70 paintings of Kashmir from the book ‘Kashmir described by Sir Francis Younghusband, K.C.I.E. Painted by Major E. Molyneux’ (1909). A dozen of these were later re-used in a book called ‘Peeps at Many Lands: Kashmir’ (1911) by Mrs. C. G. Bruce.
Cycle Number Plate, Srinagar, 1956-57
Shared by Amandeep S. Sawhney, one of the earliest readers of this blog.
 |
| Number plate/token for a cycle . Year 1956-57. |
 |
| Cycle tax for year 1967 – 68. Srinagar Municipality. Cycle Band: “Robin Hood” |
-0-
Kashmir pictures, drawn with pen and pencil
From ‘Indian pictures, drawn with pen and pencil’ (1881) by William Urwick (1826-1905)
 |
| Floating Gardens. Dal Lake, Srinagar. |
A description of how these floating gardens were created, from G.T. Vigne’s ‘Travels in Kashmir, Ladak, Iskardo, the countries adjoining the mountain-course of the Indus, and the Himalaya, north of the Panjab’ (1842):
“We now enter the division of the lake called Kutawal; it is chiefly around this that the far-famed floating gardens of Kashmir are anchored, or rather pinned to the ground by means of a stake. These, however, are very un-Lallah-Rookhish in their appearance, not being distinguishable from beds of reeds and rushes. Their construction is extremely simple, and they are made long and narrow, that they may be the more easily taken in tow. A floating garden ten yards long’ by two or three in width, maybe purchased for a rupee.
Mr. Moorcroft has well described the manner in which these gardens are made. The weeds at the bottom, cut by means of a scythe, rise and float on the surface; these are matted together, secured, and strewed with soil and manure; a protecting fence of rushes is allowed to spring up around them; — and upon this platform a number of conical mounds or heaps of weeds are constructed, about two feet in height. On the tops of these is placed some soil from the bottom of the lake; the melon and cucumber plants are laid upon it; and no further care is necessary.”
 |
| Shop Bridge. Srinagur. Kashmir. |
-0-
Kashmir Illustrations, 1854
Illustrations from ‘Church Missionary Intelligencer’ (1854), a book that among other things has an account of a bunch of Christian missionaries in Kashmir getting chased around by Muslim mobs and getting asked ‘trick’ questions by a Pandit.
 |
| Baramulla on the Jailum, Kashmir |
The geography of this place has been messing with my mind. Previously, I believed that the hillock in the background was misplaced, a figment of western imagination that mixed up Srinagar and Baramulla. It turns out that the composition of illustration is in all probability correct. The doubt created my native imagination. This is Sumbul Bridge in Baramulla ( and the hillock is probably Aha Teng ?)
 |
| Bridge at Srinagur |
 |
| Shah Hamadan |
-0-
Kashmir life sketches, 1881
From ‘The diary of a civilian’s wife in India’ by Augusta E. King 1877-1882 (1884), Volume 2. Year of the visit is probably 1881 based on the chronology on dates given in the book.
a feast in Jammu for the Prince of Wales, 1905
 |
| Feeding the Poor at Jammu. 1905 |
“At the appointed time the beggars gathered from far and near, on a spot surrounded by a cordon of regular troops and police, and divided into five separate blocks allotted to three following interesting classes of people in order of spiritual precedence: Hindus, Mahomedans, other castes, cripples, and sweepers. For the inhabitants of this land would rather starve in proud isolation than eat together.
At three o’clock in the afternoon began the feeding proceedings, and so earnest were they that a force of 250 military sepoys and police-constables had to be told off to keep the peace among the banqueters; but even these ministers of order had to be drawn from both the great castes, for a Hindu policeman could not interfere with a recalcitrant Mahomedan beggar in his dinner, nor would a Hindu beggar tolerate the contact of a Mahomedan constable. Thus they ate voraciously, and then washed the viands down with copious draughts from the Jogi Gate Canal, carried in skins of water-carriers of both sects. No fewer than 187 maunds of sweetmeats were that afternoon consumed in honour of the Prince of Wales. “
From ‘Through India with the Prince’ (1906) by George Frederick Abbott.
popular views of the Jummoo and Kashmir territories, 1877
From ‘The northern barrier of India: A popular account of the Jummoo and Kashmir territories’ (1877) by Frederic Drew.
 |
| K2,28,265 feet; as seen from Turmik |
 |
| A Dogra Soldier |
 |
| Akhnoor Fort, on the Chenab |
 |
| City of Srinagar. From a photograph by Francis Frith |
 |
| Dards. Photograph by Francis Frith |
 |
| Dogra Fort at Skardu |
 |
| Gilgit Fort in 1870 |
 |
| Glacier Near Sonamarg |
 |
| Kangri |
 |
| Kashmiri Boatmen. Photograph by Francis Frith |
 |
| Kashmiri Brahmans. Cloth sellers. Photograph by Francis Frith. More about it here |
 |
| Mosque of Shah Hamadan, Srinagar. With view of the Kali Temple (?) |
 |
| Note on the image from Man Mohan Munshi Ji: Nanga Parbat (also known as Diamir by people of Astore and Chilas etc). It is apparently drawn with a camera lucida. The ridges in the foreground are of Tragbal and Kanzarwan |
 |
| View approaching Baltal |
-0-
Kashmir Lithographs, 1840
From ‘Travels in Kashmir, Ladak, Iskardo ‘ (1840), G.T. Vigne’s book about his travels in Kashmir in 1835.
 |
| Char Chinari |
 |
| Costume of a Kashmirian Lady |
 |
| Masjid of Deodar, at the entrance of the Valley by Shopian Road |
 |
| Inside Mattan Sun Temple |
 |
| Great Hindu Tempe of Martund |
 |
| View of the Jhelum in the interior of the city of Kashmir |
 |
| Distant view of Srinagar or the City of Kashmir, lying between the Fort and the Tukh-i-Suliman with the Land and the Isle of Chunars and the mountain of Harmukh in the distance.
Wonderful note about the above image by Man Mohan Munshi Ji via email: |
-0-
Harihar Kalyan – Shiv Lagun by Krishna Razdan,1938
Man Mohan Munshi Ji shares these pages from ‘Harihar Kalyan – Shiv Lagun’ by Krishna Razdan (c 1850-1925, village Vanpoh) published in 1995 Bikarmi (1938). At the end I am adding the interesting entry for this book given in Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature (1988).
 |
| Title cover of the book |
 |
| Ganesh Leela ‘Omkara roop chuk Sarva’ |
 |
| Shiv Leela‘Sat Chat annanda amrit chavtum’ |
 |
| Krishan Leela ‘Patmeeshwar Purno ‘ |
 |
| Vishnu Leela ‘Madha Kant marvaney Vesh Darvaney’ |
 |
| Ashta Dasbazi Devi leela‘Sumran Chaney sari Paaph hari Hari Parbatch Hari Yay’ |
-0-
Harihar Kalyan (Kashmiri) (grace of Shiva) is the only collection of the poems of the prominent Bhakti poet of Kashmir Krishna Razdan in Persio-Arabic script. The book was published posthumously in 1930. Since then it has been published several times. Its last edition appeared in 1955 from Srinagar. All the earlier editions were published from the same place.
The publication is in fact an abridged edition of Shiva parinayah an anthology of poems of Krishna Razdan, published by the Royal Asiatic Society of bengal in six volumes from 1914 to 1924 with Sanskrit Chaya by Mukundram Shastri. The book appeared in the life-time of the poet under the editorship of George Abraham Grierson in Devanagri script. [available here]Harihar kalyan is the main title of the book and its subtitle is Shiva lagun (The wedding of shiva) as there are several sweet songs pertaining to the marriage of Shiva with Parvati inculded in the book. Both the titles appear on the front page of the book in bold letters. This excellent book is prized by all those who have some taste for good and genuine poetry that is why this book can be seen almost in every Hindu household. But the genuine and creative poetry of Razdan has attracted the attention of the learned and cultured Muslims also. A keen observer will not fail to see the copies of Harihar kalyan in sophisticated Muslim households. Though this book is small in size and volume as compared to Shiva parinayah, the fame of Razdan as a poet of repute rests on this book alone.. Shiv patinayah is no doubt comprehensive, well arranged and neatly printed verse anthology of Krishna Razdan but it is till now known only to a few researchers and readers of Kashmiri because it is not available in the market and its Devanagri script has not been popular enough so far. The book contains some of the most popular compositions of the poet, which form an invaluable part of our verse literature. The compoosition inculded in Harihar kalyan are generally termed as ‘lila’ (the play or the sport). In fact all the religious songs in Kashmiri have been classed or termed as lila literature, but speaking in the language of literature, ‘lila’ in itself is not separate form of poetry.
~ entry for the book in Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature (1988).
-0-
“In spite of being a philosophical and religious poet,” says [ Abdul Ahad ] Azad, “he never chose esoteric themes and notions, but made his language of the earth, earthy. His bhajans and leelas could naturally not be in the highly Persianized Kashmiri.”
~ entry for the poet in A History of Kashmiri Literature by Trilokinath Raina.
-0-
Gyan Prakash, Kashmiri Leelas, 1949
Man Mohan Munshi Ji shares some more from his treasures. These are pages from a collection of Kashmiri Leelas published under the title ‘Gyan Prakash’. This was the third edition of the book published in 2006 Bikarmi (1949).
 |
| Title Cover |
 |
| First Leela |
 |
| A Hindi Leela |
-0-
