Kangri : Traditional Fire pot Of Kashmir
As winter tightens its icy grip on the Kashmir valley, the traditional fire pot known as “Kangri” is seeing a surge in demand.
- The Kangri, also known as Kanger or Kangid, is earthenware filled with glowing embers and encased in pretty handmade wicker baskets.
- It is a portable and moving heater that Kashmiris keep in their pheran, a long woollen cloak reaching down to the knees worn by people during the frosty winters.
- A pot can hold about 250 grams of charcoal, and the fire, lasts for hours, under a pheran.
- It keeps people warm during the harsh winter months, when temperatures can drop below minus 20 degrees.
- It is known for its outer shell made of willow wicker reeds that grow abundantly in the wetlands of north Kashmir’s Ganderbal district.
- These reeds can reach eight feet in height and are harvested during autumn, just before demand for the fire pots swells.
- These then go through a multi-layered process of scraping and peeling to get rid of the bark, soaking, boiling, and drying before they are ready to be woven around a bowl-shaped clay pot.
- The earthenware is decorated with colourful threads, mirrorwork, and sequins and is about six inches (150 mm) in diametre.
