Kashmir, "The Paradise on Earth," is said to be one of the most beautiful and charming places on earth. It has been gifted with extraordinary beauty. The flora and fauna, as well as water bodies are all manifestations of natural beauty.
Kashmir
is well known for its four different seasons. Among all these seasons, the
winter is witnessed as the harshest one. Thus, the people of Kashmir make the
necessary arrangements to welcome these changes.
To
sustain winters, they store coals, rice, dried vegetables (Hoakhi Seun), and Kangri in the former
seasons. The great component that facilitates the Kashmiris in winter is
the Kangri.
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| Kangri | Image Source | Pinterest |
Kangri
and Kashmir have a special connection. This fact has never allowed one to speak
for the Kashmir alone. The Kangri is always present in Kashmiri homes, whether
it is winter, summer, autumn, or spring.
A
Kashmiri may mate with a Kangri as
soon as it begins to rain even during the summers. The pot loaded with burning charcoal
is carried by its handle beneath the Pheran. The Pheran is a long baggy
woollen garment used in the valley. Keeping these benefits in mind, Kashmiris
say in the love of Kangri that:
Piear lagyie mean kangri ye
lo,
Chrari weajh makh roanie
kangri ye lo,
Piear lagyie mean kangri ye
lo,
The
making of the Kangri is
one of the famous handicrafts in Kashmir. It provides employment to
many people. The basic materials one needs to make Kangri are "Qoandal" (pot) and
"Kaani" (twigs). Qoandal is a
cup-shaped bowl made of potter’s clay. Kaani are
harvested from forests and meadows. But before putting in
use, the twigs are softened in boiling water and then their bark
gets removed. The base, sides, and top are woven using Kaani. There are
several varieties of "Kaani." Some of them
are Lini Kaani, Peash Kaani, Kaxh Kaani, and Wieri
Kaani.
Qoandal is easily available from a
potter. The one who crafts the Kangri is known as 'Kaaneul’, and he himself arranges
the Kaani. Whether Kangri is crafted in
only one way, it still comes in many styles from different villages.
In
that way, the Kangris are named after their villages, like "Czraer Kangir" which comes
from the village of Char-i-Shareef, "Islamabaed Kangir" from
Islamabad (Anantnag), "Bandipur
Kangir" from Bandipura and "Zeanigir Kangir" from
Zeanigir.
The Kangri is an important
aspect of Kashmiri culture. For example, the first winter following their
daughters’ wedding, the parents present to them a specially designed Kangri.
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| Special Designed Kangri (A present) | Image Source | Instagram |
Apart
from that, "Roani
Kangir" is crafted for the special occasions. A most
common example is the lighting of "Izband" (Harmel
Seeds). The
craftsman also decorates it in such a way that makes it even more costly than
any other commonly found Kangri in
markets.
Overall, the Kangri in Kashmir has a special status among the people of Kashmir. A folklore that describes the significance of Kangri further:
Vahekh aavui rahekh katie kangri,
Zeith aavui breith gayakh kangri.
Haar aavui laar lajie kangri,
Shraavun aavui yaavun soorui kangri.
Beader aavui weader peayie kangri,
Aeshud aavui qeasid suzmai kangri.
Muanji hoor aavui kuanji lajie kangri,
Kartik aavui nartik lodmai kangri.
Puah aavui tuah lodmai kangri,
Maagh aavui daag xolui kangri.
Phaagun aavui zaagun xolui kangri,