Kashmir Through Old Photographs

A collection of old photographs showing everyday life, work, and community scenes in Kashmir from the early twentieth century to the late 1960s. The pictures include a shepherd from the pastoral Chaupan community in high mountain pastures near Harmukh in 1937; the foundation stone ceremony for the University of Kashmir at Hazratbal with notable figures present; the traditional process of making namda felt rugs in the early 1950s with wool layering and pressing; a Gujjar family gathered around fires in forested areas during their semi-nomadic life; boatmen harvesting lotus roots on Dal Lake amid dense growth; and a color view of pedestrians and buildings at Amira Kadal bridge over the Jhelum River in the late 1960s. Simple views of old Kashmir. August 1937 — Higher mountain pastures near the base of Harmukh. This photograph depicts a Kashmiri shepherd, locally known as a Chaupan or Pohul , a member of a distinct pastoral community whose occupation was traditionally hereditary and e...