Kashmir Through Old Photographs

A collection of old photographs showing everyday people, shared spaces, and routines in Kashmir from the early 1900s to the mid-twentieth century. The pictures include a hand-tinted postcard portrait of a Kashmiri woman in traditional attire with silver earrings from the late 1940s; Mohammad Subhan Hajam, a social reformer from the early 1900s; devotees gathered at the Tula Mula shrine around a natural spring in Ganderbal in the early 1900s; Prof Ghulam Mohi-ud-Din Hajni, a prominent Kashmiri scholar and poet; a large gathering on Zaina Kadal bridge in Srinagar in 1911 as a social hub; a farmer ploughing fields with oxen in rural Kashmir around 1920; and pony wallahs leading horses on a mountain road in Gulmarg during the 1940s. Simple views of old Kashmir. This mid twentieth century hand-tinted postcard presents a portrait of a Kashmiri woman dressed in traditional attire, reflecting popular visual representations of Kashmir from the late 1940s and early 1950s. The original photog...

A collection of old photographs showing everyday landscapes, spiritual sites, and community figures in Kashmir during the twentieth century. The pictures include a late 1970s–early 1980s view of Gulmarg meadow with wooden buildings, vehicles, visitors, and the snow-covered Pir Panjal range; a 1932 panoramic postcard of Srinagar featuring Kohi Maran fort, Hazrat Sheikh Hamza Makhdoom shrine, and the mosque on the hill with clustered houses and chinar trees; the main market street in Leh, Ladakh in 1911 with locals in traditional attire, shops, and the Old Leh Palace above; the Baba Reshi Shrine near Gulmarg in its original Mughal-style structure from the early twentieth century; a mid-twentieth century portrait of Sufi saint Hazrat Syed Meerakh Shah Kashani; and a woman steering a traditional wooden boat on a river in 1980 with calm waters and surrounding trees. Simple views of old Kashmir. This photograph, taken for a postcard series in the late 1970s to early 1980s, presents a vie...

A collection of old photographs showing personal and community life in Kashmir from the 1920s to the 1970s. The pictures include educator Master Samsar Chand Kaul with his wife Lachhkuji in a quiet Srinagar outdoor setting in 1964; women vendors selling vegetables in Jamia Market near Nowhatta in the 1970s; a mother braiding her daughter’s hair in the traditional Wankah Pauren style; children standing together on rocky rural terrain in the 1950s; two men resting beside a river in 1920 wearing traditional pulhoor straw footwear; and Ustad Mohammad Abdullah Tibetbaqal performing classical Sufiana music on a string instrument. Simple views of old Kashmir. This rare 1964 photograph shows Master Samsar Chand Kaul, one of Kashmir’s most respected educators, seated alongside his wife Lachhkuji in a quiet outdoor setting in Srinagar. Born in 1883, Master Samsar Chand Kaul devoted more than six decades to teaching, primarily at the CMS School in Fateh Kadal and later at Central High School. ...

A collection of old photographs showing everyday routines and community moments in Kashmir from the 1920s to the 1970s. The pictures include farm workers taking a lunch break in open fields during the 1950s, sharing a simple meal under trees; fishermen casting nets from a boat under a wooden bridge in early twentieth century Srinagar, with people watching from above; vegetable vendors and street activity near Kani Kadal in late twentieth century Srinagar; Ustaad Muhammed Abdullah Tibetbaqal performing Sufi music on a traditional string instrument in the mid twentieth century; the bustling Hari Singh High Street at Amira Kadal in 1977 with pedestrians, cyclists, and shops; and crowds at a large autumn fair in 1923, gathering for trade and social exchange. Simple views of old Kashmir. This photograph from the 1950s shows farm workers gathered during a midday lunch break in the open fields of Kashmir. Seated on the ground beneath trees, the group shares a simple meal using earthen pot...

A collection of old photographs showing everyday life, cultural traditions, and historical landmarks in Kashmir from the early twentieth century to the mid-1950s. The pictures include women spinning wool on traditional wooden charkhas in a domestic setting in 1903; an aerial view of Srinagar in the early 1950s with vast agricultural fields and open spaces in areas like Rajbagh and Nishat; a young Kashmiri girl wearing handcrafted silver jewelry in traditional attire; the Chattabal weir on the River Jhelum as an important water control structure; the old Fateh Kadal wooden bridge over the Jhelum River with dense riverfront houses and the Shah Hamdan Mosque visible; and a portrait of respected Sufiana musician Ustad Ghulam Muhammad Qaleenbaft. Simple views of old Kashmir. This rare photograph from 1903 shows Kashmiri women engaged in the traditional practice of spinning wool using hand-operated wooden charkhas. Wool spinning was a fundamental domestic activity in Kashmir, carried ...