Travel guide to Kalash Valley

Pakistan is blessed with beautiful areas and each area is unique and has its specialties. Somewhere down in the mountains along the Pakistan-Afghanistan fringe, the distant Kalash Valley is home to Kalasha individuals. In some cases called Kalasha Valley, which comprises of three separate valleys, Kalash valley gives an astonishing experience with the mesmerizing Hindukush mountain ranges and with the ethnic minority network of Kalash. Kalash is also famous for its beautiful oak, juniper, and pine forests. However, these forests are not strong enough to face harsh conditions. In Kailash, one has a very good opportunity to explore a completely different community and their way of living. There, you will get to enjoy kalashi music and Kalash cuisines. Tourists love hearing the folk stories from the local Kalash people.

Location:

Kalash valley is located in the district of Chitral in KPK, Pakistan. It is surrounded by beautiful Hindukush mountain ranges.

Places to visit in Kalash Valley

Kailash valley comes in the list of best places to visit in Pakistan and is worth spending vacations. Steep mountains, lavish green valleys, delightful glades, and huge ice on mountain tops make this place more adventurous. If you are nature but you also like to explore different communities, then Kailash valley is your ultimate destination. Kailash is one of the difficult valleys in terms of accessibility. Kailash valley is full of beautiful sceneries, but the following three places are the ones that you should not miss during your visit to Kailash. They are:

1. Birir Valley

It is among the very less developed valley of the area and you would see a few visitors there. It is because there are the least facilities available there. This place is full of peace without any crowd, unlike other tourist points.

2. Bumburet Valley

This valley is developed too much extent and tourists can easily find maximum facilities there. It is generally famous among Pakistani travelers only.

3. Rumbur Valley

Small towns in Rumboor are not so much grown but still more well-known among overseas visitors.

You can visit our blog “Best places to visit in Pakistan” to explore more such places.

Culture of Kailash Valley

Disconnected from people and religions around the globe by the valleys’ distant areas, the people of Kailash Valley are a social world separated from the overwhelmingly Muslim community of Pakistan. So are the Kailash valley customs and culture i.e different. Fortunately, a considerable number of Kailasha public works to keep their way of life alive. Kailasha ladies follow their dress code, and numerous Kailash festivals are celebrating and displaying Kailasha culture. Tragically, their extraordinary culture is losing itself. Numerous non-Kailash have begun living in the valleys. There is no differentiation among males and females in Kalash and are permitted to keep contact with no fingers being raised at them. The ladies of Kalash wear long dark free robes with bright weavings. These ladies are additionally discovered wearing vivid accessories of beads that further differentiate them from ladies of the Chitral locale.

History of Kailash Valley

The real history of Kalashas stays uncertain as their set of experiences is covered behind various speculations, riddles, and contentions. Kalashas convey a sentimental perspective on being the descendants of Alexander the Great. Then again, numerous history specialists accept that they are a tribe of the neighboring territory of Nuristan likewise called Kafiristan (the place where there is Kafirs).

Kailash Valley Religion and people

The people of Kalash believe in 12 Gods. The individuals of Kalash are incredibly specific about their Kalash religion and break all links with anybody of them who converts to Islam. The converters are not allowed to be a resident of their locale. They keep their character solid. Their interesting society and customs originate before Islam by certain years, and the Kailash public can best be depicted as animists, their religion can be connected to antiquated Hinduism. A very strange religious custom is being followed in which the individuals of Kalash don’t cover their dead under the ground rather their final resting places are left in the open. They say that the spirit was eager to leave the human body and rejoin with the effectively left spirits. It is consequently that they arrange the memorial ceremony of a dead individual by singing and dancing instead of grieving over their departed souls.

Best time to visit Kailash Valley

If you are planning to visit Kailash valley, then it would be perfect to visit it during any festivity time of the year. These festivals are worth watching but make sure to respect the customs and traditions of the locals. There are three significant celebrations in the Kailash Valleys:

Chilam Joshi –It is being celebrated in May and denotes the start of the spring season. Chilam Joshi starts with “Milk day”. Ten days preceding the celebration, The Kalasha public store milk from their families. Upon the arrival of the occasion, the individuals of Kalash offer their drink.  Individuals wear new dresses and ladies embellish themselves. Ladies decor their homes and gather milk from the cows. New moms and their infants are purified in this festival. The principle objective behind the Kalash celebration of Chilam Joshi is that Kalasha people can get themselves a life partner to get hitched. They request and appeal to God for a prosperous year of agriculture and the well-being and security of their individuals.

Uchau – Autumn, generally September. This celebration is celebrated at the special area of Mahandeo and was recently made cheddar is brought from the fields. The celebration includes singing and dancing. Kalasha individuals during this celebration honor God by praising him and expressing gratitude toward their God for bestowing them with great food and yields.

Choimus – Fourteen days celebration around the colder time of year. It is the most significant festival that is celebrated in mid of December. The older folks of the valley stand at peaks to watch the rising sun of the new year that is done by goat sacrifices made to the Goddess. This festival is celebrated for the prosperity of the valley for the next year.