Kashmir’s snowfall season kicks off: Why Chillai Kalan is a travel favourite

The 40-day spell of intense winter cold, locally known as ‘Chillai Kalan’, began on a promising note on Monday as snowfall in the higher reaches and rainfall in the plains swept across the Kashmir Valley over the past 24 hours, finally ending a nearly three-month dry spell.

Gulmarg Ski Resort now wears a pristine white mantle after receiving around nine inches of fresh snowfall. The snow has been eagerly awaited by skiers, Christmas and New Year revellers, as well as those associated with the tourism industry.

If witnessing snowfall is on your bucket list, planning a trip to Kashmir during Chillai Kalan is the best time to do so.

What is Chillai Kalan and why travellers swear by it

Chillai Kalan marks the harshest phase of winter in Kashmir, bringing extreme cold and heavy snowfall that often freezes water bodies such as Dal Lake. Even water supply pipelines can freeze during this period, disrupting daily life.

For farmers, however, this severe winter is seen as a blessing. Snowfall during Chillai Kalan traditionally replenishes perennial water reservoirs in the mountains, which in turn sustain rivers, streams, lakes and springs across Jammu and Kashmir during the scorching summer months — ensuring better agricultural yields.

During this time, locals don the traditional ‘pheran’, a long woollen cloak that provides much-needed warmth against the biting cold.

Sonamarg and Pahalgam receive season’s first snowfall

Popular hill stations such as Sonamarg and Pahalgam have also witnessed the season’s first snowfall in the last 24 hours, raising hopes among hoteliers, tour operators and travel businesses, who expect an uptick in tourist arrivals over the next few days.

Medical experts, particularly pulmonologists, say the rain and snow are likely to improve air quality in the Valley, offering relief to people suffering from breathing difficulties and other chest-related ailments.

With snow-clad landscapes, festive cheer and cleaner air, this is an ideal time to experience why Kashmir truly lives up to its title — the ‘Paradise on Earth’.