Lecture 3: M. Pradesh
In this lecture, Mary B. Wheeler highlights "the peacefulness and poetry of Kashmir" as she saw it just months before confict escalated in the area. According to her brief introduction to the lecture script, she visited Kashmir four times before giving this lecture. Her last trip was made just eight months before fighting began, yet, in her own words, "when these pictures were taken there was no hint of the trouble to come." We choose to begin our presentation of Mary B. Wheeler's lectures with Kashmir because it seems a particularly relevant reminder of the powerful beauty of a state which, decades later, unfortunately still remains at the brink of war. Her words may be dated, since she was very much a product of her time, yet there is a universally poignant message in her images that does not fail to affect us strongly even today.
Mary B. Wheeler's lecture on Kashmir consists of 87 slides, detailing the breathtaking views of the Himalayan landscape, grandeur of the monuments and gardens constructed over the centuries, and ethnographic features of life in the region. In order to make her lecture more accessible to the interested viewer and to minimize download time, we have sequentially distributed her images onto seven distinct webpages. The pages are arranged topically and sequentially, remaining true to the order in which Mary B. Wheeler originally presented them. Available audio clips, included also on individual topical pages, are listed here for your convenience. You, as the viewer, have the option of following along with Mary B. Wheeler's original lecture sequence, or selecting the topics that most interest you.
| Lecture Images: | Links to Corresponding Audio Clips: |
| Exploring Srinagar |  Introduction;
The
Jhelum River |
| People of Srinagar | Textile
workers |
| Jami Masjid | Gravestones
in a Muslim Cemetery |
| Mary B. Wheeler's Houseboat and Life on the River | Houseboats
and the River |
| Mughal Gardens | Cheshma
Shahi Garden; Nishat
Bagh; Shalimar
Gardens |
| Traveling through the Countryside towards Gulmarg | Harvesting
Grain |
| Returning to Srinagar at the End of the Day | River
Houses; Returning
Home at the End of the Day |