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

Chitral District Chitral District ( ur, ) was the largest district in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan, covering an area of 14,850 km², before splitting into Upper Chitral District and Lower Chitral District in 2018. Part of the Malakand Div ...

in northern

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. The valleys are surrounded by the

Hindu Kush The Hindu Kush is an mountain range in Central and South Asia to the west of the Himalayas. It stretches from central and western Afghanistan, Quote: "The Hindu Kush mountains run along the Afghan border with the North-West Frontier Prov ...

mountain range. The inhabitants of the valley are the

Kalash people The Kalasha (Kalasha: کالؕاشؕا, romanised: ''Kaḷaṣa)'', or Kalash, are an Indo-Aryan indigenous people residing in the Chitral District of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. The Kalash population in Pakistan numbers only in ...

, who have a unique culture, language and follow a form of religion that is associated with their surroundings like the mountains and rivers.http://www.press.umich.edu/pdf/0472097830-02.pdf The largest and most populous valley is Bumburet (Mumuret), reached by a road from Ayun in the Kunar Valley. Rumbur is a side valley north of Bumburet. The third valley, Biriu (

Birir Birir ( Kalash Language: Biriu ur, وادی بریر) is one of the three Kalash Valleys in Chitral District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is ...

), is a side valley of the Kunar Valley south of Bumburet.

Kalash people

The Kalash people are a small religious and ethnic minority of Pakistan. The Kalash religion is

polytheist Polytheism is the belief in multiple deities, which are usually assembled into a pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own religious sects and rituals. Polytheism is a type of theism. Within theism, it contrasts with monotheism, t ...

faith similar to ancient forms of

Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or ''dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global po ...

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

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 spelled kalash or kalasa, also called ghat or ghot ( sa, कलश , Telugu: కలశము Kannada: ಕಳಶ literally "pitcher, pot"), is a metal ( brass, copper, silver or gold) pot with a large base and small mouth, large en ...

woman

References

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Chitral Kalash
Chitral District

Kalash people

Gallery

See also

References