Kashmir’s kangdi – a comforting tradition

You might expect the advent of a long, bleak winter to bring everything to a standstill in Kashmir, but thanks to ingenious portable earthenware heating pots – kangdi – encased in wicker baskets, people can still go about their business. By Sugato Mukherjee

  • Village women in Kashmir collecting dry chinar leaves (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    At the onset of winter, village women collect dry chinar leaves, which make the best kindling for lighting the charcoal kangdi
  • An artisan couple at work in their family kangdi-making business (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    This indigenous method of keeping warm is kept alive by kangdi makers who perpetuate the centuries-old tradition
  • Weaving the outer wicker basket for the kangdi (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    It takes skill to weave the wicker around the earthenware pot. A kangdi maker will work 10-hour shifts in winter, making up to eight kangdi a day
  • A kangdi vendor with his wares on a snowy backstreet in Srinagar (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    A kangdi vendor with his wares on a snowy backstreet in Srinagar. A kangdi costs around 100-150 rupees (USD 1.5-2)
  • Inspecting a kangdi vendor's wares (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    An old Kashmiri gentleman inspects the quality of the kangdi on offer before making a purchase
  • Kashmiri men gather round their kangdis (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    At work and otherwise, the kangdi is the constant companion of the average Kashmiri. Tucked beneath a woollen coat, this warming pot is more than a match for wintry sub-zero temperatures
  • A boatman warms his hands on Lake Dal, Kashmir (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    A boatman takes a break from rowing on the icy cold waters of the Dal lake to warm his hands on a kangdi
  • Earthenware kangdi pots stacked in the backroom of a Kashmir home (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    During the bitter Kashmiri winter, seasonal demand for the warming kangdi pots can top several thousand
  • A stack of kangdi on a downtown Srinagar street (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    A fixture of everyday life: kangdi stacked up for sale outside a shop in downtown Srinagar
  • Artisans at work in a village kangdi factory (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    Kangdi-making is a cottage industry that provides employment for many villagers during the cold winter months
  • Showkat Hussein sells kangdi made by his family (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    Despite that fact that his school remains closed during the coldest months, fifteen year-old Showkat Hussain is kept busy all winter selling kangdi made by his family in their village home
  • Mushtaq inspects a decorative kangdi (photo: Sugato Mukherjee)
    Mushtaq, a young kangdi seller, inspects a decorative kangdi. More ornate kangdi are often given as wedding gifts