You will seldom see a lone Bakarwal in the high mountains of Jammu and Kashmir.
The pastoral community move in large groups across the Himalayas in search of grazing grounds for their livestock. “Three to four brothers travel together with their families,” says Mohammad Latif who travels every year to a highland meadow or bahak. “It is easier to manage the herd as the goat and sheep are pooled together,” he says, referring to the close to 5,000 sheep, goats, horses, and a couple of majestic Bakarwal dogs that annually travel with them.
The journeys of the Bakarwals from the plains of Jammu to the high pastures in the Pir Panjal and other Himalayan ranges, involve a gradual ascent to around 3,000 metres. They move up around late March before the onset of summer, and start their return journey around September, before winter sets in.
Each trip takes roughly 6-8 weeks each way; women, children, and a few men are the forward party. “They reach ahead of us at important pastures and keep the dera [camp] ready for the arrival of the herd,” adds Mohammad Latif. His group travels up from the plains near Rajouri to Meenamarg located near the Zojila Pass in Ladakh.


























