Kashmir Culture

The beautiful Kashmir is a place that not only holds scenic vistas, and a plethora of adventure activities, but yes holds a richand fascinating culture that is famous throughout the globe. It beautifully features the find blend of vibrant traditions, art, music, food and festivals. 

The inhabitants of Kashmir are referred to as Kashmiris who are an ethnically linguistic faction. The official language of Jammu and Kashmir are Kashmiri, Dogri, Hindi, English, and Urdu. The dance, music, scrumptious cuisines, carpet weaving, and Koshur Sufiana are the significant part of Kashmiri's identity. Talking about the Kashmir occupationinvolves agriculture and major cultivated items- rice, maize, mustard radish, onions, Gourd, lotus stalk, Linseed, and carrots. Thanks to the climatic condition of Kashmir there is a cultivation of fruits- mulberry, grapes, plums, apples, cherries, apricots, walnuts and almonds.

Talking about the traditional clothing of women in Kashmir- one can find women dressed in traditional clothing with pretty jewellery like necklaces, armlets, earing and nose rings. One may also find females wearing salwar kameez to escape the summer heat. On the other hand, men wear kurta pyjamas, shalwars, and skullcaps.

During the winter season,one may find people wearing  Pheran, a long overcoat that is beautifully ornamented with patches and embroidery work. Most of the clothes of Kashmiri people are loose gown and varies in the quality of fabric as per the weather. The Kashmiri costumes strongly indicate their culture and lifestyle and it also shows that India still follows their cultural values.

Now coming to the dance and music of Kashmir, one may find a wide range of dance forms that are witnessed during the festivals. The prominent dance form here is the mask dance that is executed during the Hemis festival, a very famous festival in Kashmir. Instrumental music is quite prevalent in Kashmir and thus soothing melodies can be heard- Sitar, Dumru, and Nagara. Apart from this Wanwun, Ghazals, Choral and Sufi can be heard on occasions like parties and weddings.

Coming to the vibrant festivals of Kashmir, the festivals here are celebrated with great enthusiasm. Eid-ul-Fitr, Lohri, Tulip festival, Holi, Shikara festival, Hemis festival, Gurez festival, Sindu Darshan, Bahu Mela, Jhiri Mela, and Craft are a few major festivals that are celebrated with utmost fervour. One may find the native inhabitants dancing, singing, and eating cuisines with their families all dressed up in traditional clothing enjoying participating in painting and shopping the handicrafts items.

A peep into the Arts and Crafts of Kashmir

The beautiful Kashmir is a place where one can find the pretty arts and crafts with its handicrafts industry particularly blossoming. The Pashmina shawl is very popular for its texture and amazing quality and is loved for its softness and warmth.

Another prime craft of Kashmir is the hand-knotted rugs and wool rugs that have floral patterns. Some other wonderful handicrafts of Kashmir include the paper mache, wicker, carved walnut furniture, and silverware. If visiting Kashmir do not forget to grab intricate handicrafts as a souvenir.

Kashmiri Cuisine

The scrumptious Kashmiri Cuisine includes both vegetarian and non-vegetarian delicacies that will surely leave you wanting more. The famous dish Hak or Karma is quite a favourite in the region and is specially prepared during cold winter evenings.

The non-vegetarian dishes include- Kashmiri Kebab, Pasanda, Syun Alu, Yakhni, and Methi Keema and the vegetarian cuisines include- Rajma, Shree Pulao, Ladyar Tsaman, and Nadir Yakhaen.

The dishes are prepared with fresh vegetables and panner to make it much-much delicious. If you have a sweet tooth then you can go for desserts like- sevaiyaan, phirni, or barfi. One canalso try refreshing hot tea, Kahwa and butter tea for a change.