Explore

Six ways into Kashmir’s past and its living traditions.

The Library

Rare books on Kashmir and its spiritual traditions, free to read online or download.

History

Kalhana’s River of Kings, and the travellers who wrote about the valley.

Heritage & Crafts

Pashmina, papier-mâché, walnut carving, silk and the crafts of Srinagar.

Poetry

Lal Ded, Habba Khatoon and the voices of Kashmiri verse.

Sufism & Religion

The saints and shrines of Kashmir, and classics of the Sufi path.

Calligraphy

Masterpieces of Islamic calligraphy, with their text, translation and story.

Start here

Four essential reads for anyone discovering Kashmir.

Lal Ded

The mystic whose sayings are the oldest poetry in Kashmiri.

Nund Reshi

Sheikh Nooruddin and the Rishis, Kashmir’s own Sufi order.

Travellers in Kashmir

Four centuries of visitors, from Bernier to Younghusband.

The Kashmir Shawl

Pashmina, kani weaving and the motif that became the paisley.

New in the Library

Public-domain books, scanned by the world’s great libraries and free for everyone.

• 
  Kalhana’s Rajatarangini, a Chronicle of the Kings of Kashmir, Vol. II (translated by M. A. Stein)
• 
  Travels in the Himalayan Provinces of Hindustan and the Panjab, Vol. II by William Moorcroft and George Trebeck
• 
  Travels in Kashmir, Ladak, Iskardo, Vol. II by G. T. Vigne
• 
  Selected Poems from the Divani Shamsi Tabriz (Rumi), translated by R. A. Nicholson
• 
  The Mystics of Islam by Reynold A. Nicholson
• 
  Gulshan-i-Raz: The Mystic Rose Garden of Mahmud Shabistari, translated by E. H. Whinfield

See all books in the Library →

Latest articles

• 
  A Secret of God in the Calligrapher’s Hand: An Ottoman Qit’a of 1785
  “In the hands of the calligraphers is one of the secrets of God.” An Ottoman calligraphic panel of 1785, written by a young student who became a famous physician, and what it says about the art of calligraphy.
• 
  O Soul at Peace: Surat al-Fajr in an Illuminated Qur’an of 1874
  “O soul at peace, return to your Lord, well pleased and well pleasing.” The closing verses of Surat al-Fajr on a page of an illuminated Qur’an of 1874, and their meaning in Sufi teaching.
• 
  Habba Khatoon: The Nightingale of Kashmir
  The village girl Zoon who became the queen of Yusuf Shah Chak, lost him to exile, and gave Kashmiri its best-loved songs of longing: Habba Khatoon, history and legend.
• 
  Pashmina and Kani: The Shawls of Kashmir
  From the pashm of Ladakh’s goats to the bobbins of the kani loom and the boteh that became the paisley: the story of the Kashmir shawl.
• 
  Kashmiri Papier-mâché: The Art of Kar-i-Qalamdani
  How Kashmiri craftsmen turn paper pulp into glowing boxes, bowls and painted ceilings: the two arts of sakhtsazi and naqashi, and the history of kar-i-qalamdani.
• 
  Kashmir Woodwork: Walnut Carving and Khatamband
  Deep-carved walnut and geometric khatamband ceilings: the two great woodworking crafts of Kashmir, their styles, motifs and history.