Kashmir Through Old Photographs

A collection of old photographs showing work and daily life in Kashmir from the 1930s to the 1980s. The pictures include labourers posing in the 1930s, workers in an early 1900s Srinagar silk factory, rural peasant women, school children outside a shop in 1984, Burn Hall School students in the 1940s, families at home entrances, construction of the Karan Nagar power station in 1962, houseboats on the Jhelum River in the 1970s-80s, people along the river banks, and homes of carpet weavers in Srinagar. Simple views of old Kashmir. A group of schoolchildren gathered outside a small neighborhood shop in Srinagar during June 1984, dressed in red and white school uniforms typical of the period. The scene reflects everyday urban life in residential areas, where shops functioned not only as places of trade but also as social points within the neighborhood. Children pause along their route, while shopkeepers and local residents stand nearby, illustrating the close interaction between daily ro...

A collection of old photographs showing everyday life and landscapes in Kashmir from the early 1900s to the 1970s–1980s. The pictures include a 1917 portrait of a Kashmiri Pandit woman, Nehru Park on Dal Lake in the 1970s–1980s, a traditional kiryana shop on Dal Lake in the 1960s–1970s, a view of the River Jhelum with houseboats and riverbank settlements, a pastoral scene in Gulmarg with grazing horses and village dwellings, Sher Garhi Palace in Srinagar from the early 1900s, Nagin Lake in the early 1900s with shikaras and the Himalayan backdrop, Lal Chowk in Srinagar during the 1960s–1970s, an early postcard view of Dal Lake with shikaras and houseboats, and a traditional shikara on Dal Lake from the early 1900s. Simple views of old Kashmir. A postcard portrait of a Kashmiri Pandit woman photographed in Kashmir in 1917. Shown in profile, she wears traditional clothing with a head covering, reflecting the dress and presentation common at the time. The simple background and composed ...

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 ...

A collection of old photographs showing everyday life and community scenes in Kashmir from the early twentieth century to the 1970s. The pictures include the houseboat Cutty Sark on Dal Lake in Srinagar in 1961 surrounded by dense lotus growth and shikara boats; a group of teachers, staff, and students at Islamia School in 1965 with many from the Kashmiri Pandit community; guests at a traditional Kashmiri Pandit marriage feast in 1928 seated on the ground with food on copper plates; a family in a traditional donga boat on Dal Lake in the early twentieth century propelled by a pole; village children standing together in simple clothing in 1971; and people along the River Jhelum at Bejbehara in 1915 washing, bathing, and socializing near wooden structures and stone embankments. Simple views of old Kashmir. This color photograph from 1961 shows the houseboat Cutty Sark anchored on Dal Lake in Srinagar at a time when the lake remained largely clean and ecologically balanced. Dense lotu...

A collection of old photographs showing everyday life along streets and the River Jhelum in Srinagar and nearby areas from the late nineteenth century to the 1980s. The pictures include a winter street gathering in Srinagar in 1982 with residents in woolen garments sharing a hookah on a wooden platform amid children and shopfronts; reconstruction at Dal Gate after 1903 floods in 1904 with a ferry boat and natural riverbanks; Sopore Bridge over the flooding Jhelum River in 1894 with boats and settlements; a tranquil River Jhelum scene in Srinagar in 1897 with a moored wooden boat and figures on the bank; a narrow traditional street in early twentieth century Srinagar with timber houses, balconies, and locals interacting; and a quiet lane in old Srinagar with tall brick and wood buildings, latticed windows, and pedestrians. Simple views of old Kashmir. This color photograph from 1982 captures a winter street scene in Srinagar, showing local residents gathered closely together during ...

A collection of old photographs showing everyday routines and shared moments in Kashmir during the twentieth century. The pictures include women collecting water from the River Jhelum in Gandarbal in 1944 with earthen pots; houseboats and shikaras along Dal Lake Boulevard in Srinagar during the 1930s with early urban development; women and children conversing inside a traditional donga boat on a waterway in 1920; Kashmiri Pandit devotees gathered at the Kheer Bhawani temple in Tullamulla around 1900; a woman in traditional attire and jewelry in a 1955 portrait; and a finely engraved three-piece metal tea set with tray from the 1890s. Simple views of old Kashmir. This photograph from 1944 shows women collecting water from the River Jhelum at Gandarbal, illustrating an essential aspect of everyday life in Kashmir during the mid twentieth century. One woman is seen filling a vessel at the riverbank, while another carries a large earthen pot balanced on her head, demonstrating the phys...

A collection of old photographs showing everyday work and rural life in Kashmir during the twentieth century. The pictures include a Srinagar street market in 1980 with a traditional meat shop displaying hanging cuts and a vegetable seller carrying baskets; comparative views of the Shalimar canal from the nineteenth century (tree-lined for boat travel) to modern times (with reduced flow and development); British military personnel on ponies in Gulmarg in 1943 with local guides and porters; children in a rural village in 1982 amid traditional structures, livestock, and tools like a stone mortar; a ghat along the River Jhelum near Zero Bridge in 1949 with moored boats and houseboats; and milk carriers balancing vessels on their heads while walking to Srinagar from villages in the 1920s. Simple views of old Kashmir. This color photograph from 1980 captures a street-level market scene in Srinagar, showing a traditional meat shop with cuts of meat hanging at the storefront while a veget...