Kalash: The sole pagan valley of chitral

The mysterious Kalash valley is the most spectacular valley location of Pakistan and stands on the elevation level of 1670 meters. It is located in Chitral district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. It has a unique indigenous culture and religion that dates back thousands of years. The valley is endowed with rich natural resources and celebrate all year round.

The valley is surrounded by Hindu Kush mountain range. The valley shares a 380km border with Afghanistan in north and west. It boosts serene beauty with lush green valleys and fruit farms making it ideal for tourist spot not only in terms of scenic beauty but also cultural diversity and religious spot.

The history of Kalash Valley Is quite extraordinary. There are three theories about its origin. Some historian’s belief that the inhabitants are the descendants of the soldiers of Alexander the Great. While the second group believes that they are indigenous to Asia and came from Afghanistan, however, according to the third theory the Kalash ancestors migrated to Afghanistan from a distant place in South Asia called Tsiyam. They first migrated to Chitral from Afghanistan and then in second century BC they established in the Valley.

The language of the Kalash valley is Kalasha and Dardic language. It has no proper script however there have been recent developments in introducing a formal script for the language. Like all other religions, the Kalasha also have different religious rituals and practices. The numerous God and Goddesses have shrines and altars all over the valley where goat scarifies are offered regularly. Crows that are considered to be their ancestors are frequently fed with their left hand at a number of places including tombs. Moreover, the people of Kalash do not bury their dead underground rather their coffins are left out in the open. They believe that the soul was excited to leave the human body and reunite with the already departed souls. It is for this reason that they celebrate the funeral of a dead person by singing and dancing rather than mourning over the dead. The people are cheerful who love music, instruments, dance, and drums. Each year they celebrate several festivals namely Chilam Joshi, Pho festival, Uchal, and others. One more unique thing is the dress code, they wear long black loose robes with colorful cowrie shells. They also wear colorful beads and necklaces that further distinguish them. However, male wear shalwar kameez and waistcoat with a hat of the common northern area. Their houses are built on the embankments of streams and rivers that are plentiful in the region. They are constructed with rough shaped logs and are double storeyed.

The valley is beautiful beyond worlds and their beauty can only be admired when the sight is in front of you.

‘’We still, do not know thousandth of one percent of what nature has revealed to us’’ Albert Einstein