Did Ancient Kashmiris Actually Domesticate Walnut, Plum, Cherry and Pear?

By: Farooq Ahmad Lone (Retd IAS) 

It is generally believed that most cultivated crop plants and fruit trees have reached Kashmir from Central  Asia, West Asia, China and Indogangetic plains . However, archaeological evidences, palaeobotanical discoveries, and even the present day distribution of some wild fruit species suggest a more nuanced picture. Rather than merely receiving these plants, Kashmir may itself have been an important regional centre where several fruit trees were managed, selected, and possibly domesticated.

The strongest evidence comes for walnut (Juglans regia). Carbonized walnut endocarps have been recovered from the Neolithic, Megalithic, and early historic levels at Burzahom and Semthan, demonstrating its continuous use over several millennia. More importantly, fossil wood, leaves, and pollen of Juglans occur in the Plio-Pleistocene and Pleistocene Karewa deposits of Kashmir, strongly suggesting that walnut was growing naturally in the valley long before the arrival of agriculture. This raises an important possibility. instead of being introduced from Central Asia, walnut may have been domesticated locally from indigenous populations through long term human selection.

A similar pattern is seen in species of Prunus. Endocarps of plum (Prunus domestica) and sour cherry (Prunus cerasus), together with charcoals of Prunus species, have been recovered from Kashmir archaeological sites. Significantly, wild sour cherry (Aelich in Kashmiri), sour plum (Gordoul in Kashmiri), and several other Prunus species still occur naturally in Kashmir, while their fossil remains are also known from the valley’s Pleistocene deposits. Their long natural history and continued wild occurrence suggest that ancient inhabitants could have selected superior trees for cultivation rather than depending entirely on introduced varieties of these fruit trees.

Evidence of pear follows the same trend. Charcoal of Pyrus pashia recovered from Semthan, combined with the continued presence of the wild pear (Taenj in Kashmiri) in the valley, indicates that this indigenous species was locally available and utilised by ancient communities.

Taken together, the archaeological record, fossil evidence, and surviving wild populations point towards remarkable continuity between Kashmir’s prehistoric forests and its cultivated landscape. While modern genomic studies are still needed to establish independent domestication beyond doubt, the available evidence strongly suggests that ancient Kashmiris were not merely consumers of introduced fruit trees. They were probably active participants in the management and improvement of native plant resources.

Kashmir, therefore, deserves recognition not simply as a corridor through which cultivated plants spread, but possibly as a secondary centre of domestication and diversification or a significant regional centre in the long process of plant domestication, particularly for walnut, plum, cherry, and pear. This proposition,no doubt, needs further validation by future researchers.

The author is former chairman J&K Public Service Commission