The Kalasha Valleys ( Kalasha-mondr: '; ) are valleys in

Chitral District Chitral District (; ) was a district in the Malakand Division of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, from 14 August 1947 to 2018. It was the largest district in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, covering an area of 14,850 km2, before spl ...

in northern

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

. The valleys are surrounded by the

Hindu Kush The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in Central Asia, Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas. It stretches from central and eastern Afghanistan into northwestern Pakistan and far southeastern Tajikistan. The range forms the wester ...

mountain range. The inhabitants of the valley are the

Kalash people The Kalash (), or Kalasha, are a small Indo-Aryan indigenous people residing in the Chitral District of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The term is also used to refer to several distinct Nuristani speaking people, including th ...

, who have a unique culture, language and follow a religion similar to the

Historical Vedic religion The historical Vedic religion, also called Vedism or Brahmanism, and sometimes ancient Hinduism or Vedic Hinduism, constituted the religious ideas and practices prevalent amongst some of the Indo-Aryan peoples of the northwest Indian subcontin ...

. There are three main valleys. The largest and most populous valley is Bumburet (Mumuret), reached by a road from Ayun in the

Kunar Valley Kunar Valley is a valley in Afghanistan and Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a popul ...

. Rumbur is a side valley north of Bumburet. The third valley, Biriu ( Birir), is a side valley of the Kunar Valley south of Bumburet.

Geography and Natural Environment

Kalasha Valley is located at an elevation of over 6,500 feet above sea level, and is characterized by steep slopes, narrow gorges, and rocky terrain. The area is home to a diverse range of flora and fauna, including rare species such as the

snow leopard The snow leopard (''Panthera uncia'') is a species of large cat in the genus ''Panthera'' of the family Felidae. The species is native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because ...

and the Himalayan black bear.

The Three Valleys

The inhabitants of the valleys are the

, who have a unique culture, language and follow a form of religion that is associated with their surroundings like the mountains and rivers. The largest and most populous valley is Bumburet (Mumuret), reached by a road from Ayun in the

. Rumbur (Rukmu) is a side valley north of Bumburet. The third valley, Biriu ( Birir), is a side valley of the Kunar Valley south of Bumburet.

Kalash people

There are only about 3000 Kalash people, a small religious and ethnic minority of Pakistan. The Kalash religion is

polytheist Polytheism is the belief in or worship of more than one god. According to Oxford Reference, it is not easy to count gods, and so not always obvious whether an apparently polytheistic religion, such as Chinese folk religions, is really so, or whet ...

faith similar to

paganism Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

and ancient forms of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...

and the people offer sacrifices for their gods. Their culture is interlinked with their religion and includes several unique festivals and celebrations. The people generally do not intermarry or cohabit regions with local

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

but neither are they hostile towards them. The people are under legal and constitutional protection of the State of Pakistan as a scheduled tribe.

Gallery

File:A typical house in Kalash Valley.jpg, Typical homes in the Kalasha Valleys File:School in Kelash Valley.JPG, A school in the Kalasha Valleys File:Kalasha women portrait, Pakistan.jpg, A

Kalasha A kalasha, also called Pūrṇa-Kalaśa, Pūrṇa-Kumbha, Pūrṇa-Ghaṭa, also called ghat or ghot or kumbh ( , Telugu: కలశము Kannada: ಕಳಶ literally "pitcher, pot"), is a metal (brass, copper, silver or gold) pot with a large ...

woman

References

Lower Chitral District

External links