Photos | Cold wave like conditions grip Kashmir as region experiences ‘Chilla i Kalan’

Kashmir is currently under the grip of "Chilla i Kalan", a 40 day harsh winter period, when a cold wave sweeps the region and temperatures drop considerably leading to the freezing of water bodies as well as water in pipes. (AP) A Kashmiri woman fills a traditional firepot called ‘Kangri’ with charcoal in Srinagar, Kashmir, Friday, Jan.

5, 2024. Kangri is an age old device for keeping warm, consisting of a decoratively woven yellow wicker case housing an earthen pot for burning charcoal. (AP) A thin layer of ice formed on the surface of the Dal Lake here and other water bodies in Kashmir as cold wave like conditions gripped the region, officials said on Saturday.

(AP) During "Chilla i Kalan," the likelihood of snowfall is at its peak, with most areas, especially higher elevations, experiencing heavy snowfall. (AP) A local prepares 'Harisa' before serving it to customers in Srinagar, Kashmir.(AP) Srinagar city recorded a minimum temperature of minus 5.4 degrees Celsius on Friday night, down from minus 3 degrees Celsius recorded on the previous night, the officials said.

(AP) Tourists from Kenya sit by a bonfire outside a cottage in Drang village, northwest of Srinagar, Renowned for its breathtaking landscapes, Kashmir in winter transforms into a wonderland. Tourists fill its hotels to ski, sledge and trek the Himalayan landscape.(AP) People who live in houseboats at the Dal Lake had a tough time breaking the layer of ice over the water body to reach its banks.

Water in pipes also freezed in several parts of the Kashmir valley. (AP) Tourists visit a partially frozen waterfall in Drang village, northwest of Srinagar. Kashmir has been going through a prolonged dry spell and a 79 per cent deficit in rainfall was recorded for December.(AP).