Kalash Chitral
There are three theories about the origin of the Kalash Chitral . Some historians believe that the Kalash are descendants of the soldiers of Alexander the Great, while the second group believes that they are indigenous to Asia and came from what is now the Nuristan area of Afghanistan.
according to the third school of thought; the Kalash ancestors migrated to Afghanistan from a distant place in South Asia, which they call “Tsiyam” in their folk songs and epics. However, it is established that the Kalash migrated to Chitral from Afghanistan in the 2nd century B.C.
By the 10th century AD., the Kalash Chitral ruled a large part of present-day Chitral. Razhawai, Cheo, Bula-Sing and Nagar-Chao were famous Kalash Chitral rulers in the 12th through 14th centuries AD. Their fellow tribesmen in Afghanistan were known as Red Kafirs. The thriving Kalash culture began to fall in 1320 AD., when Shah Nadir Raees subjugated and converted the people to Islam.
The villages of Drosh, Sweer, Kalkatak, Beori, Ashurate, Shishi, Jinjirate and adjacent valleys in southern Chitral were the last Kalash Chitral villages subjected to mass
conversion in the 14th century. The Kalash were living in just three Chitral valleys, Bumburet, Rumbur and Birir, by the time Amir of Afghanistan forcefully converted to islam the Red Kafirs on the other side of the border in 1893 renaming the area Nuristan. Villages of the converted Red Kafirs in Chitral are known as Sheikhanandeh – the villages of converted ones.
The Kalash Chitral, as well as the Sheikh community, are popular for domestic and foreign tourism because of their unique culture. The Kalash Chitral area is a hub of ecotourism activities.
With the opening of the Lowari Tunnel on the road to Peshawar and the proposed road to Tajikistan over the Dorah Pass, the Kalash and Chitral will be linked with the cultural centres of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Central Asia by all-weather land routes.
THE ENDANGERED KALASH Chitral
The Kalash are one of the world’s endangered minority communities. Their population decreased from 10,000 in 1951 to 3,700 in 1998, motivating conservation experts, development workers and anthropologist to preserve and protect the Kalash culture.
DISTINCTIVE FEATURES OF KALASH CULTURE
The Kalash language is called Kalasha which is archaic type of Indo-European language (Dardic subgroup). Kalasha has a rich tradition of folklore, epics, love songs and idioms demonstrating a high standard of indigenous wisdom and human experience.
This knowledge is believed to be at the verge of extinction. The Kalasha follow a Polytheist religion based on ancestor worship, as well as twelve gods and goddesses dominated by the main God, Mahandeo. The Kalash religion is based on myths and superstitions that relate to the relationship between the human, soul and the universe. This relationship, according to Kalash mythology, needs its manifestation in music and dance.
which also contribute to the pleasure of gods and goddesses. In their festivals, music and dance are performed not only as entertainment elements, but as a religious ritual. The Dehar or Shaman plays an important role in the Kalash culture. He makes prophecies during religious rituals.
He seeks the help of fairies to make prophecies with regard to the weather, crops, livestock and other agro- pastoral activities, including prospects for the coming year. An important practice in Kalash mythology is the close observation of the Kalash astronomers in the beginning of New Year in December. The Kalash believe that a new sun is born on Dec 21 and the time and style of new sun affects the flora and fauna of the land.
The Kalash seclude women during monthly periods and pregnancies by confining them to a place called Bashali. Each Kalash village has a Bashali outside the settlement. The women are allowed to work in the fields but are not allowed to go home or inside the village. Kalash belief is based on the strict separation of the pure (Onjeshta) and impure (Pragata) realms. Women, according to it, are considered untouchable and impure during their time in the Bashali.
Kalash houses and monuments show that the community has a rich background of skills in various arts and crafts, especially woodwork and woollen products. Effigies and Privileges of human and animal figures in Kalash monuments are a testimony to their skill.
The Kalash have unique funeral rituals. According to their beliefs, the departed soul is eager to leave the body and meet other souls after a long separation. They sing special songs and perform a funeral dance.
IMPORTANT SITES of Kalash Chitral
Brun
A village in Bumburet valley, is famous for Jastakan and Charsu, dancing halls for festivities.
There is also an interesting three-hour walk along the irrigation channel.
Batrik
A historic place in Bumburet, is known as the capital of the Kalash ruler Rajawai (10th century A.D.) and also a sacred place of the grand Kalash god, Mahandeo.
Karkal
AKalash hamlet in Bumburet, is famous for its dancing hall and Madojaw (cemetery) and also for a sacred cedar (Deodar) tree. Traditional Kalash charity is distributed under the shade of this tree.
Kalash Grom
A hamlet in Rumbur, is known for its oldest origin and picturesque view.
Balanguru
A hamlet in Rumbur valley, is known for its cultural elements and resource persons of anthropology. It has been home to various researchers.
Acholga
An Alpine forest in Rumbur valley, is famous for its hot springs and walking trails.
Ghaz Guru
Ahamlet of Kalash in Birir valley, is famous for its beauty.
Guru
A historic place in Birir valley, is famous for its ancient and multi-tiered abodes, cultural sites and a dancing hall.
Aspar
A scenic village in Birir valley, is famous for its beauty.
Sheikhanandeh
The name means “village of the converted”. Its residents are the descendants of the Red Kafirs who migrated from Nuristan (former Kafiristan) in Afghanistan in the late 1890s. These villages of now-Muslim Kalash are situated at the end of all three Kalash valleys Bumburet, Birir and Rumbur. Their way of life, architecture, traditional culture and language are remnants of the former Red Kafir’s tradition of Afghanistan.
KALASH HANDICRAFTS
Due to their proximity to nature, the Kalash Chitral are fond of natural colours in handicrafts. Skills in spinning and weaving are exhibited in Palesk (rugs), Qalin (carpets), Chehari (belts) and Copesi (headgear).
KALASH Chitral Architecture
Kalash Chitral architecture is a unique mixture of ancient wooden craft and medieval traditions of figure art. Multi-storey Kalash buildings present a spectacular view of beautifully carved wooden pillars and beams decorated with unmatchable human and animal figures and effigies. Each one depicts certain myths and superstitions.
KALASH CULTURE CENTRE
The Kalash Culture Centre is in Brun, Bumburet valley, where folk history, culture and civilisation of the Kalash is preserved under one roof. It is an ethnological museum of the Kalash Chitral community, initiated and facilitated by the citizens of Greece. Nearby is a government-run archaeological museum.
THE Legendary Lakes of Kalash Chitral
Bahuk the Sacred Lake
Bahuk, the sacred lake of the Kalash ancestors, lies between the two picturesque valleys of Bumburet and Rumbur. The turquoise-hued glacier lake is situated at 4000m amongst an amphitheatre of jagged peaks with a good view of Tirich Mir 7708m to the west. The Kalash believe that after the death, their souls go to this Lake. The area is famous amongst both the Kalash and the Muslim Kho community as the resting place of fairies. Reported sightings of a mythical Barmanu (yeti) have also been made here.
Its surroundings are the summer pastures of the Kalash Chitral community and villagers from Ayun. It has some magnificent cedars, some 1,200 years old. There are lovely treks from both Bumburet and Rumbur linking different valleys in the region where you can see shepherd settlements and a variety of fauna and flora. A special trail has been developed to Bahuk Lake for trekkers. From Bumburet the journey to the lake and back takes five days.
Lake Awazak
This lake flows in the southwest of Bumburet valley, on the border of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Its water streams into the Bashgai valley in the Nuristan. Locals say it takes a uick trekker twelve 12) hours to reach the lake, but for ne average tourist it will take much longer.
Lake Shawal
This lake is south of Bumburet valley. High mountains surround the lake fed by a glacier nearby. From the lake, a route leads into the Nuristan area of Afghanistan
Shepherds bring their herds to the pasture around the lake.
Walking Trails of kalash Chitral
Bumburet Walking Trails
There are a number of walking trails oh both sides of the stream in Bumburet. To walk the length of the valley Anish to Krakal would take you three hours. Several villages lie along this trail.
The route gives you a chance to witness the Kalash day-to-day activities, such as watering and weeding crops and chatting in the orchards. The trail also passes caves that were believed to be Kalash hideouts in case of an enemy attack. On the route is a spring important to Kalash, who say its water cures many ailments.
Rumbur Walking Trail
The three-hour trail starts from the village of Grom on the left side of the jeep road and follows the face of a steep slope through a dense oak forest, In Grom is a Kalash graveyard with wooden effigies on the graves symbolising the importance and leadership of the deceased. Close by is the dancing place and higher up the sacrifice place, along with the sacred stone and effigies of goats and humans around the altar. The trail passes through the Kalash Chitral villages of Balanguru, Kalashgrom and Palo.
Birir Walking Trail
This trail starts from the Government Guesthouse at village Guru. A traditional centre of the Kalash community, the Jeshtak-Han, is located in the village. The trail passes through a ‘dense wood of oaks to reach the villages of Aspar and Beshal – two villages where the Kalash and the now-Muslim Kalash live side-by-side in harmony.
The trail ends at Biyal, where there is another old Jeshtak-Han. From Biyal, one can view the spectacular snow-clad peak of Acharkandur to the west. A majestic glacier view adds beauty to the valley.
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