Kashmir around 1915

Photographs from ‘Our summer in the vale of Kashmir’ (1915) by Frederick Ward Denys.

A ‘Bathing Spot’ at Achabal. Interestingly, most other writers didn’t given credit to Kashmiris when it came to bathing.

 Ruins of Avantipur

 Baramulla

 Bhaniyar or Buniar or Bhavaniyar Temple, on the road between Uri and Naoshera.

British Polo Team

 British Residency

 Camp Site at Chenar Bagh, a favorite of western tourists.

 Reverend C.E. Tyndale Biscoe being conferred Kaiser-i-Hind in 1912.

 Chenar Bagh

 “In all things be Men”. CMS School, at Fateh Kadal.

Gate of Biscoe School, at Lal Chowk. 2008. [previously]

 Ekka

 English Church. Church = religious Freedom. Temple atop hill = autocratic power. These were less interesting and simple times!

 Food Bazar. [Check out rate of various commodities in Kashmir back then ]

 Gulmarg Entrance.

Gulmarg Entrance 2008

 Hari Singh.

His temple singers. 2009. Check the headgear.

 K2?

 Kanz and Mool being used for pounding rice. [Photograph by R.E. Shorter]

 Kashmiri Cricket team at Gulmarg (?)

 Fakir

Houseboat named ‘Diana’.

Houseboat named Neil Armstrong. Over Dal. 2008.

Playing Saz-long. [Update: Photographer James Ricalton, 1903]

Musicians and Dancing girls (figure on left, in foreground, looks more like Bacha).

A Domestic Rice Mill: The charm of Kashmir is that it is distinctively itself. A walk through the bazaars, the huts and factories presents a living panorama of the India of the imagination. Here are to be seen the flashing colors, the turbaned heads and the picturesque groups of the populace at work and at play.
[Update: Photographer James Ricalton, 1903]

One more addition to the witches of Kashmir

Children weaving rugs

Killing the demons of Wular. .

River Lidar near Gulmarg

Lidar Valley above Pahalgam

Life around River Jhelum

Royal Post Tonga carrying mail

Martand

Mission Hospital

The Srinagar Club, always the scene of life and gaiety, has an ideal setting in the shade of a magnificent chenar grove on the mirrored waters of the Jhelum with the Takhat as a background.

Nishat Bagh

Temple of Pandrathan, when the tank was dry.

Plowing

Poplar Avenue. [Update: Photographer James Ricalton, 1903]

Rest house at Chakoti

Rest-house at Domel

Seventh Bridge or Saffa Kadal

Shankaracharya

Sher Garhi Temple. On right side of the image can be seen the dome of Gadhadhar Temple or Shri Sanatan Dharam Sabha. [Details of the temple here]

Shisha Nag Glacier

No one in Kashmir is in hurry. What isn’t done today will certainly be done tomorrow. But tomorrow is very slow in arriving.

Third Bridge on Jehlum, Fateh Kadal

The suspension bridge at Uri

View from Shankaracharya hill

Human Welcome. ‘While many think that the present rulers of India only play at royalty, that their thrones are but pleasing conceits and their scepters empty baubles allowed to them by an indulgent overlord, the Maharaja of Kashmir is a free agent in all material things and the allegiance of the populace to him is very real.’

That note makes this image all the more ironic.
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6 Replies to “Kashmir around 1915”

  1. Impressive find. I like the comparison between the headgear of Hari Singh and the baba-jees 🙂

  2. I now believe that some of these photogarphs are by MAURICE P. DUNLAP (certainly the 'human welcome sign').

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