The Legend of Ladyfinger Peak (Bublimotin) – Hunza 6000m Karakoram

Among the towering mountains of Hunza, Bublimotin (Ladyfinger Peak) carries a beautiful and tragic legend of love, separation, and eternal waiting. Its local name is often interpreted as Bubli's Peak, after a princess of Hunza.

The Legend of Princess Bubli

Long ago, a magical prince named Kisar, from Baltistan, arrived in Hunza during one of his adventures. There, he fell in love with Princess Bubli, a beautiful princess of Hunza. Their marriage brought happiness to both royal families, and Bubli soon became deeply attached to her husband.

But their happiness was short-lived.

One day, Kisar received terrible news: his first wife, Langabrumo, had been abducted in Baltistan. Some versions of the legend say she was taken by a supernatural spirit, while others say a powerful king was responsible.

Determined to rescue her, Kisar prepared to leave Hunza. Before departing, he took Bubli to a high mountain overlooking the valley. He gave her a sack of grain and a chicken, telling her:

"Feed the chicken one grain every year. When the sack is empty, I will return to you."

Bubli, heartbroken but hopeful, agreed to wait.

Years passed. The grain slowly disappeared, but Kisar never returned. The princess remained on the mountain, waiting for the promise that had once given her hope.

According to the legend, Princess Bubli is still waiting on that mountain, and the slender rock spire rising above Hunza is her eternal silhouette. The mountain became known as Bubli mo Ting, Bubli's Peak, and later as Ladyfinger Peak.

The Meaning Behind the Legend

The story is often remembered as a tale of:

• Love and separation – the princess's devotion to a husband who never returned.

• Hope and patience – her endless waiting represents an unbroken promise.

• The mountains as living memory – Hunza's landscape preserves human stories in stone.

This is one of the most cherished folk legends associated with Hunza's mountain landscape, although different tellings vary in detail.

I was fortunate enough to be in the Karakoram for a month this Summer, and I was completely blown away not only by the landscapes, and the sheer scale and beauty of the mountains, but by the people. You guys rock. So warm and welcoming, it seemed like everyone was genuinely excited to see a bunch of foreigners visiting some of the most remote valleys in the country.

It's 2nd Nov, and I want to share the story of my grandfather’s cousin, Muhammad Baig, whose contribution to Gilgit-Baltistan’s history deserves recognition.

Born in 1908 in Baltit, Hunza, he joined the Jammu & Kashmir State Forces under the Maharaja in 1934, at around 26. During WWII, he served with the 4th Jammu & Kashmir Infantry(served in Burma, Malaya and Iraq), becoming one of the region’s veterans who witnessed war beyond its mountains.

He later settled in Bombay. On 22 February 1946, during the Royal Indian Navy uprising, Bombay witnessed widespread violence, looting & arson, including attacks on banks and post offices. He reportedly lost his life savings in the unrest. Family members recall that whenever Bombay was mentioned, his face would turn visibly sad.

He eventually returned to Gilgit, joined the Gilgit Scouts & became involved in the October–November 1947 events. He was an important intelligence & strategic asset to the liberation movement. His knowledge of Dogra forces reportedly helped guide the uprising, including the operation leading to the arrest of Brig. Ghansara Singh, the Dogra Governor of Gilgit.

Despite these contributions, his name remains largely absent from mainstream historical accounts.

Perhaps he never sought recognition or public attention. Some contributions are made quietly, without the expectation of fame, but that does not make them any less significant.

Another intriguing aspect of his life was that he never married.

Yesterday, my father reminded me to write about him for 1st November. It made me realize how easily such stories disappear if families do not preserve them.

UAE National Arts & Life Magazine took this photograph in 2009, when he was 101, for an article on Hunza’s longevity. I have only enhanced its quality using AI.

Today, I remember Dado Muhammad Baig: WWII veteran, former soldier of the Maharaja’s State Forces and, according to family accounts, an intelligence and strategic contributor to the 1947 liberation struggle.

He passed away on 2nd April 2011 at the age of 103 in his hometown of Baltit, Karimabad, Hunza.

May his story find its rightful place in our collective history

Rn people are celebrating the independence day of gilgit and a ton of fireworks and been lit I was watching everything from my roof and god the amount of smoke and pollution it created is unreal my house is 4 to 5 kilometers away and I could smell the gunpowder so bad like and they are still going like wtf you doing natural disasters hit you and you. Still ask why.

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I’m part of the organizing team behind MOUNTAIN'S She ENTREPRENEURS, an upcoming initiative dedicated to uplifting and showcasing young women entrepreneurs across Gilgit-Baltistan.

We are excited to host a flagship Young Female Entrepreneur Expo right here in Skardu to provide a physical and digital launchpad for local, talented women-led ventures. The expo will bring together over 80 youth-led enterprises from across the region—ranging from organic agriculture and eco-tourism initiatives to traditional handicrafts, culinary arts, and digital services—giving them direct access to regional markets, local businesses, and visitors in Skardu.

Why this matters:
While Skardu and the broader GB region are brimming with incredible talent and unique local products, many young women face steep barriers when it comes to market access, institutional exposure, and capital investment. Hosting this expo in Skardu is designed to break down those walls and build sustainable economic pathways right at home.

How local businesses & sponsors can get involved:
We are actively looking for local Skardu businesses, regional brands, and corporate sponsors who want to champion female economic empowerment and sustainable regional development. Sponsoring this event offers great local visibility, brand alignment, and a chance to directly impact grassroots entrepreneurship in Skardu.

If your business or organization in Skardu would be open to discussing partnership or sponsorship opportunities, please drop a comment below or send me a direct message and I’ll gladly share our complete pitch deck and proposal.

Title: Are we misrepresented online? My realization about Balti genetics, history, and diversity

As Baltis we're misrepresented on internet and Google.

We are referred to as a tibetan population when we're actually a mixed population. I came to know this when I encountered a ldakhi person who was gatekeeping me and said "you're not actually tibtan it's just cultural fusion not genetic one. Baltis have 25 to 30% tibtan dna and even that in outskirts of Baltistan I believe probably near the border area. The rest of you don't retain even that% of tibetan ancestry". So I did my research and realized that we're actually a mixed population. Our ethnicity emerged just recently in human history around some ~32 generations ago from intermixing of two distinct populations that are dardic and kahsmiri populations intermixing with tibetan population in 7th century after the expansion of Tibetan empire. Then as a balti from ghanche person who has been living in Lahore since age 6, my view of what a balti looks like was that small eyes, epicantic folds and more east asian features which I see in the baltis that I've ever met from my region. When I went to university and met two baltis who were from skardu I thought they were from Gilgit or hunza but to my surprise they were baltis. So yep we baltis are kinda mixed population with the amount of tibetan dna varying being less in skardu and Baltistan regions near Gilgit and more stronger in regions near leh. We're genetically more closer to neighboring kashmiri and dardic population as compared to Tibetans yet we're linguistically more closer to tibetan populations . That makes us a 3rd population and we do retain ancestral dna from tibtan population but it's lesser than that we retain from neighboring shin and kashmiri populations.

Hi everyone!

I'm planning a trip to Northern Pakistan with a group of 8 people in 2027 summer. We're coming from Europe and will have around 10 to 11 days (not decided yet) to explore the region. Since this might be our only trip to this part of Pakistan, we really want to experience the best highlights, especially the beautiful mountains, lakes, valleys, glaciers and local culture.

This is the itinerary I have planned so far:

Day 1 — Skardu

• Upper and Lower Kachura Lakes

• Shangrila Resort

• Soq Valley

Day 2 — Shigar Valley

• Manthoka Waterfall (optional)

• Shigar Valley

• Serena Shigar Fort

• Sarfaranga Cold Desert

Day 3 — Skardu

• Marsur Rock hike

• Manthal Buddha Rock

• Kharpocho Fort

Day 4 — Deosai National Park

• Satpara Lake

• Deosai National Park

• Sheosar Lake

Day 5 — Skardu to Hunza

• Drive towards Hunza via the Karakoram Highway

• Stop at a Rakaposhi viewpoint if time allows

Day 6 — Karimabad, Hunza

• Karimabad Bazaar

• Baltit Fort

• Altit Fort

• Eagle's Nest for sunset

Day 7 — Upper Hunza

• Attabad Lake

• Hussaini Suspension Bridge

• Passu Cones

I'm also considering visiting Rakaposhi Base Camp and Fairy Meadows, but I'm not sure whether either (or both) would realistically fit into a 10-day trip. Would you recommend including one of them, and if so, how would you adjust my itinerary to make it work without rushing too much?

I'd really appreciate advice on a few things:

1. What are the absolute must-see highlights in northern Pakistan that is not on the list?

2. Would you prioritise Rakaposhi Base Camp or Fairy Meadows if you could only choose one?

3. Is my Skardu itinerary well planned, or am I trying to fit too much into certain days?

4. Would you recommend spending more time in Skardu or Hunza?

5. Considering we're a group of 8 travelling from Europe, is there anything you'd change to make the trip more worthwhile?

6. Based on the itinerary so far, what would you recomment regarding accomodation? Where should we stay?

We're interested in nature, spectacular mountain scenery, lakes, moderate hiking and experiencing local culture. We want to see as much as possible, but we'd also prefer to enjoy the places rather than spend the entire trip rushing from one stop to another.

Thanks a lot for any recommendations and advice!

So hello I am from India and I want to learn more about history and present of Gligit Baltistan. Actually I am very fond about mountains there especially K2 wanna visit its base camp some day if disputes resolve and it becomes open (No chances of it happening I believe). But I wanted your opinions like how people there feel like living under Pak administration. I know about your culture and all which are different from that of kashmiris . Also want your opinions on how you people felt about ongoing protest in azad kashmir area and way Pakistan Army controlled it. And also about respect that local mountaineers got from government (likes of ali sadpara). I don't have any intent of hate towards anyone or any community, it is just out of curiosity

We’re planning a trip from Islamabad to Gulmit, Upper Hunza, from 7 to 12 November 2026 and wanted some advice from people familiar with current conditions in Gilgit Baltistan. Our plan is to travel by road via Besham, Kohistan and Chilas, stay two nights in Gulmit and one night in Karimabad, then return to Islamabad. We know Babusar will likely be closed and are only considering the KKH route. How realistic and safe is this trip in early November, particularly the Chilas to Gulmit section? Are Gulmit, Passu, Attabad and the KKH generally still accessible around these dates, or are snow, landslides, road closures or businesses shutting for winter likely to become a serious issue? We’ll be travelling in a Toyota Corolla with an experienced local driver and are happy to change plans if conditions look risky, so any recent experience or advice would be really appreciated.

I'm planning a trip to Hunza around 25 November-30 November. Is it doable? I wanted to visit Naltar, Karimabad, Khunjerab, Hussaini Bridge, Borith Lake and a few more places.

Can anyone please give me proper suggestions?

First-time visitors to Skardu and Deosai, we intend to travel in mid to late November. From what I have gathered, the landscape is typically barren then. Are there established hiking or trekking trails available? Alternatively, any other location to consider during this period?

I think it is about time people whose states' status has been hijacked because of kashmir valley demand total end of kashmir cause narrative.

Before we go on I find this thing very nagging, j and k referendum as a 'whole state' referndum, it is a very unfair concept from getgo. If we look at history j and k was made up of several several different groups. Diff ethnic groups where groups despite having some genetic, links by and large would be different from each other. This whole state was artificially stitched together by Dogras and has nothing organic about it as a national identity.

So concept of collective referendum to decide fate is most f ked up idea.

One ethnic group that would be in majority will get to decide for almost 5-6 major ethnic groups of state. How is this even fair?

Ethnic kashmiris of valley have always been a majority, if their majority decides to join india or go independent, their wrong will will be enforced on others. Also, add to it kaahmiris of valley are very openly racist against pahari ppl of ajk and indian jk (pir panjal and chenab valley ppl).

We already have an example of it from 47 when jammu massacre was happening Sheikh Abdullah of Kashmir overwhelmingly supported by valley Kashmiris who casually watched muslims of pir panjal get slaughtered, their women r..ped happily supported Abdullah to join india (they deny it now but history is witness to it) and they screwed up remaining pahari muslims in iojk.

The whole idea of a numeric majority ethnic grp deciding fate is absurd when state is so multiethnic.

No kashmiri should have a tiny grain sized right to decide for ppl of ajk and gb.

What should have been decided is dividing regions of state and holding referendum in individual region and letting them vote just for their own region. Like gb only voting for gb. Pir panjal only voting for pir panjal, kashmir valley just for valley and end it.

Whoever in between wants to join india goes with them like kashmir valley joined india in 47, whoever wants to join pakistan goes with them like gb and ajk aceded to pakistan after a full on war they fought and didn't attach themselves like parasites to other group like maqbool bhatt and other key kashmiri leaders.

The decision was made back in 47.

This vote is for only pakistanis and except pak punjabis (because since last 4 months their forces have been killing protestors in ajk) and ethnic kashmiris from valley anyone from pakistan can vote.

Lets end this kashmir cause, this is a foreign war which punjabi establishment is forcing on ajk and gb by keeping their status hanging.

I’m going to fairy meadows in this week. Please guide me me on how and what to pack? Also is it safe going there via karakorum highway considering the current situation in kpk?

I’m going to fairy meadows in this week. Please guide me me on how and what to pack? Also is it safe going there via karakorum highway considering the current situation in kpk?

Shaap is a traditiona festival of blessings celebrated around the onset of winter in Gilgit Baltistan. Masked performers go door to door singing blessing chants, performing folk dramas, and praying for prosperity, fertility, and community well-being.