The Kalasha Valleys are valleys of northern Pakistan’s Chitral District. The valleys are surrounded by the peaks of the Hindu Kush. The valley’s inhabitants are the Kalash people, who have a distinctive culture, language and follow an ancient Hindu tradition.
The Kalash or Kalasha are the only pagan minority who live in Khyber Pakhtunkhua province’s Chitral district. They constitute the smallest minority group in the Pakistani Islamic Republic. While Kalash’s people once were in large numbers, around 200,000, the number has declined so much that only a handful of Kalashas remain— perhaps 3,000 to 4,000. The pronounced decline in Kalasha’s population is attributed to the strong conversion of these pagans to Islam. Also in today’s case, the smallest pagan minority is denied barely any privileges and is not regarded as a separate body. Just a handful of international NGOs work to establish and promote this valley.
Kalashas ‘ roots remain unclear as their history hangs behind a variety of hypotheses, myths and controversies. Among these many hypotheses, three bring great significance with them and are known as being closest to truth.
