As the Kashmir valley has a lot of traditions and culture which they can proudly present in front of the world, the most special and the oldest one these times is only the “KANGRI”. Kangri mostly known as “Fire Pot” in broken English language is a traditional wood + clay made object used to warm ourselves in the harsh winters of the valley. A Kangri has two sections one Khraf and the second one Kundal. The Khraf is made of wood and is used to support the kundal which is also used to for handling a Kangri with our hands. The second one is a Kundal which is made from clay and in which hot red burning coal is put for warmth. The name kundal the most important part of Kangri made of clay around which the willow sticks are woven is mentioned in the history when king Avantiwarman 855-883 and his engineers were busy in establishing small village s on the banks of Jhelum. This is mentioned even in Kalhanas’ Rajtarangni. Some say that it is entirely indigenous, others say it is an import from soviet central Asia. One colorful theory is that when the Mughal emperor Akbar conquered Kashmir the people were immensely strong and well-built. The only way he could subjugate them was by making them slothful. He did so by forcing the population to wear woolen- cloth and to carry around Kangri under the gowns.
In the period of Maharaja Pratap Singh in 1885-1925, its first institution was established in 1914, with Andrew as its first principal who hailed from England. He ordered for willow trees from England which were planted in Baghi-Dilawar Khan, Ganderbal, banks of Anchar Lake and Baderwah in Jammu. Kangris are mostly made in Charar-e-Sharif, Islamabad, Bandipora, Zainagir, Magam and each area has its own identification and specification in this field. When the first sign of chill is in the air, the great clusters of Kangris began to make their appearance in shops.
In Srinagar, one of autumn’s most typical sights is that of dozens of Kangris tied to motorcycles or piled into skiffs to be taken home. The Kangri, an invention that dates back at least 400 years is still seen as the best protection against the cold and not only among the older generation. The young man roaring through Srinagar’s crowded bazaars on his high-powered motorbikes, will use a Kangri just as naturally as his grandmother at home.
In common Kashmiri houses a Kangri is incomplete without pheran which covers the entire body of a person during winters, put a small fire of charcoal in the Kangri and enjoy the snowfall and chill in Kashmir from October to March. Pherans are made of tweed, dark brown and grey being the most favored colors of this distinctive Kashmiri dress.
Every man, woman, child wears a pheran during the chilly winter months due to a sudden drop in the temperature. They are worn over the latest styles of acid-washed jeans with as much ease as over the salwar. The fashion-conscious add a collar here and piping there to the basic design and the manual worker will hatch one side if his pheran over one shoulder for freedom of movement. Women wear a modified version of this pheran. Women’s Pherans are knee length, and the velvet one’s are profusely embroidered in real silver thread at the throat, cuffs and hem. It just become fashionable for ladies to carry handbags and purses- before that, the pocket of the pheran served the purpose quite well.
Kangris are gifted to newlywed brides as a special gift for her first coming winter and used by Kashmiri women as a good omen to celebrate auspicious occasions by burning fragmented seeds called “isband” in a Kangri. With the arrival of spring in this special day Kangri are broken to welcome the new season, and to bid good-bye to chilly cold called chilai kalaan, chilly khurd and chill bacha.
Kangris made in Kashmir are even accessible in different parts of India where Kashmiri s has settled down. They use it as a need also in tradition in their customs. With the passage of time the cost of common Kangri has increased as in sixties it costed ten annas and now not less than hundred and fifty rupees. Kashmir is known for its wazwan, vegetables, fruits, handicraft etc, but the Kangri of Kashmir is and will remain always as the identity of Kashmiri culture and heritage.
