The Balti are the descendants of an amalagam of Tibetan, Turkic and Dard people, whose population of 400,000 is found in the Pakistani-controlled Baltistan and Gilgit and Indian-controlled Kargil, which is administered under the Ladakh region. Their language, the Balti, belongs to the Tibeto-Burman family.

Script

Brahmi was used for written Balti between the 5th to 9th century. However, with the introduction of the Tibetan script under king Khri Getsung-Brtan in the 727 AD, Balti literature flourished. It remained in use until the 16th century, when the Persian script replaced the Balti script.

History

Tibetan Khampa and Aryan tribes came to Baltistan prior to civilisation, and these two groups eventually settled down, creating the Balti people. It was believed that the Balti people came under the Sphere of influence from the kingdom of Zhang Zhung.

Baltistan came under the control of the Tibetan king Songsten Gampo in the 7th century. Under Tibetan cultural influence, the Balti began to adopt Bön and Tibetan Buddhism from Indian Buddhism and Animism. Religious artefacts such as the Gompas and Chörtens were erected, and Lamas played an important role in the live of the Balti.

With the decline of power of Tibet during the 11th century, the Balti people came under the control of the Indian kings from the south, until the three Maqpon and the Shagari family came to power in the 12th century, and thy fostered a close relationship with Ladakh in the south.

Islam was first introduced to the Balti people in the 14th century with the conversion of the Balti prince Gyalbu Rinchen , although mass conversions did not take place until the reign of the ninth Maqpon King Ghotago Senge .

It was not until the reign of the 15th Maqpon king Ali Sher Khan Anchan did the Balti people look foward to expand their territory and fostering relationships with the Mughal emperors. With the adoption of Islam, the Balti have come strong Iranian cultural influence. Old Buddhist Chortens and Gompas were either torn down or converted into mosques, and Lamas were either forced to convert to Islam or leave the country. This pattern continued until the dethronement of the 24th and last Balti king Ahmad Shah Maqpon.

Of late, modern Balti scholars such as Syed Abbas Kazmi and Mohammad Senge Tshering Hasnain have contributed greatly to the re-discovery of the Balti culture. Plans to excavate ancient monastery and preservation of the Buddha rock are planned, as the Balti goes through a process of merging their culture with those of the Tibetan Muslims of Tibet.

Culture

Centuries of Tibetan, Iranian and Indian influence have shaped the Balti culture into its modern form. Islam plays an important role in Balti culture, and this can be seen in the daily prayers of the Balti Muslim men, who would kneel down on a mat and pray towards Mecca.

Tibetan infuence can be seen in its architecture, where houses painted white and sloping inwards are built, and the most notable artefacts of the Balti architecture include the Baltit fort . Like the other Tibetan Muslims, older mosques show a mix of Iranian and Tibetan architecture, although strong Iranian and Pakistani influences can be seen in the newer mosques.

Little remains of the pre-Islamic Balti culture, which was largely supplaced by the dominant Punjabi and Iranian culture, and it can be evidenced in the near-extinction of traditional Balti festivals such as Mephang. Folk literature such as those of Lepo Kesar and works of Ali Sher Khan Anchan prevail among the Balti literature, which has experienced a revival in recent years.

Lifestyle

Like the Ladakhis, the Balti are agriculturalists. Their staple crops include wheat, maize, flour, etc. However, these could be planted in late summer and at lands with elevations not above 2,500 m, particularly along the Indus and Shyok river, as the Winter snow in Baltistan could be so heavy that it could cut off several regions from the rest of the world.

Religion

The Balti are mainly Muslims of the Shia' denimination. Mosques in Baltistan and Gilgit are mainly built in the Persian style, though several mosques constructed in the Tibetan style can be found in areas nearer to Ladakh and in Kargil. A fair denomination are Muslims of the Sunni sect. The Balti, who converted to Islam from Lamaism since the 15th century, have regarded the Mosques as a part of their life. On every Friday, the menfolk would generally attend the prayers sometime a little after noon. All Muslims will fast in the day during the month of the Ramadan, and a celebration will be held at the end of the celebration.

Small pockets of adherents that amount up to 3,000 in Baltistan of these age-old religion can be found in the most remote areas of Baltistan and West Kargil, where they have largey shunned off contacts with the outside world.

See Also

• Tibetan Muslim

External Links

• Photos of the Balti people
• Skardu Valley