SRINAGAR, INDIAN-ADMINISTERED KASHMIR – Bandook Khar Mohalla, a locality whose name means gunsmith, is a shadow of its former self. Located in the heart of Srinagar, Kashmir’s summer capital, the community was once famous for its traditional weaponry. In 1925, there were more than 25 manufacturing units here each producing double- and single-barreled guns famous for their exquisite craftsmanship and walnut-wood butts. Now, just two small, family-run factories remain.
The industry began to decline in the 1960s, following the Indian government’s order of strict regulatory tests on all firearms. A ban on the manufacture and possession of guns during armed struggle in Kashmir in 1989, and an unofficial ban that still exists today, threw the industry into chaos. Today, as two factories fight to increase the annual quota of guns they can legally produce – just 300 per year – they continue to take pride in their craft.
