed part of the broader rural landscape of central Kashmir, supporting fishing, irrigation, and seasonal movement. The image documents Manasbal before later development, presenting the lake as a quiet natural feature closely integrated with everyday rural life.

This photograph from 1928 shows paddy fields spread across the landscape near Banihal Pass, with clusters of village houses set among cultivated land and lines of trees. The fields appear carefully laid out, reflecting the importance of rice cultivation in sustaining rural communities of the Kashmir region. Banihal Pass has long served as a key gateway linking the Kashmir Valley with the plains to the south, shaping patterns of settlement, agriculture, and movement. During the early twentieth century, farming around this route supported local livelihoods while also supplying grain to nearby markets. The image documents the agricultural character of the area at a time when cultivation and seasonal rhythms defined everyday life in the surrounding villages.

This early twentieth century photograph shows a young girl seated on the edge of a wooden boat on Dal Lake in Srinagar, her figure turned toward the open water and the mountain backdrop beyond. Boats formed an essential part of everyday life on the lake, serving as transport, workplaces, and living spaces for families connected to fishing, vending, and lake-based trade. During this period, Dal Lake supported a large community whose daily routines were closely tied to movement across the water. The image reflects the intimate relationship between people and the lake, capturing a quiet moment within a landscape that shaped livelihoods and settlement patterns in Srinagar for generations.