The document provides information about the culture and traditions of Kashmir. It discusses the region's religious beliefs including Islam, Hinduism, and Sikhism. It also describes cultural aspects such as festivals, foods, dress, handicrafts, and the Kashmiri language. Birth, marriage, and death customs are outlined for Hindus and Muslims. The culture incorporates influences from its diverse religious populations.

1. A PARADISE IN EARTH

2.  Kashmir, officially referred to as Jammu and Kashmir, is an
86,000-square-mile region, in northwest India and northeast
Pakistan.
 The region has been violently disputed by India and Pakistan
since their 1947 partition.
 The Indian portion of Kashmir is called Jammu and Kashmir and
its capital is Srinagar. The Pakistani- controlled part of the region
is called Azad Kashmir and its capital is Muzaffarabad.

3. THE CULTURE AND TRADITIONS OF KASHMIR
INCLUDES:
 BELIEF SYSTEM
 CUSTOMS
 LANGUAGE
 FESTIVALS
 FOODS
 DRESSING
 FAMOUS LANDMARKS
 FAMOUS GOODS

4.  To understand the cultural basis of a particular community, the
study of its religious beliefs is very important.
 Kashmir is inhabited by believers of Islam, Hinduism and
Sikhism. A few Christians and Buddhis ts also live there.
Islam is the dominant religion in Kashmir Valley.
 Hinduism forms the second major religion of Kashmir. It is the
oldest religion of the valley.
 Sikhism forms the third major religion of Kashmir valley.
However, in comparison to Muslims and Hindus, Sikhs are
fewer in number.

5. Birth
 The birth ceremony of a Hindu is an elaborate one, with
mystic figures chalked on the floor, fire, pots and pestle
being worshipped.
 The exact time and date of birth is carefully noted by
the family astrologer. On the fourth day of the child’s birth,
a special feast composed of sesame, walnuts and sugar fried
in oil, is prepared and sent to relatives and friends. It is
called teil Panjiri.
 On the same day mother’s parents send some special food
to their daughters house. On the 7th day, the ceremony
 On the 7th day, the ceremony of bathing the mother and
the child (Sundar Sran) is performed . on this same day
the naming
 on this same day the naming ceremony takes place.

6. Marriage
 In hindus culture ,On the wedding day the groom wears a
colorful dress with a saffron – colored turban on his head.
 And they also made beautifull Rangoli (vyug) in the
compound of the house.
 During these ceremonies, the bride is supported by her
maternal
 uncle.
 The two families recite mantras and make the bride, groom
and their parents Perform a number of rituals with fire
(agni) as the witness.
 But in muslims, nikkah ceremony has great importance .
 And mehar is paid by the groom to the bride which is fixed
.

7. Death
 When a person breathes his / her last, his/her
mortal remains are washed in water. and cotton
 And cotton buds are put into his / her ears and
nostrils. A coin is placed at its lips.
 The whole body is covered in a white shroud and
tied with a thread (neeryvan).
 Muslims believe in the life after death. After
death, the corpse is bathed and wrapped in white
cloth (Kafan).
 The body is then carried in a coffin (Tabut) to the
graveyard where it is buried in the grave.

8.  All major festivals celebrated by the Kashmiri people are
 mixed between Islamic, Hindu, and Sikh people from the
 region.
 A popular Hindu festival is Navaratra (New Years Day),which is
celebrated on the first day of the New Moon in March/April.
 The Urs is another popular Kashmiri festival that is held annually
at the shrines of Muslim saints on the anniversaries of their death.

9.  The most widely spoken language is Kashmiri, an Indo-
Aryan language.
 However, the predominant language differs according to
region. Speakers of Kashmiri also speak Hindi, English, and
Urdu as a second language.
 The predominant language of Azad Kashmir include
Pahari, Urdu, Dogri, Pahari, Balti, Ladakhi, Gojri, Shina and
Pashto.
 Poguli is the second most prominent regional dialect of the
 language and is spoken in the Pogul and Paristan valleys.
 Other key dialects are Rambani and Siraji.

10.  Kashmiri people eat variations of both
vegetarian and non-vegetarian food.
 Kashmiri food normally consists of a few
signature dishes such as: boiled potatoes with
heavy amounts of spice (dum aloo), solid
cottage cheese (tzaman), spicy lamb curry
(rogan josh), and rice.

11.  Kashmiri‟s are not heavy drinkers of alcohol
but are drinkers of tea.
 Some popular tea drinks are Nun Chai and
Kahwah.

12.  Many people of Kashmir participate in the formal meal
called
Wazwan. It is a ritual serving of food that turns out to be
more like a ceremony for weddings and parties.
 The ceremony takes days of planning and hours are spent
cooking. As many courses of food are given to guests.
 Table settings are placed on the floor for groups of 4 where
the main dishes are served.
 First the Tash-t-Nari is passed around for guests to wash
their hands. The last meal is the Gushtaba and one that is
never refused by guests.
 A dessert Phirni and a cup of Kahwah tea is also served
during Wazwan.

13.  Three different cultural backgrounds influence
the clothing and costume styles of Jammu and
Kashmir.
 There is not much difference in clothing being
men and women.
 They both wear what is called phiran, which is
a gown that is made of wool during the winter
months and cotton during the summer months.
 Muslim and Pandit men wear the gowns
differently.

15.  Ruf Dance
 Bachha Nagma Dance
 Dandaras Dance
 Kashmiris are known to enjoy their music in its
various local forms; The Dumhal is a famous
dance in Kashmir, performed by men of the
Wattal region.

16.  Kashmir is the home of handicrafts like wood
carving, papier-mâché, carpet, gabba and
shawl making and embroidery on clothes.

17.  India Meeting Etiquette:
 Religion, education and social class all influence greetings India.
 Greet the eldest or most senior person first.
 When leaving a group, each person must be bid farewell
individually.
 Shaking hands is common. Men shake hands with men and
women shake hands with women.
 Gift Giving:
 People of India entertain in their homes, restaurants, private clubs,
etc.
 Indians are not always punctual but expect foreigners to arrive on
time.
 Take off shoes before entering the house.
 Dress modestly and conservatively
 Politely turn down the first offer of tea, coffee, or snacks.

19.  http://geography.about.com/od/specificplacesofinterest/a
/kashmir.htm
 http://geography.howstuffworks.com/middle-
east/geography-of-kashmir.htm
 http://www.kasheeronline.com/kashmir-culture.asp
 http://www.kashmirlibrary.org/
 http://www.koausa.org/Crown/index.html
 http://www.koausa.org/Geography/
 http://www.koausa.org/Geography/ethnic.html
 http://www.newkerala.com/states-of-india/jammu-
kashmir.php
 http://www.newkerala.com/states-of-india/jammu-
kashmir.php
 http://www.kasheeronline.com/kashmir-culture.asp