Exploring Pakistani Jingle Truck Art in Peshawar

The Rise Of The Jingle Trucks

It seems that nearly every country has a unique vehicle that tourists will be lining up in front of to take a selfie in front of. The United Kingdom has its classic red double-decker buses, Thailand has its tuk-tuks, and The Philippines dazzles tourists with its famous jeepneys. In Pakistan, you have a beast that dwarfs the rest of these iconic symbols of the road: The Jingle Trucks.

With its horns blaring like a symphony and its elaborately decorated hoods, every single aspect of these trucks is both animated and exaggerated. With colorful metal pinwheels on the grill of the vehicle and frantically fluttering flags perched on the roof, the Jingle Trucks act as a parade of colors that can be found constantly barreling down the roads of Pakistan. Like a bat out of hell, the techno beats and melodic horns announce the arrival of these metallic spectacles as they whiz past your average drivers on the streets.

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Where To Find Jingle Trucks In Peshawar

In Pakistan, the best place to get up close and personal with the famous Jingle Trucks is in Karachi. Even though this city is one of the major hubs for truck art, you can still find these colorful beasts throughout the country. Massed in bus parks in nearly every urban center. If you find yourself in Peshawar, you will not have to worry about missing out on jumping on top of these intricate Jingle Trucks.

Along the Grand Trunk Road, you will constantly find the Jingle Trucks flying over the overpass and adding a flash of color to the otherwise drab and dusty landscape of Peshawar. If you start heading east towards the city center from the Daewoo Bus Terminal, you will catch the Jingle Trucks lined in neat rows on the left side of the highway. Unable to control your desire to further explore these bizarre moving works of art, you will find yourself spending hours inspecting the meticulous design put into each and every truck.

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Owning The Roads

No matter if you are a simple street cleaner or a big-time executive, Pakistanis always have a sense of pride in their work. Being the owner of a Jingle Truck is a huge investment and these drivers are more than willing to show off their colorful vehicles and pose in front of them. The second they see your camera, the group of men who were once lazily drinking tea in the shade of a tree will all line up to have their portraits taken in front of their trucks.

These drivers can spend up to 2,500 USD on a paint job for their Jingle Truck. In Pakistan, this is more than many people spend on their houses. These Jingle Truck owners see their vehicles as an investment and as their lifeblood. If they do not properly honor and respect these trucks it would be seen as a great shame. This is one of the reasons that these men get so enthusiastic when a curious tourist shows interest in their colorful chariots.

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Inspecting The Jingle Trucks

When the world was a lot simpler to travel through, many stoners passed through Peshawar and Pakistan on the Hippie Trail. The sight of these ornate colorful trucks made these pot fueled travelers dub the entire region psychedelic heaven. With the bells dangling from the bumpers, metal animals leaping from the roofs, and animated images covering every inch of the Jingle Trucks, coming across one of these vehicles is a trip in itself.

The actual origin of the Jingle Trucks is a bit fuzzy. S0me people believe that it was Sikh drivers who first started to paint the images of their gurus in the beds of their trucks. Gradually, Muslims began to follow suit by creating elaborate portraits of their Sufi leaders. These pictures later became adorned with other designs and symbols from Pakistani culture. Peacocks, mosques, and flowers can be found on every inch of the metal canvas. Thus making these trucks a moving piece of art.

Another theory on what led to the creation of the Jingle Trucks is that it was the companies themselves that made these transports into the loud colorful spectacles that they are today. During the 1950s these Bedford trucks were transformed into an elaborate logo so that all those who saw their cars on the road would know what company it belonged to. Eventually decorating trucks became something of a competition between businesses. With everyone going over the top to outdo their competition.

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Taking A Ride In The Beast

For some, simply looking over these Jingle Trucks from bumper to bumper is not enough. You will actually want to hop on of these whimsical works of art for a ride down the highway. In Peshawar, most of the cheap hotels are found around the bus park. If you are wanting to get downtown to the bazaar, you can actually flag down the Jingle Trucks to drop you off by the market. The fare for the bus from the bus station to the center of Peshawar is 15 PKR (1 USD).

Unlike many other countries that treat their culture as an expression of the past, Pakistan brings their traditions and art into every aspect of daily life. From their food to their trucks, nearly every part of the country embodies the same culture that was passed down by their forefathers. The famous Jingle Trucks are so much more than just a loud expression of pride, but a reflection of all the colors and art that make Pakistan beautiful.