|
shrine
of Arom ( Kam tribal God ) Kamdesh Kafiristan , inside the wooden
enclosure
is a holy stone sacred to the God Arom . As God of contracts
all
oaths and treaties were taken and sealed at Aroms shrine . |
|
the shrine of Mahandeo at Batrik - Bruhn Mumret valley Kalashadesh . 1929 - 1930 |
|
former Kalashi kot (tower) at Bruhn village
|
|
Aspai
village - upper Bashgal valley Kafiristan = Gromma = holy dancing
platform .
This village was visited and photographed by Sir Lovelock in
1885 ( Gilgit mission ect )
, photos of village effigies and Kati lady
in horned headdress are held at the London
India office archive /
British museum ect . This village was built like a fort with only
1
entry point with all the houses facing inwards . |
|
Upper
Presun valley Kafiristan . This valley was scared to Mara (Imra- Dezau
)
the Great God of Kafiristan , here he had his largest and holiest
temple along with several shrines ,
altars and other sacred spaces .
Unlike the warlike other Kafiristani tribes the Presun valley tribe was
peaceful and very religious .
The Presun tribe are considered to be among
the first to settle the hindu kush . |
|
The
Mara Temple of Presun valley Kafiristan ( the spiritual centre of
Kafiristan )
known to the Kalashi as the Temple of Mahandeo , holiest
site in all of Kafiristan.
It had 7 large door's ( 5 of which were
closed all the time )
on it's front side with several large effigy's of
Mara ( Imra )and much lovely carving as well.
A holy cave near by was
used to offer
sacrifice and was in Kafiristani
mythology a direct entrance to
the underworld of the Ancestor's ( one
had to walk backwards
to approach it as all those who looked at it were
cursed ).
In a house next door to the Temple was an iron pole
that Imra
himself had placed there = that was the axis mundi of the Kafiristani
world
. see Robersons - Kafirs of the Hindu Kush for a detailed
description of the Temple . |
|
Grompisht village - Urtzun valley Gromma = Holy dancing platform = Rikh'ini |
|
before the shrine of Gy'iz Kamdesh Kafiristan |
|
Imra's altar at the Kati village of Brumotul- Mumret valley - Kalasha desh |
|
Kafiristani loving couple chair carving |
|
Brumotul big man Kafiristani grave house |
|
Waigal / Ashkungal area Kafiristani loving couple post |
|
Kafiristani big man grave house Waigal valley |
|
Imra's
( Dezau ) shrine and Sacred tree at Urtsun valley .
The shrine's Kam
influence is clear , this valley had a mixed
Kalashi + Kam tribal
society .
A simple carving of Imra's face sits up top and is crowned
with horns. |
|
Imra's
( Dezau ) shrine and Sacred tree at Urtsun valley .
The shrine's Kam
influence is clear , this valley had
a mixed Kalashi + Kam tribal
society .
A simple carving of Imra's face sits up top and is crowned
with horns. |
|
Kafiristani carving and a common Kalashi design
too used to adorn doors and beams on there houses . |
|
Dara
= Kafiristani memorial gateway in Bashgul valley at the entrance to a
side valley .
These , like the effigys were erected to honour Big Men in
the community | | | | | |
|
winter
rite at shrine of Dizane Kamdesh lower Bashgal valley
Kafiristan =
shrine is made in the Parun valley style ,
unlike the local flat roofed
Bashgal valley type shrine.
Imra's shrine can just be made out in the
background ,
these shrine's were above Kamdesh and Imra and other god's
had
more shrine's below Kamdesh , there was all so a sacred pool below
Kamdesh . |
|
Altar of Sajigor Rukmu valley- Kalasha desh |
|
Female Kafiristani effigy = horned ect |
|
Kam
woman dance to the Gods while there men raid .
The horned headdress that
was used by the Bashgal valley
women for religious dances and such .
The
horns can be seen in female effigys ( todays Kalashi only make male
effigys ). |
|
Dal hero effigies - memorials to the brave |
|
Presun valley Deity effigys = the square faced deity effigy is a Parun valley tradition . |
|
farm house |
|
Kafiristani Tower |
|
Mumret valley Kalasha desh |
|
the Sajigor shrine of Rukmu valley |
|
Kalashi Ancestor shrine Grom village - Rukmu valley - Kalasha desh |
|
Brumotul house post's |
|
Peck valley Kafiristani pillar |
|
Kafiristani holy dance in traditional headdress |
|
Weshi = wife of Mara = Great God of the Presun valley Kafiristan |
|
Grom village gri = dancing ground , Rukmu valley |
|
native Kafiristani dances |
|
Kati Gromma = holy dancing platform Kunisht village
- Rukmu valley - Kalasha desh . |
|
Kamdesh Kafiristan shrine of Mother Goddess Dizane Kalashi
- Jaztek ) dancing plat form ( Gromma ) below |
|
High Priest of Lutdeh village Bashgul valley Kafiristan ,
walks beside altar and dancing ground = Gromma |
|
below Kamdesh brave's practice |
|
Brumotul
village house carvings Mumret valley Kalasha desh.
Brumotul was
originally a small hamlet that protected the Kalashi from Kati raids
(
just like Kunisht ), but after the conquest of Kafiristan by the Afgan's
several hundred Kati and Kam tribal refugee's settled in 3
of the
then 5 Kalashi valleys of Urtsun - Mumret and Rumbur
As well as 2 or
3 non Kalashi villages in the Chitral region |
|
Kati Animist grave yard at Kunisht village Rukmu valley Kalasha desh |
|
Shing - mou = horn altar , erected on Shing - brei = horn altar day
- 1st day of Joshi spring festival . Rukmu valley |
|
Imra stone at Brumotul village |
|
Kunisht Kati village , upper Rukmu valley - Kalasha Desh |
|
Kunisht village Gromma = holy dancing platform. Rukmu valley |
|
Kunisht - Kati village - Rukmu valley - Gromma ( holy dancing plat form ) |
|
High Priests house Kamdesh |
|
High Priests house Kamdesh |
|
Bragmatal
( Lutdeh ) upper Bashgal valley kafiristan , it was from bragmatal
that a large part of the Brumotul , Kunisht Kati refugees came in the
late 1890s
.after the Afgans had destroyed all the temples and shrines ,
murdered many priests
- Islamic mullas were sent in . Those in the
upper Bashgal valley were all invited to
Lutdeh were they were all
killed to appease those spirits of the murdered
, it was after this
that several hundred Kati from upper Bashgal valley
fled to Kalash a
desh just as winter closed the mt passes behind them |
|
old Dewa village Amol ( clan Temple ) - Presun (Parun) valley with Goddess statue |
|
Kalashi and Kati effigys at Peshawar museum |
|
Ramgul valley Kafiristan , this is in the western region of kafiristan
( Kalasha Desh is at the eastern end of Kafiristan ) |
|
tomb of Kafiristani big man Waigul valley |
|
tomb of Kafiristani big man Waigul valley |
|
Kafir rite - Kam tribal chief Priest in 1881 at Kamdesh village in the Bashgul valley |
|
Brumbutol Grave yard |
|
Holy dance at Kamdesh gromma ( dancing platform ) |
|
Kafiristani grave yard Bashgul valley |
|
Dara
= Kafiristani memorial gateway in Bashgul valley at the entrance to a
side valley
.These , like the effigys were erected to honour Big Men in
the community . |
Source: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kafiristan/400335726669585
Thanks to Mr. Lucius for providing these precious pictures.
ReplyDeleteAbdul Wahid Nuristani
Thanks, we Nuristani appreciate you for this.
ReplyDeleteGood luck 😊
Can I have a nuristani dictionary or a link ?
DeleteThanks from Goce Janevski 47 Economist as well
ReplyDeleteRegards from Macedonia ,Republic of
Does anyone could tell about Kalashi symbols.
ReplyDeleteDo they have the Sun and Lion as Hunza ppl has ?
As we Macedonians have got .
Thanks in advance
Так же есть Перун,ритуальные танцы и песни заклички ,исполняемые на свадьбах и похоронах,в деревнях.В том числе и в Македонии.
DeleteThanks for your comment. but i could not understand the language.
DeleteNuristani people are not Asian and Islamic but descendants of Greece,Macedonia and surrounding countries with ancient pagan religion. Monstrous and uncivilized rulers of Afghanistan and Pakistan have destroyed and are slowly destroying them completely instead of treasuring them.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment. Your sympathy with us is appreciated
DeleteCan I have a Nuristani Dictionary or a link.
DeleteThere is no dictionary available but below could help you in understanding the languages spoken in Nuristan:
Deletehttp://nuristan.info/
I am from Assam ( Northeast of India ). Old name of my province was Kamrup. I find many similarities between the words of both place. In kamviri language, ripe is called as ' Poka ' , We have the same word. A Liar is called as ' Misolea ' in kamviri and in Assamese language. I think the people of Kamdesh migrated to north india through Himalayan route and settled in Assam.
ReplyDeletethe similarity is becoz of the Indo-aryan substratum present in Nuristani languages, similar substratum is also found in other Iranic languages spoken in Hindu-kush mountains like Pashto, Munji etc. Assamese being, an Indo-Aryan language, inherited most of its vocabulary from middle indic Prakrit (magadhi apabhramsa). Note that, Gandhari prakrit was spoken in the southern and eastern parts of the Hindu-kush mountains, before the migration of East-Iranic and Nuristani tribes thr. For example, in Pashto 'Vana' means tree which is similar to assamese Bon meaning forest (>sanskrit-Vana). In pashto 'Mus' means to rub, which is similar to assamese 'musa' meaning to rub. In pashto 'Manz' means middle, similar to Assamese 'Maz+'/mazot (in middle). In Nuristani languages and Old pashto 'Grom' means village, which is similar to sanskrit 'grama' meaning village.
DeleteThanks Gouratra. Enough written documents are not available on Nuristan's history, people and culture. I have not been to India, however, for sure there cultural and linguistic similarities found which requires further research and studies.
ReplyDeleteWow nice pics... The nuristani tribes are Iranic peoples whereas the Kalashas are Dardic peoples (A branch of indo aryans). Except following a similar religion (worshipping common gods) there were not much similarities between them. They were collectively called as Kafirs by thr muslim neighbors.
ReplyDeleteExcept the religion they sheared effected basically every aspect of life and the Kalasha of Biriu valley have some ancestors that came out of what is now Nuristan .
Deleteیہ بال کل ٹکسیلا سے ملتا جلتا فن ہے اور بعض یاسین میں بھی لکڑی کے اوپر گل کاری سے ملتا جلتا بھی ہے ، بہت قیمتی اثاثہ ہے اس کو ہر حالے میں محفوظ کیا جائے
ReplyDeletediudisQompiNorth Las Vegas Roberto Ijo click
ReplyDeleteabinidar