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Religion:

Kalash religion share many traits of myths, society, echoes according to Sanskrit language but it is different than the religion’s traditions deployed in India. This religion is more like their neighbors of Nuristan but totally different than other communities around them. These people belong to the northeast region of Afghanistan.

Many writers of different countries described this religion in different ways. Professor Barbara A. West from University of Rochester said in “Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Asia and Oceania”:

“Religion is a form of Hinduism that recognizes many gods and spirits.” that “Given their Indo-Aryan language, the religion of the Kalasha is much more closely aligned to the Hinduism of their Indian neighbors”

E.J. Michael Witzel in his book

“The Origins of the World’s Mythologies”

called this valley

“Pre-Hindu Kalash”

The journalist Frud Bezhan unites all of these perceptions, unfolding the religion followed by the Kalash as being

“a form of ancient Hinduism infused with old pagan and animist beliefs.”

Rituals:

This Isolated region of Kalash is strongly related to the Pre-Islamic Nuristan due to their culture, values, and unique festivals. Richard Strand said about this region after spending three decades in these valleys that:

“Before their conversion to Islam, the Nuristan’s practiced a form of ancient Hinduism. Infused with accretions developed locally. They acknowledged a number of human-like deities who lived in the unseen Deity World. “

Their also a general belief in these mountains about fairies which are now referred to as “Peri” in Urdu or Persian. But still called Apsaras in some regions and they believed to be helping the hunters and killing the enemies. Harvard professor Michael Witzel summarizes the faith of Kalash people:

“In myth, it is notably the role of Indra, his rainbow and his eagle who is shot at, the killing of his father, the killing of the snake or of a demon with many heads, and the central myth of releasing the Sun from an enclosure. Importantly, the division between two groups of deities (Devalog) and their intermarriage has been preserved, and this dichotomy is still re-enacted in rituals and festivals, especially the Chaumos. Ritual still is Among the Kalash it is basically, though not always, temple-less, involving fire, sacred wood, three circumambulations. Some features already have their Vedic, and no longer their Central Asian form.”

These are believed which are famous in these mountains from decades but now due to the arrival of Islamic culture these people are turning towards Islam. Kalash culture religion and is also highly influenced by Islamic Values and Ideology. They believe in one Supreme God it is one example of influence.

If you have more to add in this article please comment and also like & share with others this historic era of Pakistan.

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When the summer Season arrived people of Kalash celebrated this festival of Chilam Joshi. For honoring the summer and abundance of dairy products. This festival is a message of peace for the world. It’s an opportunity for the people of remote areas to watch and enjoy the true spirit of Kalash culture and traditions. People from all around the world arrive here to enjoy this festival.  Mostly tourists after attending this festival want to rejoin it every year because it is unique in its nature.

Why they celebrate it?

In this festival people of kalasha valleys pray for the safety of their fields, animals and then distribute the meat and dairy products among the loved ones.

They are very fond of music and dance so they celebrate this festival on the beats of drums. Which can be heard in the whole valley. Both men and women take part in these cultural traditions. They make circles by joining hands and enjoy these moments with music.

Celebrations:

That’s why Kalash valley is famous in music and dance festivals. These people are unique in their culture and also known as the most relaxed, loving people in the world. They are living a calm and relaxed life in this place. They are very connected to nature and they mostly celebrate this connection with celebrations of their festivals at different times of the year. Also by this method, they thanked God.

Chilam Joshi is the most famous festival in this valley. This is celebrated every year in the month of May from 13 May to 16 May. According to their belief, God protects their herds in summer that’s why they celebrate the Chilam Joshi festival to thank God.

Some Other Festivals of Kalash:

Some other festivals of Kalash people which they celebrate in different times are following:

• Uchal festival ( August 20-21)
• Phool Festival (mid-October)
• Chaumas festival(December 7-22)

Comment here to share your memories of kalash valley with us or if you want to ask or improve somthing here thanks.

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By Air:

Flights from Islamabad to Chitral Easily available and operate daily. It will take approximately 50 minutes to reach Chitral and later you can hire a jeep for the Kalash Valleys.

By Road:

Islamabad to Kalash Valley Distance: Approx. 14-17 hours of Travel Time (500 km)

Detail Route Breakdown:

Islamabad via M1 -> Rashkai Interchange -> Mardan -> Dargai -> Malakand Pass -> Batkhela -> Chakdara -> Timergara -> Dir -> Lowari Top/Tunnel -> Darosh -> Chitral -> Kalash Valleys.

A road between Darosh and Chitral leads to Kalash Valley. Kalasha Valleys have the following Locations to see. So you can enjoy their Lanscape and scenic beauty.

1. Chitral  -> Bumburet:    Distance (40km, 2 hours)
2. Bumburet  -> Rambur: Distance (10 km, 45 minutes)
3. Bumburet  -> Birir:        Distance (30km, 2 hours)

Best time of the Year to visit:

During the spring Season the weather of these valleys is nearly unpredictable. As rain and snowfall are common here. Winter is not a good choice due to harsh weather conditions so ways can be blocked by snowfall. The ideal time to visit these valleys is from June to September. As at this time of the year temperature will be normal.  Also 2nd reason is that you will be able to witness some great festivals at this time of the year and study the culture of these valleys.

So enjoy your tour with these guidelines if you ar planing to visit these heaven like valleys and best of luck if you have any questions you can post here in comments.

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Memories of Kalash Valley: It was not a long time ago when I was floating in dreamy and magical clouds and cool breeze of northern areas of Pakistan. I have visited so many areas. Some are stuck in my mind like a puzzle. The beauty of northern areas has no match, Kalash Valley is one of them. Some memories are long lasting especially the mornings and evenings spend in northern areas. It felt like chilling breeze was permeating in the bones.

“My wish is to stay always like this, living quietly in a corner of nature.” – Claude Monet.

Life in Kalash Valley:

Kalash or kalasha people have the most unique and extraordinary culture in the world. At least 5,000 Kalash people live across three small valleys in the Hindukush Mountains. it is situated near the city of Chitral In KPK province of Pakistan.

Cultural Values:

Their cultural beauty and customs are amazing. As these people are considered as descendent from Alexander the great and living in these valleys from thousands of year.

This society is totally different from the culture of Pakistan. Their one person’s roof is the corridor of another person. It felt like we are climbing on a tree house while visiting the staircases of this culture. Wooden window frames, front stairs made of massive stones and villages surrounded by glorious green mountains. For us, this is unusual as houses were closely connected as well as their hearts. They have something that our modern cities lack.

Few lone adventurers like me travel to these valleys every year. Where very low places for accommodation are available like private houses or some shops and some rustic hotels in Bumburet. So settle in what is available there.

“Preservation of one’s own culture does not require contempt or disrespect for other cultures.” – Cesar Chavez.

Location of the Kalash Valley:

Kalash Valley is one of its kind and one of the most beautiful valleys in Pakistan. It is located in District Chitral, province of KPK here is located on the map. Also, Its culture is very unique and dated back thousands of years. The kalasha people living here are from Dardic Family of Indo-Iranian branch. Kalash language is called Kalasha. This whole valley is surrounded by Hindukush mountain range.

This valley is has its own prestigious cultural values and pleasant beauty of its atmosphere. Kalash valley weather is so pleasant that’s why thousands of people from all around the world visit this valley.

Customs of Kalash Valley:

These people have very distinct customs from other communities of Pakistan. So they are one of the hundreds of minorities in Pakistan. The Kalash people and Kalash culture have a strict code of customs and religious quirks. They are the mythical tribe described in Kipling’s “The Man Who Would Be King”.

Kalash people wish to restrict marriages outside these valleys because Kalash people’s religion is different. Cost is very high for fulfilling this requirement of culture. Because they have a low population rate so that’s why they have a little choice. So either they have to marry out or invites outsiders, Muslims to marry in.

House customs:

Kalash men and kids look after the goats in higher pastures and Kalash women take care of domestic chores in the lower valley. They divide their family homes into three zones. It is suggested that you should saty only in kitchen, garden or in your room. The air of the valley is crisp and in summer tinged with the perfume of summer flowers and wild herbs.

Festivals:

In most of the festivals, the sound of drums could be heard in the whole valley. Young Kalash men and Kalash Girls wearing colorful traditional clothes dance together. Men at the party enjoy homemade liquor and wine.

Famous Food items of Kalash Culture:

Bread:

Bread which is common part of foods.  You can enjoy “Tikki”. This is a bread baked on coals in a specific mold. This is the part of breakfast. You can also taste, Khesta, Rishiki, and Phulka variations which are served with honey and cheese.

Dry Meat Dishes:

Roasted mutton is mostly used in these valleys seasoned with salt. It is called “Rondijhzu”. You will enjoy mouthwatering “Taaw Kahak” which is a very delicious and crispy roasted chicken. “Taaw Machi”, is the cuisine which contains brown and rainbow trouts.

Soups:

Soups are also famous and healthy which include tasty and vast variations like “Chitrali noodle soup”, “Kalli”, Lajhaik (like Kashmiri hareesa), “Leganu”,  “khhamalogh” and “Kawirogh”.

Some Traditional Dishes:

The traditional dished of Chitral are, “Ghalmandi”, “Qalaibat”, “Shroshrp” and “Pushur Tikki”.

Transport and Road Conditions:

Small patches on the way to Chitral are messy and bumpy with the narrow road which consumes more time. Road to Dir is fine latter you have to worry some narrow and uneven patches. After Chitral, you have to hire Jeeps as road become really nasty and the journey become slow. But dont worry these jeeps are managed properly for these roads. Otherwise it would be very difficult tor each there.

Famous Places:

Birir Valley:

It is a small and beautiful valley. It has the lowest altitude in all three valleys. it is located 45 Km from Chitral and it is up to 2 hours of drive on a bumpy, dirt road. There are fewer meadows here as compare to Bumburet. These valleys are not so open. (Biri Travel Guide)

Rambur Valley:

It is the 2nd most beautiful valley in Chitral district and Kalash region, here mountain ridges high, rivers are wider. This the end of high ranges of valleys here Nuristani people have some villages where people have red hairs and Armenian features. (Rambur Travel Guide)

Bamburat Valley:

Bumburet valley is the largest of the three valleys. This valley has sparkling streams, apricot and walnut trees, shady meadows and a wider range of mountains with the diversity of green fields. Here hotels are available but mostly oustsider are running them so economically not beneficial for the valley. Almost 9 miles from here a route begins which leads towards the Shawal Pass. This is one of the highest points in these valleys. This route is also called ancient silk road which is covered by high cedar trees and high ranges of mountains. (Bamburat Travel Guide)

So have you visited this mysterious Kalash Valley? Let us know about your experience in the comments also share this article with your friends and family.

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For taking a selfie we all know camera embedded in our cell phone, tablet or laptop is enough, but if you want to make a difference from others and want people to notice your Vlog or boost your range of audience. Then it will take more effort to pick the precise tools for your job. So what you think are qualities of good vlogging camera?

Here are some qualities that matter in vlogging:

If you want to record and publish the life experiences you need a camera that you can carry with you easily so size must be small. So this quality brings down the possibility of a big heavy DSLRs with a bucket full of fancy lenses. But there are some DSLRs relatively lightweight than others and that makes them perfect for good vlogging camera.

For its user’s convenience this DSLR will be perfect quality and versatility package and if you don’t want to swap lenses for different shooting scenarios than a regular compact camera takes even less space. For adventurers a specialist camera will be the best fit.

Video Quality:

Doesn’t matter which camera you select you can’t compromise the quality of videos. YouTube now supports Full HD (1080p) or even 4K Ultra HD so these formats will be preferred. Built in Wi-Fi will be a bonus along with fully revolving LCD monitor that can be helpful for putting your own picture in frames.

We have picked top 5 camera of different shapes, qualities and sizes that will be helpful in different vlogging styles. These will perfectly for still shooting and video shooting requirements. This list will narrow down your list for picking best camcorder for vlogging.

Here are our top 5 good vlogging camera picks:

1# Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II

Plus and Negatives:

• Tilting touchscreen
• Effective stabilization
• No viewfinder
• No 4k video capture

Small and lighter than most of DSLRs even when they haven’t lens fitted. It is a compact camera from canon’s PowerShot Range. It has a fast lens with 1.8 to 2.8 zoom lens and powerful range of 24-100mm. it has flip up facility for its tilting touchscreen which make it easier for user to frame himself.

2# Canon EOS 77D

Plus and Negatives:

• Dual Pixel CMOS autofocus
• Great vari-angle touchscreen
• Relatively bulky
• No 4k video capture

DSLRs were previously very poor in capturing the moving objects but now EOS 77D solved this problem for tracking the moving objects. The EOS 77D have some impressive features like 5-axis sensor-shift image stabilization. It relies on inner-lens, for stills capture have optical stabilization, but it is highly effective when shooting movies.

3# Fujifilm X-A5

Plus and Negatives:

• Smart selfie mode
• Power Zoom kit lens option
• No viewfinder
• Only shoots 4k at 15fps

Great for capturing yourself in the frame, the LCD screen have quality of flips up at 180 degrees, automatic eye-detection activation and autofocus in the process. Touchscreen also help out in pointing the moving objects for focus. That makes it perfect for vlogging.

It can run High Speed Movies with slow motion playback feature along with 4K ultra HD capturing. But the side back is that it just support up to 15fps that can results into a jerky video.

4# GoPro Hero7 Black

Plus and Negatives:

• Rugged body
• Superb stabilization
• Sometimes misses voice commands
• Fiddly touchscreen

Now we have a chance to put the new Hero 7 Black model to the test as we know it deserves its own place on this list of good vlogging cameras. Question is why? It is due to a new device called HyperSmooth which does an awesome job for stabilizing footage like if you are running or moving in a vehicle on a bumpy road. The company also redesigned the structure of the microphone for better audio quality. You can live stream through this camera on Facebook or YouTube that’s awesome.

5# Nikon D5600

Plus and Negatives:

• Fully articulated screen
• Wi-Fi, NFC and Bluetooth
• Relatively poor movie autofocus
• No 4K video capture

It is a small and very lightweight DSLR, so easy to carry for long rides. It comes with retractable 18 to 55mm VR kit lens. Also have a Pulse autofocus Motor along with the kit lens that gives the advantage of silent and smooth focus transitions when shooting videos. But opposite to other canon DSLRs it lacks the phase detection autofocus through the image sensor that decrease its performance and also effect the tracking of moving objects. It have 3.2 inch wide LCD that can articulate at any angle and help to film yourself. Video resolution is 1080 60p that is good enough.

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Kalash People And Dangers Of Extinction:

Bells of extinction are ringing for the Kalash culture. In the valleys of kalasha in Chitral district of KPK province of Pakistan. These valleys are in a remote area of Pakistan. Its boundaries are connected with Afghanistan. These valleys are popular by the name of “Kafiristan” (the land of the infidels) among the masses.

The area of Afghanistan which is connected is known as “Nuristan” (the land of light). These valleys have a unique culture which is centuries old and still persist with all of its elements. Their religion is different from any other in the world and is a form of animism which is perhaps the most primitive form of faith. Now, these people are facing a threat to their existence as the approach in the area has become easy due to better roads and powerful vehicles.

Religious intolerance which is in rising generally in this region of the world is at climax here. Different religious adventurers from the Muslim and Christian faith are trying to convert these people in their way. Tourism has done no better but worst for the area and destroyed the delicate balance established in centuries.

Intruders have occupied the land of locals for making hotels and shopping areas and disturbed the overall fabric of the area. These people are waiting for someone powerful enough to protect them from the immense threat of extinction. Less than three thousands of Kalash are left and their gene pool is depleting at an alarming speed.

Culture of Kalash Valleys:

Kalasha Desh (the 3 Kalash valleys) is formed of 2 distinct cultural areas, the valleys of Rumbur and Bumburet forming one, and Birir depression the other, Birir valley being a lot of ancient of the 2. Kalash mythology and lore have been compared to it of ancient Balkan state, however, they’re abundant nearer to Indo-Iranian traditions. The Kalash have fascinated anthropologists because of their distinctive culture compared to the remainder in this region.
The Kalasha language, conjointly called Kalasha-mun, may be a member of the Dardic group of the Indo-Aryan languages. Its nearest relative is that the close Dardic language. Kalasha was once spoken over a bigger space in south Chitral District, however, it’s currently largely confined to the western aspect valleys having lost ground to Dardic.

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Life In The Kalash Valley Pakistan:

Kids in Kalash Valley Pakistan are crossing an old wooden bridge. The picture quality is not up to mark as it was scanned from a negative.  If you want to know more about Kalash Valley than read more here.

The Kalash or kalasha word is used for these people living in Chitral District of KPK in northern areas of Pakistan. They speak Kalasha language from the Dardic family of Indo-Aryan branch. These people are unique among other cultures of Pakistan. They are also minority group and mostly criticized by scholars. It is considered as a form of animism or ancient Hinduism.

The Kalash people are considered the most indigenous people in Asia. As history tells us their ancestors migrate to Afghanistan from long distance places of South Asia. This place is called “Tsiyam” and Kalash people sing this word in their folk songs and epics. Their traditions are unique and sometimes it looks like they are migrants or refugees. It is considered due to their history that they are an ancient drift north Eurasian stock.

Similarly, people of Kafiristan which is a neighbor province in Afghanistan. They were also followers of the same culture once with some distinctions. But in invasions of Ghaznavi in the 11th century and Timur‘s in 1339 these people converted to Islam. But there is some evidence that they still follow some traditions from their past. Similarly, the Kalash of Chitral valley has its own unique and separate cultural traditions.

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Kalash Valley in Pakistan:

BUY IMAGE

Kalash people are normally happy people but there may be some moments of sadness because sadness is a part of life. Kalash valley is situated in the Hindukush mountains of Pakistan and is having a unique culture.

The Kalash or kalasha word is employed for these folks living in Chitral District of KPK in northern areas of Pakistan. They speak Kalasha language from the Dardic language family of Indo-Aryan branch. These people are most distinctive among different cultures of Pakistan. They’re conjointly minority cluster and largely criticized by people. it’s thought of as a type of doctrine or ancient Hinduism.

People of Kalash Valleys:

The Kalash folks are thought of the foremost autochthonic people in Asia. As history tells their ancestors to migrate to Afghanistan from long distance places of South Asia. This place is termed “Tsiyam” and Kalash folks sing this word in their people songs and epics. Their traditions are distinctive and typically it’s like they’re migrants or refugees. it’s thought of thanks to their history that they’re associate ancient drift north Eurasian stock. Similarly, folks of Kafiristan that could be a neighbor province in Afghanistan.

They were conjointly followers of the identical culture once with some distinctions. however, in invasions of Ghaznavi within the eleventh century and Timur’s in 1339 these folks regenerate to Islam. however, there’s some proof that they still follow some traditions from their past. Similarly, the Kalash of Chitral natural depression has its own distinctive and separate cultural traditions.

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